Reefer Madness (1936) [Enhanced] - Public Domain Universe - Louis Gasnier

Reefer Madness (1936) [Enhanced] - Public Domain Universe - Louis J. Gasnier
This unabashed propaganda film most popularly known as Reefer Madness, but originally known by the title Tell Your Children, a dead giveaway, has become a cult classic of comically bad cinema due to its dated, alarmist views on the dangers of "marijuana addiction" and the exaggerated symptoms thereof. After the onscreen prologue that declares "Something must be done to wipe out this ghastly menace," Reefer Madness launches into a case study of clean-cut WASP couple Bill (Kenneth Craig) and Mary (Dorothy Short), high schoolers who play tennis and drink tea on the back porch. Their friend Jimmy (Warren McCollum) introduces them to a pot dealer named Jack (Carleton Young), who invites Bill up to his den of inequity, where stoned ne'er-do-wells laugh fiendishly, dance, and play the piano. After one joint, Bill is hooked, and his life begins to plummet down the tubes -- he starts flunking school and becomes a promiscuous regular in Jack's apartment. When a worried Mary tracks Bill down, she too is given a joint and begins giggling uncontrollably while being aggressively fondled by the bizarre addict Ralph (Dave "Tex" O'Brien). When Bill bursts out of the bedroom to tangle with Ralph, hallucinating and blacking out, Mary is accidentally shot. This prompts a string of guilt and calamitous occurrences, including several more deaths and courtroom sentences to mental institutions, all because of the devil weed. The film ends with the ominous warning, "The dread marijuana may be reaching forth next for your son or YOURS!"
Note: some minor enhancement work was done to improve the quality of the old source picture and soundtrack. Nothing was added or removed. Enjoy this full free movie!
PUBLIC DOMAIN UNIVERSE CHANNEL:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT THIS MOVIE
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Age rating: N/A (would likely get a PG-13 rating at this point)
Released: 1936
Quality: 480
License: Public domain
* The Work may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, used, modified, built upon, or otherwise exploited by anyone for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, and in any way, including by methods that have not yet been invented or conceived.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*CAST & CREW*
CAST
Dorothy Short .................................................................... Mary
Kenneth Craig ...................................................................... Bill
Dave O'Brien (David "Tex" O'Brien) ..................................... Ralph
Carleton Young .................................................................. Jack
Warren McCullum (Warren McCollum) ............................... Jimmy
Josef Forte ................................................................. Dr. Carroll
DIRECTOR
Louis Gasnier (Louis J. Gasnier)
PRODUCER
George A. Hirliman
WRITERS
Lawrence Meade
Arthur Hoerl
Paul Franklin
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Public Domain Universe's goal is to collect free videos (usually movies, but also videos of any kind) and personally enhance them (just minor restoration, which can truly make a difference sometimes, but no addition), if possible and needed, for better audiovisual output for your convenience.
YouTube is our platform of choice; a great platform because it is well-known by the general public, easy to use and open to discussion (at least, PDU videos are open to video responses and comments, always).
Discussion is important because the works in these videos are often not well-known or could have been forgotten by time. Their free status does allow easy distribution though, which they should benefit from.
These videos are free because the work you see in them never were copyrighted or they have lost their copyright status for various reasons (usually because of their age), so you can do what you want with them, even use them commercially (when something truly is in the public domain) without even needing to refer back here (since PDU too doesn't own them). It sure would be nice if you shared our links though!

(dramatic music)

(fast-paced music)

- It must be stopped.

You, and all the school parent
groups about the country.

And you must stand united on this,

and stamp out this frightful
assassin of our youth!

You can do it by bringing
about compulsory education

on the subject of narcotics in general.

The dread marihuana in particular.

That is the purpose of this
meeting, ladies and gentlemen.

To lay the foundation for a
nationwide campaign by you

to demand, by law, such
compulsory education.

Because it is only through enlightenment

that this scourge can be wiped out.

Out of the trafficking in these drugs,

a lawlessness that we
can scarcely estimate

has grown and is now flourishing.

It exists in almost every city
and hamlet in the country.

It might be interesting and
important for you to know

some of the methods used in bringing

these drugs into the country

and the work of the
forces of law and order

which are daily combating the traffic,

always at the risk of
life by their agents.

