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 Lovely Sort of Death

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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

According to Bruce Dern, Jack Nicholson wrote the part of John for himself. Roger Corman, however, would not agree to Nicholson playing the role and chose Dern instead.

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Quotes

Paul Groves: [feeling the effects of the LSD] I don't believe it. I mean, is this... is this really it? Is it really happening there? Look at those crosses on the mount!
John: [pointing] See the real tall one there? That's Channel 13.
Paul Groves: Wow!

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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

Featured in Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film (2002)

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Soundtracks

Psyche Soap
Written and Performed by The Electric Flag

User Reviews

Semi-Hip Nicholson Written Corman Flick with Psychedlic Poster!

Great cast, although Fonda wasn't cool yet (acting-wise) about LSD and "drugs & hippies & all that stuff", but Hopper is interesting and this trippy flicks rolls down the valley without too much effort (penned by Jack Nicholson). Nothing wrong with this one a budget wouldn't have cured in '67. Along the same lines as the WILD ANGELS (biker flick) "exploitation film" (Corman), but not insulting, or even pandering, but more trying to grab on without really reaching (film-wise), and a joy to see nowadays (and it's not pro-drugs or anything), even for the time.

Best performance = Dennis Hopper. Don['t sell it short if you were born before Chuck Berry and Elvis started Rock 'N Roll or you will wonder!