Psych-Out (1968)

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

Director:

Richard Rush

Writers:

E. Hunter Willett (screenplay), Betty Ulius (screenplay)

Stars:

Susan Strasberg, Dean Stockwell, Jack Nicholson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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)
Mireille Machu	...	Pandora (as I.J. Jefferson)
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)

Storyline

Jenny, a deaf runaway who has just arrived in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district to find her long-lost brother, a mysterious bearded sculptor known around town as The Seeker. She falls in with a psychedelic band, Mumblin' Jim, whose members include Stoney, Ben, and Elwood. They hide her from the fuzz in their crash pad, a Victorian house crowded with love beads and necking couples. Mumblin' Jim's truth-seeking friend Dave considers the band's pursuit of success "playing games," but he agrees to help Jennie anyway.

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Plot Keywords:

hare krishna | psychotronic film | drugsploitation | runaway | deaf | 

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Taglines:

come where the PLEASURE LOVERS are

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Revolt of the Flower People

Filming Locations:

1466 Haight Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dick Clark Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was meant to perform the same function in relation to The Trip (1967). 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.

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Goofs

When deaf Jenny is in Stoney's bedroom for the first time, she reacts to the sound of the cat meowing.

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Quotes

Thug: Hey, look at the flower children. The funny folk!

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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema version was unreleased until 1972 and then cut by the BBFC to heavily edit the yard fight between the workmen and the hippies. All later video and DVD releases were fully uncut.

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Connections

Referenced in Birth of the Living Dead (2013)

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Soundtracks

Incense and Peppermints
Written by John Carter and Tim Gilbert
Performed by The Strawberry Alarm Clock

User Reviews

Holy S**t

When I first read the synopsis for Psych-Out, I expected it to be incredibly stupid, but once I watched it I decided otherwise. This film provides a rare look into a time too offen reduced to nostalgic simplicities. A true time capsule, watch and see. NOTE: It is quite embarrassing when Nicholson is miming (on guitar) a bastardized version of Purple Haze, but the scene is enjoyable nonetheless. Great music by Strawberry Alarm Clock and The Seeds (both bands perform live in the film). The STP sequences are fun to watch. Another part is where Elwoood (Max Julian)fights a bunch of garbage gargoyles in a local dump, but since he ate a hit of acid, he sees them as knights and dragons. Bruce Dern plays a good role in this film as 'The Seeker' who is being looked for by his sister Jenny (Susan Strasberg). Dave (Dean Stockwell) is an acid freak and his role is equally effective. But the main treat is seeing Jack Nicholson (as Stoney) with long hair saying 'out of sight' and crashing around in a van with his psychedelic band, Mumblin' Jim. Although not for everyone, this film can be incredibly enjoyable.