This ceaseless fight
against the drug traffic

is directed by the Department
of Narcotics, Washington.

I have received a letter
of vital importance

from a member of the Narcotics Bureau.

I'm going to read this letter to you.

My dear Dr. Carroll, the
suppression of the use

of marihuana and of the
forces lurking behind it

are the most important
jobs this department

is now engaged in.

At the outset of this letter,
there is one vital fact

I would like to submit.

There is a powerful agency.

I speak of the school-parent
associations of this country,

which can be invaluable in
stamping out this scourge.

Their help, their eternal vigilance,

could be the deciding factor
in our fight against it.

The weed marihuana is grown
in every state in the union.

Recently in the city
of Brooklyn, New York,

a field of marihuana was
found behind a tenement court.

The weed was here being
cultivated, regularly stripped

and dried and sold in schools
and at government army posts

in and around New York.

The dried leaves and berries are ground up

and made into cigarettes
by a simple hand machine.

The deadly narcotic is thus quickly

and easily prepared for its market.

The sale of marihuana is
even more difficult to detect

and halt than the traffic in drugs

such as opium, morphine and heroin.

They are hidden in fake jewelry cases,

in the heels of shoes,
women's shoes especially,

because the drugs can be
secreted in false heels.

Hollow shaving brushes are another means.

Books with false centers are often used,

watch cases are convenient hiding places.

The value of drugs thus
seized is enormous.

Recently a huge supply
of heroin was taken.

It was concealed in an
apparently harmless shipment

of thirty-five barrels of olive oil.

The deadly drug was
burned in the incinerator

of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

And more vicious, more
deadly even than these

soul-destroying drugs, is
the menace of marihuana!

No doubt, many of you do not
believe that these things

do happen, that they cannot happen to you.

You may also believe that the
facts have been exaggerated.

Let me tell you of something that happened

right here in our own city.

You probably read about it in the papers.

However I'll give you the
real facts behind the case.

There was an apartment near
one of our high schools.

It was run by a woman
known as Mae Coleman.

- Hey!

Come on Mae, get up.

- What time is it?

- Time to get up and give
this place a going-over.

It looks like the Marines have landed.

- Well, that bunch last
night was high enough

was to take over the Marines and the Navy.

- You better get on the job.

Some of the kids may
be over this afternoon.

- Oh Jack, we can get along without

dragging those young kids up here.

- Oh, why don't you button up your lip?

You're always squawking about something.

You got more static than the radio.

(doorbell buzzing)

Ah, greetings!

- Well hello Jack, how are you?

- Fine, how are you?

- Yeah.
- Pleasure.

- Glad to see you.

- Is, uh, Mae in?

- She'll be right in.

Just sit down and make
yourselves comfortable.

- What kind of a joint is this, Eddie?

- Oh, it's all right Gwen.

They probably had a party last night.

- Oh.

- A couple of your customers, Mae.

- Yeah?

They're old enough to
know what they're doing.

Not like those young
kids you bring up here.

- All right, all right.

Listen, I'm going to blow.

- Where you going?

- I've got to make some
deliveries and then I'll probably

drop by Joe's place and bring
back a couple of the kids.

- Oh, I wish you'd lay off those kids!

- Oh, why don't you get
over that mother complex.

- Oh by the way Ralph, I'm sort of giving

a little party Friday afternoon
over at my grandmother's.

You know the place with the swimming pool?

Would you like to come?

- Thanks Eddie, maybe I will.

- I'd sure like to have you.

- Okay, I'll probably drop over.

- So long, Ralph.

- See you later.

- Hey Ralph!

How ya been?

- Fine, Jack, and you?

- Oh, great.

Where ya headed?

- Oh...

Hey how do you like that?

That's the one I was telling you about.

- Very nice!

- I don't know why you want to make

such a fuss over that Ralph Wiley.

- Aw, he's a swell swimmer.

He made the freshman team
that year he went to college.

- Yeah, and that lets him out.

My dad knows his family.

Father and mother just
got a divorce in Paris.

- Yeah?

- You know, Ralph hangs
around pretty much on his own.

He's been in a couple of jams.

- Yeah, well I only try
to say hello to him,

I don't go around with him.

- Yeah, you better not, he's
a little too old for us.

That's what my dad says.

- Hmmm.

