Assassin of Youth (1937)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Elmer Clifton

Writers:

Charles A. Browne (screenplay)
Elmer Clifton (story)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Puff--Party--Tragedy!

Plot:

A high-school girl gets involved with a ring of teenage marijuana smokers and starts down the road to ruin. A reporter poses as a soda jerk to infiltrate the gang of teen dope fiends.

Plot Keywords:

Marijuana | Reporter | Teen | Soda Jerk | Fiend

Cast

Luana Walters	...	Joan Barry
Arthur Gardner	...	Art Brighton
Fay McKenzie	...	Linda Clayton
Michael Owen	...	Jack Howard
Dorothy Short	...	Marjorie 'Marge' Barry
Dorothy Vaughan	...	Mrs. Mary Barry
Earl Dwire	...	Henry 'Pop' Brady
Fern Emmett	...	Henrietta Frisbee
Henry Roquemore	...	Judge George Herbert
Hudson Faucett	...	Otto (as Hudson Faussett)
Gay Sheridan	...	Edith
Edwin Johnson	...	Charlie

Also Known As:

Marihuana (USA) (review title)
The Marijuana Menace (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor High Fidelity System)

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario)

Company:

BCM Roadshow Productions

Trivia:

The earlier title, "Marihuana" was changed to avoid confusion with the earlier, similar anti-drug pic Marihuana (1936/I).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: There are jump cuts in the rear-projection shots of a car sequence.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Grass (1999)

An exploitative glimpse into the past...

One does not view poverty row pictures and road show exploitation flicks with the expectation of witnessing fine acting, directing or writing--after all, that's the charm. The relative inexperience or stiffness of performances allows the modern movie-goer to concentrate on the dated situations and propaganda--both of which offer a clearer window to the cultural mores of the era than acknowledged works of classic cinema: pop culture has always been more visceral than what we choose to elevate as high art. This film is enjoyable on several levels--as a societal time machine, a "campy" exploitation flick, and even as a basic B movie romance/courtroom drama! Quirky details abound--the town gossip bears a striking resemblance in face and deed to Margaret Hamilton's "Miss Gulch", for example, though she rides a scooter instead of a bicycle/broom! And of course, the drug references to insanity-inducing marijuana go a long way in explaining why the tobacco industry has had such a long stranglehold on American lungs... Watch "Assassin of Youth"--you'll triple your entertainment without the use of mood enhancers!