Psych-Out (1968)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Richard Rush

Writers:

Betty Tusher (screenplay)
Betty Ulius (writer)

Release Date:

6 March 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Thriller

Tagline:

Hear! "Incense & Peppermints" by the Strawberry Alarm Clock

Plot:

A deaf runaway arrives in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury hippie district looking for her missing brother.

Plot Keywords:

Runaway | Brother | Haight Ashbury | Deaf | Psychedelic

Cast

Susan Strasberg	...	Jenny Davis
Dean Stockwell	...	Dave
Jack Nicholson	...	Stoney
Bruce Dern	...	Steve Davis
Adam Roarke	...	Ben
Max Julien	...	Elwood
Henry Jaglom	...	Warren
Linda Gaye Scott	...	Lynn (as Linda G. Scott)
I.J. Jefferson	...	Pandora
Tommy Flanders	...	Wesley
Ken Scott	...	Preacher
Garry Marshall	...	Plainclothesman (as Gary Marshall)
Geoffrey Stevens	...	Greg
Susan Bushman	...	Little girl
John 'Bud' Cardos	...	Thug (as John Cardos)

Also Known As:

Revolt of the Flower People (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:Not Rated | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Dick Clark Productions

Trivia:

The movie was meant to perform the same function in relation to The Trip (1967/II). Jack Nicholson had written a script that director Richard Rush thought was too "experimental" for mainstream cinema, so the concept of a 'youth" film based in San Francisco and dealing with flower power and drugs was taken over by other writers and Nicholson did not eventually receive a screen credit for his work, although he took what was essentially the male lead in the picture. But Nicholson wrote the part of Stoney for himself as part of the package.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow" song, the lead guitarist's guitar changes halfway through the song.

Quotes:

Stoney: C'mon, man! Warren's freakin' out at the gallery!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Wanderlust (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Psych-Out Sanctorum

Classic psychedelic trash!

If you try and take 'Psych-Out' seriously you're making a big mistake. This is Haight-Ashbury presented by Dick Clark after all! But as 60s camp it's great fun, and dare I say it worth watching more than "real" head movies from the period like 'Chappaqua' and Antonioni's 'Zabriskie Point'. This mightn't be what the 60s were really like, but after watching Mumblin' Jim and fans at the Ballroom, or the happiest funeral ever, music courtesy of garage Gods The Seeds, you'll wish that it was, and that you were there!

Jack Nicholson stars as Stoney, the leader of small time psych rock band Mumblin Jim'. His band mates include Adam Roarke ('Dirty Mary Crazy Larry') and Max Julien ('The Mack'). Deaf beauty Jenny (Susan Strasberg, 'The Trip') is a runaway looking for estranged brother Steve (Bruce Dern, 'Silent Running'), now known locally as "The Seeker". Dean Stockwell ('Paris, Texas') returned to the screen after a few years absence as tripped out oracle Dave ("It's all just one big plastic hassle", "reality is a dangerous place",etc.). Also look out for future directors Gary Marshall (an uptight cop) and Henry Jaglom (a classic zombie-hallucinating freak out scene!), and performances by Strawberry Alarm Clock.

A splendid time is guaranteed for all just as long as you stay away from the rednecks at the rubbish dump, avoid playing in the traffic on STP, and nobody doing the dirty dishes. Grooovy baby!