- Hello Mary!

Hi Bill.

- Hiya Ralph!

- Oh, hello Ralph!

You know my brother Jimmy, don't you?

- How are you?

- Swell!

- I'd like you to meet a
friend of mine, Jack Perry.

- Mary, Bill.

- How do you do?

- Good to know you.

- We're going over to Joe's
place, why don't you come along?

- We have a date to play a set of doubles.

- Oh, you can play anytime.

Come on, we'll have some laughs.

- Oh we can't today
Ralph, some other time.

- Can I go out with you?

- Sure!

- I'll see you at dinner, sis.

- Don't be late Jimmy!

- I won't.

(lively music)

- Hello Joe!

- Hi Jack!

- Jimmy! Jimmy!

- Hi darlin'!

- Hey, he ain't no paper man!

- Why don't you know him?

That's Hot-Fingers Pirelli!

- He really swings out
with a mess of jive!

Wanna dance?
- Sure!

- Mae's expecting us at the
apartment a little later.

- Any new prospects?

- Maybe.

- Oh Jimmy, you're wonderful!

- You're just finding that out?

- Why can't we go now?

- Sure.

Say kids, we're having a little party

at my girlfriend's apartment.

Wouldn't you like to come?

- I'd love to!

You wanna come, don't you Jimmy?

- Aw, sure.

Anything with you!

- Well come on!

We can all go in my car.

- See ya later Joe.

- So long.

- It's good of you to help me, Bill.

- Well I'll try anything
except domestic sewing!

- Why, Bill, don't you want to learn

something about running your own home?

- The answer is no!

You know, after that
session we had yesterday,

I went home and told Mother
that the trouble with

her pot-roast gravy was she hadn't added

three heaping teaspoons full of olive oil!

- What did she say?

- She didn't say anything.

She just threw me out of the kitchen!

- Well, I don't wonder!

- Hello children!

- Hello, Mother.
- Hello, Mrs. Lane.

- That was sweet of you Mother.

- Gosh, hot chocolate!

Thanks Mrs. Lane!

- I know you can't
study on empty stomachs.

Now enjoy yourselves.

- We will!

- We will too Mrs. Lane.

- May i?

- Oh thank you kind sir!

You're so very, very kind!

- Mary, before we do that math,

how about reading some of this?

It's swell!

- Romeo and Juliet?

- Don't you like it?

- Uh huh.

- You know, when I study
this, I kinda think of you.

I just sorta feel as though
you're there beside me.

Listen.

It is my soul that calls upon thy name,

how silver sweet sound
lovers tongue by night.

Like softest music to attending ears.

- Romeo!

- My dear!

- What o'clock tomorrow
shall I send for thee?

- By the hour of nine!

- I will not fail.

'Tis twenty years 'til then.

- Well, uh ha.

I'll see you tonight, Mary!

Goodbye Mrs. Lane.

Ha ha.

So long!

Ow!

- Oh Bill!

- Uh, ha ha.

I'm all right.

Uh. Bye. Bye!

- Hey Daddy! Daddy!

Hey Dad, got anything for me?

- Don't bother your father every night!

- Aw, have ya?

- There you are.

- What made you so late, Bill?

I was getting worried!

- Aw, I had to study, Ma.

- He was not, I saw him
out walking with his girl!

Bill's got a girl!

Bill's got a girlfriend!

- Mom, make him cut it out!

- Junior!

- Well Bill has got a girl.

- Quiet!

And put that candy away
until after dinner.

Henry, you shouldn't have given it to him.

- Well he has got a girlfriend
and her name is Mary!

- I'll shut you up!

- Bill! Junior!

Quit that carrying on!

Junior!

- Aw, let them alone.

They're all right, they're young.

- Bill's got a girl!

I didn't mean it Bill, honest I didn't!

- Aw. well, what I'm
burnt up about is that

you didn't say that Bill had a swell girl!

- Gee, it must be love!

She has to be swell for you to like her!

- Uh huh.

Sounds like you want something.

Come on, what is it?

- Well, it's my model airplane.

It won't work.

Gosh, Bill, you can fix it.

You can fix anything!

- Okay, I'll fix it.

- Oh hello Jimmy!

- Mary told me to wait and
tell you she had to go home

'cause her mother wanted her to

go to the dressmaker with her.

