Assassin of Youth

Campy exploitation film from the mid-'30s. A humorous jaunt to the past looking at a \"serious\" Government propaganda film.

Typical anti-weed propaganda with a heavy handed message packed with hysterics and misinformation. It twines a couple of different tales around the drug trade in a small US town, and depicts some of the most ridiculous pot parties ever.

Sort of like the Beach Blanket Bingo of drug-scare movies. Hard to tell how seriously the producers took their mission. Frisbie on her scooter presages Margaret Hamilton of Oz, and there's that John Carradine soda fountain guy, not to mention the demonic Tori Spelling. The 2 early party scenes are very good indeed, and give a real feeling of natural rambunctious fun (too bad we're not supposed to like that sort of thing). Also early noir feel at times, like in the drive with reporter and girl.

It's the modern custom to look down one's nose at these moralizing cheapies but this one beats you to the punch by to an extent putting one on in the first place. At the very least the directing is smarter than most. Among the best in its class technically too. Weirdly there is a character that looks, sounds, and acts A LOT like Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz, released a couple years later.

It's not suicide! "It's murder by marihuana!!!" Tihi... what a giggle this movie is! Best bit - Gossipy Fern Emmett on a motorized scooter!