Narcotic (1933)

As the opening scroll tells us, Narcotic was "presented in the hope that the public may become aware of the terrific struggle to rid the world of drug addiction." The movie itself is a ... See full summary »

Directors:

Dwain Esper, Vival Sodar't

Writers:

A.J. Karnopp (story), Hildegarde Stadie (screenplay),

Stars:

Harry Cording, Joan Dix, Patricia Farley

Cast

Cast overview:
Harry Cording	...	Dr. William G. Davis
Joan Dix	...	Mrs. Davies
Patricia Farley	...	Mae
Jean Lacy	...	Lena (as Jean Lacey)
J. Stuart Blackton Jr.	...	Gee Wu
Paul Panzer	...	Cashier
Miami Alvarez	...	Drug addict
Charles Bennett	...	Hand wrestler
Josef Swickard	...	Federal narcotics agent

Storyline

As the opening scroll tells us, Narcotic was "presented in the hope that the public may become aware of the terrific struggle to rid the world of drug addiction." The movie itself is a salacious plunge into a world of sordid pleasures. It tells us the story of Dr. William G. Davies, an infamous snake-oil salesman who started his career as a promising medical student. In the opening sequence he saves an unborn baby by performing a cesarean operation after the mother was killed in an automobile accident. Stock medical footage shows a woman's stomach being sliced open like a ripe watermelon and the baby popping out like a jack-in-a-box. But the allure of opium proves too strong for the doctor to resist. After a single night of relaxation in a Chinatown opium den, Davies becomes a slave to drugs. As his medical practice deteriorates, he shifts his attention to "selling medicine by demonstration." He says to his nurse/fiancee, "I can't see anything wrong if my preparation has merit." ...

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Plot Keywords:

party | drug addiction | opium | opium den | opium addict | 

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Taglines:

One night of bliss... A thousand nights of hell..!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

March 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Narcotic Racket

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,900 (estimated)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

57 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The suicide note seen at the beginning of the film is adressed to "Dwain," apparently the film's producer and director, Dwain Esper.

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Goofs

Lena supposedly snorts cocaine at the party, but the cocaine is still on the small spoon she uses after she has "snorted" it.

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Quotes

Party Girl: Where'd you get the rags, kiddie? Wearing that, you look like the devil's concubine.
Davies' Date: The doctor put up for this.
Party Girl: Oh, I thought I saw him coming from the ten cent store this afternoon.
Davies' Date: If you'd looked any closer, you'd have seen it was only your reflection in the window.

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Connections

Referenced in Hell's Highway: The True Story of Highway Safety Films (2003)

User Reviews

Ladies! Let's not get vulgar, yet.

Another "message" film by Dwain Esper, also written by his wife, Hildegarde Stadie, as was Maniac. It is an example of pre-code Hollywood, and has a place in film history. The message, is, of course, about the evils of drugs.

It is interesting that the Asian in the film was play by a Caucasian, none other than J. Stuart Blackton Jr., who, along with D.W. Griffith, was a pioneer in the development of the motion picture art.

The film also features Jean Lacy, who as Jeanne Gray, had her own talk show on TV from 1949-51. She didn't like the way the young announcer introduced her, "And Nowww, Thhhe . . . Jeeeeannne . . . Graaaay . . . " Thayoung announcer, who wanted his own show, was none other than Johnny Carson.

At least it wasn't as silly as Reefer Madness.