- Oh thanks, Jimmy.

Mmmm, must be getting grown-up,

i see Mary let you have the car.

- Yeah!

Can I take you anyplace?

- Hmmm, I wasn't going
any place in particular.

- Well then, how about
driving me over to the,

Joe's place with me?

I'll buy you a soda.

- I never drink the stuff.

- Well, gee, I'll buy you something else.

- Okay, you're on the
hook for one root-beer!

- Swell!

- Hi Bill, hi Jimmy.

- Hi Joe!

- Hey Jimmy!

- Hi Jimmy, hello Bill.

Come on, slide in.

- Hello Blanche.

- Hello Ralph.

How ya been, Ralph?
- Oh hello Jimmy.

- Two sodas.

Oh, I mean, one float and one root beer.

How's Mae?

- Oh, she's fine.

We're going up to her apartment later.

- Can Bill come along?

- Uh huh.
- Want to come?

- Well--

- Oh come on Bill, you'll
get a kick out of it.

- Thanks just the same.

- Aw, come on Bill!

Mary won't be jealous.

- Why sure, all the kids
will be there, it's keen!

- Well I don't know, I really shouldn't...

Well, okay.

(lively piano music)

- Hiya kids!

- Hello Jack, what do you say?

Yeah, come on in.

- Come on Bill, don't stand there!

Mae!

He's Bill Harper.

He's okay.

- Hello!

- Well, if you say so,
it's all right with me.

I'll be back in a minute.

There's a new one in today.

- Yeah, Bill Harper.

He's all right.

Blanche has got herself
quite a yen for him.

- Not bad.

I didn't think she had that much taste.

- She knows what she's doing.

She's got Ralph nuts about her, and now

she's got her hooked up with this new kid.

- Hey, we haven't any more smokes.

You better run over and get some.

- Why couldn't you find that out

when I was here this morning?

Now I've got my car at the shop.

- Well, what of it?

That kid out there, Jimmy, he's got a car.

He'll take you.

Come on, get going.

- Hey Jimmy:

- Yeah?

- I need to go over to
Cedar Avenue for a minute.

You've got a car haven't you?

- Why yeah, it's my sister's.

- Mind giving me a lift?

- Why, sure!

Come on!

- Okay.

- No thank you.

- Well, here they are.

- Oh, thanks!

- Oh Mae, don't forget me!

- I never forget you.

- Oh dear, if you want a
good smoke, try one of these!

I thought you were a sport!

Of course, if you're afraid...

- That's better!

That's more like it!

I know you'll like it, really you will.

Just take a puff of it.

(laughing)

- Just be a minute, kid.

- Hey Jack, give me a cigarette
before you go, will you?

- Hello Jack.

- Hi boss.

- How's business?

- Getting better every day.

Those kids sure go for it.

- Swell.

- Had to run over for couple more cartons.

Ran short today.

- Uh huh.

That's ten gross for Jack Perry.

Who? Pete Daley?

All right, send him in.

It's all right, stay where you are.

- I want to talk to you.

- All right, go ahead.

Jack's okay, what's the beef?

- Listen, you never heard no beef

when I had to sell that rotten gin.

- You're after the dough aren't ya?

- Yeah, well I don't need dough that bad.

Taking two-bit pieces from kids!

- There are millions of two-bit pieces

just beggin' to be taken.

Don't be a dope.

- I'm just dope enough to draw
the line selling hop to kids!

- All right, Pete.

You know what my policy has always been.

If you boys are not satisfied,

I'm always glad to have 'em retire...

Retire, permanently.

So long.

- I only wish you had a
couple of kids, so I could--

- Get out!

All right Jack, pick up your
stuff and get out of here,

it ought to be ready by now.

- Okay, boss

- Let's go Jack, I'm red hot!

- Better be careful how you drive,

or the first thing you
know, you'll be ice cold.

Take it easy, kid!

Slow down, you'll kill somebody!

(tires screeching)

- Mary, you're not eating
your breakfast again.

Bill Harper hasn't been around lately.

Anything wrong between you two?

- Why should there be anything wrong?

- There shouldn't be, I'm sure.

And whatever it is isn't serious, I know.

- I'm sorry Mother, for
snapping at you like that.

- Don't worry about it, dear.

Why don't you speak frankly to Bill?

