The Trip (1967)

After his wife leaves him, a disillusioned director dives into the drug scene, trying anything his friend suggests.

Director:

Roger Corman

Writer:

Jack Nicholson

Stars:

Peter Fonda, Susan Strasberg, Bruce Dern

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Fonda	...	Paul Groves
Susan Strasberg	...	Sally Groves
Bruce Dern	...	John
Dennis Hopper	...	Max
Salli Sachse	...	Glenn
Barboura Morris	...	Flo
Judy Lang	...	Nadine
Luana Anders	...	Waitress
Beach Dickerson
Dick Miller	...	Cash
Caren Bernsen	...	Alexandra
Katherine Walsh	...	Lulu
Michael Nader
Bárbara Ransom	...	Helena (as Barbara Ransom)
Michael Blodgett	...	Lover

Storyline

Paul Groves (Peter Fonda), a television commercial director, is in the midst of a personality crisis. His wife Sally (Susan Strasberg) has left him and he seeks the help of his friend John (Bruce Dern), a self-styled guru who's an advocate of LSD. Paul asks John to be the guide on his first "trip". John takes Paul to a "freak-out" at his friend Max's (Dennis Hopper) pad. Splitting the scene, they score some acid from Max and return to John's split-level pad with an indoor/outdoor pool. Paul experiences visions of sex, death, strobe lights, flowers, dancing girls, witches, hooded riders, a torture chamber, and a dwarf. He panics but John tells him to "go with it, man." Would you trust John?

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Plot Keywords:

looking at oneself in a mirror | dancing | panic | dwarf | television | 

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Taglines:

A big thrill in a little pill.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 August 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Lovely Sort of Death

Filming Locations:

California Incline, Santa Monica, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$450,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$10,000,000, 31 January 1970

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min 79 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In order to prepare for the film, Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson all engaged in a group LSD trip.

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Quotes

John: Now, you got to do just exactly like they say. You gotta turn off your mind, and relax, and then just float down stream. OK?

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits. The title of the movie only appears onscreen once: above the pre-movie disclaimer.

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Connections

Referenced in Henry Fonda: The Man and His Movies (1982)

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Soundtracks

Senior Citizen
Written and Performed by The Electric Flag

User Reviews

Trip out, baby, yeah!

Unapologetic rendering of an acid trip, told without much melodrama and a great deal of nervy style. A square television director (Peter Fonda, trying his best to look like a nerd in a V-neck sweater that would do father Henry proud!) takes LSD and drops out. Screenplay (by Jack Nicholson!) certainly cuts right to the chase--no pussyfooting about here--but there's no story to tell. The film is less an essay on the drug culture than it is a chance for director Roger Corman to get "freaky". In a way, this is an early precursor to "Easy Rider", but it was made by a lot of talented people all with bigger fish to fry. ** from ****