Narcotics: Pit of Despair!
Synopsis by Mary Morris
Thanks Mary for allowing us to post
this information on our website!
I heard of a book about
classroom films of the 50s, 60s, and 70s that sounded interesting. It's called
'Mental Hygiene' by Ken Smith, and it's a good book - it covers all kinds of
classroom films, including driver's ed, dating, hygiene, sex education, and
anti-drug films. If you've watched
MST3K, they have used a lot of these films on their show.
I was thumbing through the book and noticed a VERY familiar face.
The picture was only about two inches square and very grainy, so it was hard to
tell, but it looked like Kevin Tighe! I
wasn't too sure if I was right, as the credits for this particular film weren't
listed anywhere. Luckily, there was an
ad in the back of the book for a tape with many of the films on it, and this
was one of them. I clipped it out, sent off my $20, and waited.... it turned
out I wasn't wrong.
According to the credits, this was filmed in 1967. It is
considered a classic of the genre. If you're interested in ordering the book,
you can find more information about it here:
Souvenir
Hut, Roadside America Website
The info on how to order the videotape is at the back of the
book. If you're interested, email Laurie and I'll
send you the info on how to order one for your very own.
All pictures come from the short educational film 'Narcotics, Pit
of Despair', on the companion videotape to 'Mental Hygiene', by Ken Smith.
THE PLOT: John, an erstwhile young high school student on the
track team with a pretty girlfriend, a nice car, and a lot going for him, falls
in with the wrong crowd. He starts to smoke, has a beer, and before he knows it
he's smoking a joint, which of course leads to heroin. Soon he's selling his
mother's silverware to pay for his fix. Eventually, he gets caught and
is sent to treatment.... which works beautifully. Or does it? The ending is
unclear. No dialogue from the actors in this, just a heavy-handed narrator.
Watch out for the sinister bongo music.