He'll be honest, whatever the trouble is.

I'm sure Bill Harper
never lied about anything.

- Yes, that's right.

Bill's mother says he never lies.

- There, you see?

- You think it would be all right

if I speak to him about it?

- Why, of course!

Oh Jimmy.

- Hello Mom.

- Sit down, darling, and I'll have

your breakfast for you in a moment.

- Jimmy!

- What have I got to worry about?

- Why don't you tell me?

- Oh for Pete's sake, don't start to

cross-examine me, will ya?

I'm all right.

- Jimmy!

Don't let Mother see you like this!

- There is no doubt that
there is an organized gang

distributing the narcotic to students.

Not only in my school,
but all over the city.

You government men have got to find

some way to put an end to it!

- Of course I agree with you, Dr. Carroll,

but do you realize that marihuana

is not like other forms of dope?

You see, it grows wild in
almost every state of the union.

Therefore, there is practically

no interstate commerce in the drug.

As a result, the
government's hands are tied.

And frankly, the only sure cure

is a widespread campaign in education.

- Oh, it's all right to talk
about education Mr. Wyatt,

but we educators can't do anything

until the public is sufficiently aroused.

- Let me show you something.

In 1930, the records on marihuana
in the Washington office,

narcotics division, scarcely filled

a small folder like this.

Today, they fill cabinets.

All these, devoted to marihuana records.

Here is an example.

A sixteen year-old lad, apprehended

in the act of staging a holdup.

Sixteen years old, and a marihuana addict.

Here is a most tragic case.

- Yes, I remember.

Just a young boy.

Under the influence of the drug,

he killed his entire family with an axe.

Then there is the most
vicious kind of case.

Here.

In Michigan, a young
girl, seventeen years old.

A reefer smoker, taken in a raid

in the company of five young men.

Here is a particularly flagrant case.

- Yes, I remember the newspapers
made quite a play of it.

In West Virginia, wasn't it?

- Yes, and there are
hundreds of them coming up,

new ones every day.

- I'd like to take
these records, if I may.

I feel they would be of
invaluable assistance to me

in combating the evil in my school.

- You're very welcome, Dr. Carroll.

- Thank you.

- Sit down, Bill.

There seems to be something wrong.

What is it?

You were always a fine student.

You always had excellent grades.

- Oh I guess the work is getting

a little harder, Dr. Carroll.

- No, no, it isn't that.

Bill, I'd like to help you.

But of course I can't unless you let me.

You're undermining your health.

- No, there's nothing, Dr.
Carroll, really there isn't.

I'll study harder, honest!

- Honest?

If you were being honest with
me and honest with yourself,

I'm afraid you'd tell me an
entirely different story.

Bill, I'm, I'm going to ask
you a straightforward question,

and I'd like to have a
straightforward answer.

- Yes sir.

- Isn't it true that you
have, perhaps unwillingly,

acquired a certain harmful habit

through association with
certain undesirable people?

Well?

- Oh, no sir, I haven't, Dr. Carroll.

Well, that is, you see, I'm
worried about something at home.

- All right my boy, we'll just
have to let it go at that.

But remember, if you ever
want to confide in me,

no one will ever be the wiser.

- Thank you, Dr. Carroll.

- Hello, Mary.

You wanna play a set?

- Thanks Kenny, but I'm
waiting for someone.

- Well if you're waiting for Bill,

he hasn't been here for weeks.

- Come on Jimmy, play something hot!

(fast-paced music)

- Didn't take that new
kid long to catch on.

- Don't take any of 'em long.

Say, don't you ever get fed?

- You're feeding me, can't you see?

Get me a knife and fork, will ya?

- Get it yourself.

- Come on, Bill!

Come on, come on!

Come on, come on...

(fast-paced music)

- Morning, miss.

We're from the police department.

- Good morning.

- We're tracing a hit and run driver.

Someone caught the license number at the

place of the accident but
didn't get it quite right.

And we're checking all numbers like it,

and yours was one of them.

- Well I'll try to help you.

- Do you remember what you
did on the 29th of last month?

- Oh, that was the day
before Mother's birthday.

Oh yes, I remember that
because I left school

and went directly to the
dressmaker's with Mother.

I was there all afternoon.

- Did you happen to loan
your car to a couple of men?

