IMDb > Reefer Madness (1936)
Tell Your Children
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany credits
Awards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guidemessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsmemorable quotes
Did You Know?
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
box office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Reefer Madness (1936) More at IMDbPro »Tell Your Children (original title)

Photos (See all 22 | slideshow) Videos (see all 5)
Reefer Madness -- Cautionary tale features a fictionalized and highly exaggerated take on the use of marijuana. A trio of drug dealers lead innocent teenagers to become addicted to "reefer" cigarettes by holding wild parties with jazz music.
Reefer Madness -- Something must be done to wipe out this ghastly menace.

Overview

User Rating:
3.5/10   4,582 votes »
Your Rating:
Saving vote...
Deleting vote...
/10   (delete | history)
Sorry, there was a problem
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Louis J. Gasnier
Writers:
Lawrence Meade (original story)
Arthur Hoerl (screenplay)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Reefer Madness on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1938 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Drama See more »
Tagline:
SEE youthful marijuana victims - what actually happens! See more »
Plot:
Cautionary tale features a fictionalized and highly exaggerated take on the use of marijuana. A trio of drug dealers lead innocent teenagers to become addicted to "reefer" cigarettes by holding wild parties with jazz music. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
NewsDesk:
(113 articles)
Drive-In Mutants: Reefer Madness (1936)
 (From Beyond Hollywood. 26 April 2013, 1:56 PM, PDT)
4/20 TV: 'Dazed and Confused,' 'Tommy Chong Presents' and more
 (From Zap2It - From Inside the Box. 20 April 2013, 9:00 AM, PDT)
Tyler Perry's Temptation: Film Review
 (From The Hollywood Reporter. 29 March 2013, 10:37 AM, PDT)
User Reviews:
It's 10 o'clock. Do you know why your children are cackling insanely? See more (96 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)
Dorothy Short ... Mary
Kenneth Craig ... Bill
Lillian Miles ... Blanche

Dave O'Brien ... Ralph
Thelma White ... Mae
Carleton Young ... Jack
Warren McCollum ... Jimmy (as Warren McCullom)
Patricia Royale ... Agnes (as Pat Royale)
Joseph Forte ... Dr. Carroll (as Josef Forte)
Harry Harvey Jr. ... Junior
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Alexander ... Pete Daley - Dope Pusher (uncredited)
Bobby Burns ... Juror (uncredited)
Lester Dorr ... Joe - Bartender (uncredited)
Phil Dunham ... Juror (uncredited)
Edward Earle ... Mr. Wayne - Federal Bureau Investigator (uncredited)
Frank LaRue ... Bill's Lawyer (uncredited)
Edward LeSaint ... Judge (uncredited)
Mary MacLaren ... Mrs. Lane (uncredited)
Walter McGrail ... The Boss (uncredited)
Edmund Mortimer ... Henry Harper (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor ... Jury Foreman (uncredited)
William Royle ... Prosecuting Attorney (uncredited)
Marin Sais ... Mrs. Harper (uncredited)
Forrest Taylor ... Blanche's Lawyer (uncredited)
Dan Wolheim ... Pete Daley (uncredited)
Create a character page for: ?

Directed by
Louis J. Gasnier  (as Louis Gasnier)
 
Writing credits
Lawrence Meade (original story)

Arthur Hoerl (screenplay)

Paul Franklin (additional dialogue)

Produced by
Samuel Diege .... associate producer (as Sam Diege)
George A. Hirliman .... producer
Dwain Esper .... producer (reissue) (uncredited)
 
Cinematography by
Jack Greenhalgh (uncredited)
 
Film Editing by
Carl Pierson 
 
Art Direction by
Robert Priestley 
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ray Nazarro .... assistant director (as Ray Nazzaro)
 
Art Department
Louis Diage .... properties (as Louis Diege)
 
Sound Department
Hans Weeren .... sound recorder
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Jack Greenhalgh .... chief cameraman
 
Music Department
Abe Meyer .... musical director
Hugo Riesenfeld .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Heinz Roemheld .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Tell Your Children" - USA (original title)
"Dope Addict" - USA (reissue title)
"Doped Youth" - USA (reissue title)
"Love Madness" - USA (reissue title)
"The Burning Question" - USA (reissue title)
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
66 min | France:63 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
UK:15 (video rating) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | USA:PG (1973) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating)
Filming Locations:
Grand National Studios - 7250 Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
Company:
George A. Hirliman ProductionsSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
The origins of this film have been the subject of controversy. Officially, this film is not in the copyrighted registry, but the opening card of Reefer Madness reads: Formerly "Tell Your Children" - An G and H Production - Copyrighted (though without a copyright date). Some say it was produced by a church group, in the wake of the Victor Licata 1933 murder case. Dwain Esper sued a distribution company in the 1960s claiming that he had produced the film for the US Army, and that he was the legal copyright owner, but he lost the case.See more »
Goofs:
Continuity: When the gun is fired, it is pointed towards the floor, too low for a bullet to strike Mary in the back.See more »
Quotes:
[after realizing the box is empty]
Ralph:Mae? MAE!
[Mae enters]
Mae:What do you want?
Ralph:Bring me some reefers!
See more »
Movie Connections:
Featured in Dead by Dawn 2: The Mask of Conrad (2004) (V)See more »

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
42 out of 51 people found the following review useful.
It's 10 o'clock. Do you know why your children are cackling insanely?, 15 March 2007
Author: JoshSpurling from Greenfield, IN USA

"Reefer Madness" (originally "Tell Your Children") was created to teach parents that it's never too early to scare the holy crap out of your kids. Through this film we learn that the soul-destroying effects of Marihuana (Mike Nelson explains in the commentary that this film was made before the invention of the letter J) far surpass those of cocaine or heroin. We see firsthand that even teens who can quote Shakespeare like nobody's business cannot escape its evils.

Here are some of the symptoms of casual Marihuana use:

- laughing maniacally while running people down in the street

- playing the piano too fast

- having sexual relations with people you don't really like that much

- accidentally shooting people you do like pretty well

- having no recollection of being framed for murder

If your child has experienced any of these symptoms, he or she is a Marihuana addict. The solution is simple: force them to watch "Reefer Madness" because if we don't heed its warning, "Reefer Madness 2" will be coming to a theater near you or you... OR YOU!

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (96 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Reefer Madness (1936)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
What I've learned from Reefer madness... RaoulsBatCountryGrl
Suprised the dopes in Hollywood haven't remade this seahawk3133
Funniest Moment of the Movie! preming1
Dr. Carroll's Lecture To The PTA [Spoilers!] Chesterfield_Invincible
Watched this while smoking pot matt-mclean-91
I think marijuana saved my life spillar922
See more »

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
The Best of Youth Freeway A Place in the Sun Conviction Pineapple Express
IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb USA section

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Edit page' button will take you through a step-by-step process.