Movies - Reefer Madness

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	Movies - Reefer Madness

The film version of the musical Reefer Madness premiered on April 16, 2005, on the Showtime cable network. It is a television movie version of the 2004 musical, and stars Alan Cumming as the Lecturer and Kristen Bell as Mary. The movie also stars siblings Christian and Neve Campbell as Jimmy Harper and Miss Poppy. Bell, Christian Campbell, and John Kassir reprise their roles from the stage; Robert Torti, who played both Jack and Jesus on the stage, portrays only the latter in the movie version (Steven Weber plays Jack in the movie).

On the night of April 20th, 2005, Showtime aired the musical back-to-back with the 1936 exploitation film that inspired it.

Basis

Most of the satirical basis of the movie was focused on censorship of the government, not reefer madness. It is an extremely comical and witty piece with many instances involving tongue-in-cheek humour.

Quotes

Lecturer- "Do your children enjoy jazz music? For I am here to tell you that Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and the whole weed-blowing, ginger-colored lot are merely masquerading as musicians and are in fact agents of evil. (nods) Reefer slows down the smokers' sense of time, allowing them to squeeze in unnecessary "grace notes", giving this voodoo music the power to hypnotize white women into indulging in unspeakable acts of degradation."

"Marijuana is the most addictive of all drugs. It is many times more addictive than heroin."

Roosevelt-"I for one would like to hear what this blood-spattered young lady has to say!"

Mary Lane- "Jimmy! What are you doing here in the middle of the night? It's almost 9 p.m.!"

Sally- "What a night! I was in more laps than a napkin!"

Roosevelt- "A little orphan girl once told me that the sun would come out tomorrow. Her adopted father was a powerful billionaire so I supressed the urge to laugh in her face, but now, by gum, I think she may have been on to something!"

Jimmy (During "Loved by Mary Lane")- "Mary Jane, Mary Jane, you conquered me like Charlemagne."

"You melt resistance down like hot Velveeta!"

Synopsis

In a high school auditorium, The Lecturer tells the assembly of anxious parents about the evil of marijuana ("Reefer Madness"). With the help of his assistants, he then launches into the tragic tale of one boys struggles with the demon weed.

Jimmy Harper is a fine upstanding youth, blessed with the love of the fair Mary Lane. The two are sure they will live happily ever after ("Romeo and Juliet"). However, across town, the weed-pusher Jack and his croonies, Sally and Ralph, are living in the depths of depravity. Jack's moll, Mae, explains how she came to live in such a state ('"The Stuff.")

Meanwhile, Jack goes out to recruit new addicts at Miss Poppy's soda counter ("The Ol' Five and Dime"). There, he meets Jimmy, whom he lures back to the house and offers a stick of reefer. After one puff, Jack becomes an addict ("Jimmy Takes a Hit/The Orgy"). He forgets about Mary Lane, who sits alone in church for weeks and weeks ("Lonely Pew").

One night, Jimmy and Ralph break into the church in order to steal from the collection plate for drug money. Jesus comes down from the cross and, in a musical revue hosted by Joan of Arc, exhorts Jimmy to kick the habit ("Listen to Jesus, Jimmy). But Jimmy it too deep into his habit to be saved; he has a new god now. He goes back to the Reefer Den, and to Sally.

One dark night, Jimmy and Sally are driving back to the house, stoned, when their car hits and kills and old man. Sally runs away. Jimmy, scared straight, drives in a panic to Mary's house, where he tells her he still loves her, and that they must go far, far away. Mary happily accepts him back, and everything seems right with the worlds ("Loved by Mary Lane").

But Jack knows that if the police catch Jimmy, his 'reefer empire' will be shattered. He waits for Jimmy at Mary's house and offers him an innocent looking chocolate brownie. Jimmy eats the brownie and immediately forgets about Mary Lane ("The Brownie Song").

Jimmy goes back to the Reefer Den. But this time, Mary follows him, planning to rescue him. Instead, Ralph ensnares her with his fraternity jacket and a puff of reefer ("Little Mary Sunshine").

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