- No.

No, I had the car all afternoon myself.

- Well, thanks miss, sorry
to have troubled you.

- Tell me, er, did they,
was the person killed?

- Fortunately he wasn't, but that's still

no excuse for hit and run driving.

- Has Jimmy Lane been here today?

- He was in.

He went over to Mae's place.

You know where that is.

- Well...

He was going to wait for me here,

so he didn't give me Mae's address.

Are you sure Jimmy didn't
leave any message for me, Mary?

- No he didn't.

But I guess you're okay.

I'll write it down for you.

(doorbell buzzing)

- Mary!

Come right in!

- Is Jimmy here?

- He's around somewhere, I think

he went out to take Agnes home.

He'll be right back.

Come in and sit down Mary.

And let me take your coat.

- Who's the new kid who just came in?

- Oh it's that gal that
Ralph has gone overboard for.

It's funny, he hasn't been
able to get her up here before.

- Hey! Hey!

Scram, will ya?

Smoke, Mary?

- Thanks.

Are you sure Jimmy will be back soon?

- Sure, any minute.

(giggling)

- Say, what's the matter, an orphan?

- Where do you put it,
you got a hollow leg?

- Thank you.

- How do you feel, Mary?

Oh Mary.

- No. No!

Stop!

No!

Leave me alone!

Leave me alone!

No!

Leave me alone!

(struggling and screaming)

(gun firing)

- Ralph, Ralph! Look!

- Jack, is she all right?

- She's dead.

Mae, get me some water.

Now listen you two, I want
you to get out of here.

Get out of here and forget
you were ever in here today.

I'll handle this.

Now get going!

Give it to me.

Here.

- Mary!

Mary! Mary!

What happened?

- You killed her.

(sobbing)

- Look, after I scram, you call the cops.

And this is your story, remember it.

These two kids came up
here for a couple of beers.

You were out in the
kitchen, you heard the shot.

When you got in here,
that's what you found.

Just stick to that story.

- Mary!

Mary, speak to me!

Mary!

(cheerful piano music)

- Hello, Jack.

- I was just talking to
a friend of mine, a cop.

A sergeant on the homicide squad.

That guy you hit that day died.

- Died?

You, I mean, you didn't--

- No, I didn't crack,
and I'm not going to.

Nobody will ever know you
were driving that car.

- Thanks Jack--

- Just as long as you keep your mouth shut

you were ever at Mae's apartment.

- Why sure Jack, sure.

- Okay.

- Your honor, I'd like to recall

Dr. Alfred Carroll to the stand.

- Call Dr. Alfred Carroll to the stand.

- Dr. Carroll, as principal
of the Lakeside High School,

did you, during the last three months,

notice any changes in the demeanor

and attitude of your
student, William Harper?

- Yes, in a number of things.

For example, at times,
dissociation of ideas.

In uh, another instance,
I happened to attend

the recent interscholastic tennis matches.

And while Bill Harper had been considered

an exceedingly good player,
I saw him miss the ball

by as much as three or four feet.

This I understand could be

attributed to the use of marihuana.

It causes errors in time and space.

- Objection your honor!

The witness isn't qualified to express

opinions upon the effects of narcotics.

- Sustained.

Dr. Carroll has been called
merely as a character witness.

- Well then, although
you didn't know with your

own knowledge that the
defendant was using marihuana,

did you notice any changes
that wold lead you to believe,

as an educator, that he was
under some severe mental strain

that might possibly have
be induced by some drug?

- Yes, I recall distinctly
a few weeks ago.

It was during a class
of English literature.

There was a serious
discussion of Shakespeare's

Romeo and Juliet, when
he suddenly burst into

an uncontrollable fit
of hysterical laughter.

- By the way, Dr. Carroll.

Six months ago, what would
have been your opinion

regarding the character of my client?

- He was a fine upstanding American boy.

A good scholar, a good
athlete, and representative

of the caliber of young men we are

proud to graduate from our school.

- Oh, snap out of it, will ya?

Not our fault.

Why'd I ever bring him up there, anyway?

He's just a kid.

They can't hang him.

- Shut up, shut up!

- Why don't you let yourself go?

Talk!

Go off your nut, and have me that way too.

It was his own fault, wasn't it?

- Shut up!

They've got us hidden out, haven't they?

The cops can't find us.

- Jack!

Jack, I want to get out of this place.

- You're gonna stay in here as long as

we have to keep those two
out there under cover.

'Til the trial's over, or
the boss gets a better idea.

- But they're getting on my nerves!

- It can't last much longer.

I'm not worried about her.

We gotta keep him gagged.

- Oh, he's about ready to crack.

- All you gotta do is keep him
from having too many reefers.

- Any day now that punk'll get hot.

He'll probably spill and tell

all he knows if he gets a chance.

- I don't think he'll get it.

I'll see you later.

- Where are you going?

- I'm gonna see the boss.

- Hello Jack.

- Hello boss.

What are we gonna do about that Wiley guy?

- Still jittery, huh?

- I don't know what the punk's gonna do.

- Keep feeding him those hop sticks.

- That's what Mae's been doing.

That's no good.

I've got a hunch he's due to crack

when that Harper verdict comes in.

If he's on the tea, he's liable to

take a powder on us, and
blow his top to the D.A.

- You mean we'd all be better off if

he never heard the verdict?

Well, what are you waiting for?

- You, ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

have a duty to perform.

A duty to yourselves,
and to our community.

Mary Lane is dead.

The evidence you've heard at this trial

could not have failed to convince you

of the guilt of the defendant.

By his own admission,
he pressed the trigger

of the weapon that sent
lovely and innocent Mary Lane

to a tragic and untimely death.

We are not so much
concerned about the motives

behind the deed as to the deed itself.

While the defendant has told you that

he saw someone attacking Mary Lane,

and that his mind went
blank from that moment on,

the defense has been unable to produce

one witness to substantiate
that statement.

Now ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

you've heard able men
testify at this trial.

Men who were proud to
bring out the fact that

the defendant might have
become momentarily insane

when he fired the shot
that killed Mary Lane.

But the defense has been unable
to prove that he was insane.

William Harper was sane when he visited

the apartment where the tragedy occurred.

He was in the habit of visiting the place.

He was sane when he went to
bed with another young women.

You've all heard what
went on in that room.

You heard it from the
defendant's own lips.

Involved, as he was, in
a tawdry love affair,

Mary Lane was in the way.

She had found him out.

In a moment of anger, he deliberately

and willfully killed her.

If such deeds are
permitted to go unpunished,

this community would cease to be a decent

and safe place for us
or our children to live.

I do not believe I need
to plead, or even demand,

that you bring in a verdict
to punish the defendant

for the crime he has
committed against society.

You are upright citizens.

That is why you were
chosen to judge another.

And as honest, upright citizens, there is

only one verdict which you could find.

And that is, a verdict of guilty!

- [Judge] And this court will be adjourned

until the jury's verdict is reached.

- I suppose you all feel
the same about this case.

- But he might have been
insane when he did it.

- No he wasn't.

He knew what he was doing.

- But, supposing he was insane?

- You'll never get me to
believe it nor anybody else.

We'll take a first vote.

Eleven for conviction, one for acquittal.

- But there's a reasonable
doubt about the boy's sanity.

We can't--

- No doubt about the fact
that he murdered her.

He admitted it himself.

That wasn't the first time he was there.

We gotta make an example,
before boys like that

contaminate all of our children.

We can't have every murderer hiding

behind the guise that he's insane.

Sure they see red before
they kill somebody.

But whose fault is it?

- Have you reached a verdict?

- We have.

- The defendant will rise.

What is your verdict?

- We find the defendant guilty as charged.

- No!

No...
(sobbing)

(crowd talking)

(piano music)

- Stop that racket.

Stop it!

- What's the matter with you?

You give me the creeps.

- Mae. Mae!

- What do you want?

- Bring me some reefers!

They're going to hang him.

Blanche, they're going to hang him!

- Aw come on, get a hold of yourself.

- Here ya are.

Now quit that crazy laughing!

- Where's Jack?

I want to get out of here.

- They'll pick you up and hang you

if you don't pipe down.

- I wanna see Jack.

Jack.

I wanna see Jack.

Jack...

- You better quiet him.

- I can't do anything with him.

- I've gotta see Jack.

We can't let that kid hang.

- He'll be here, don't worry,

he'll be here in a little while.

- I've got to see him.

I've got to see him.

Oh!

- Don't worry darling,
everything will be over soon.

You want me to play something for you?

- Yeah.

Yeah, that's it.

Play something.

- All right.

Honey, give me a smoke, will ya?

- Faster.

Faster!

Play it faster!

(music speeding up)

Play it faster.

Faster.

I know what you want.

You want to kill me.

- You're crazy.

Take it easy kid, I just
want to talk to you.

(screaming)

(hysterical crying)

- Hurry! Hurry!

There's a terrible fight going on!

Yes, yes.

Apartment thirty two.

(crying)

- Stop it!

Stop it!

Get off of me!

Get your hands off of me!

Stop it!

Take your hands off me!

Stop it!

- Give me a glass of water.

- [Cop] Who's behind you?

- No, no, no!

- You'll hang if you don't talk.

Who is Jack Perry?

Are you ready to tell what you know?

- [Blanche] Yes! I'll talk.

- If we can gain some measure
of leniency for my client,

she is prepared to enter a plea of guilty

and, in addition, turn state's evidence

in the case of William Harper.

- I regret that this court is not

prepared to bargain with justice.

- I'll tell anyway.

I was there, I saw it.

I know who killed Mary.

And I'll tell you who killed Mary lane.

It wasn't Bill.

It was Jack.

Jack Perry.

He shot Mary then he put
the gun in Bill's hand.

We were all up at the
apartment one afternoon,

and Mary came in looking for her brother.

Bill and I, we'd been in another room.

And Bill came in, he
caught Ralph with Mary

so he started to fight.

But it was Jack who had the gun.

He was gonna hit Bill over the head

with it to make him stop.

And then, then the gun went off.

I saw it.

I can see it now!

It was horrible!

And, before we knew it, Mary was dead!

But you see, judge, Bill didn't

know that he hadn't killed Mary.

He was so doped up they
made him think he had.

Ralph wanted to tell you too.

Oh, if they'd only let him!

But this is the truth, judge.

I'm telling you the truth.

After Jack saw that Mary was dead,

he put the gun in Bill's hand!

It was Jack's fault.

And it was my fault too.

I got all of 'em to come
up to the apartment.

I'm just as much to blame.

I am.

I am!

- Do I understand you wish to
plead guilty to a charge of

fostering moral delinquency
in the case of William Harper?

- Yes, yes, I'm guilty, I am!

- Prepare a statement for
signature, and also an order

setting aside the verdict in the case of

the people versus William Harper.

In the interests of justice,

I shall direct a verdict of not guilty.

Sign here, please.

You shall be brought into
court on Thursday the 17th

when sentence will be pronounced.

Meanwhile, you will be
held as a material witness

in the case of the people
versus Ralph Wiley.

(screaming)

We have come in the hearings
before this court today

to what I hope will be the
final actions revolving about

an unhappy and unfortunate case, one whose

horrible tragedy will
forever remain with me.

I am happy to have been
enabled, before it was too late,

to order the verdict
of the jury in the case

of the people versus William
Harper to be set aside.

But young man, although
this court is convinced that

to declare you guilty would have been

a gross miscarriage of justice,
we cannot condone your acts.

And we can express only
the hope your experiences

may not only keep you
but thousands of others

from the vicious pitfalls of marihuana.

Thus I am ordering you
to remain in this court

during the next case, so
that you will be obliged

to witness what you yourself
so narrowly escaped.

Call the case of the
people versus Ralph Wiley.

- Your honor, in this
case the state waives

trial of the defendant Ralph Wiley.

It is convinced that he is
hopelessly and incurably insane,

A condition caused by the drug marihuana

to which he was addicted.

It is recommended your
honor, that the defendant

be placed in an institution
for the criminally insane

for the rest of his natural life.

Defendant's counsel joins
the state in this request.

- Since counsel for the
defense, as well as counsel

for the state seem to agree on this,

I see no reason why the
request should not be granted.

- Yes, that happened right
here, to your neighbors.

It is not too much to
say that in your hands

lies the possibility of averting
other tragedies like it.

We must work untiringly,
so that our children

are obliged to learn the truth.

Because it is only
through knowledge that we

can safely protect them.

Failing this, the next tragedy
may be that of your daughter.

Or your son.

Or yours.

Or yours.

Or yours!