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 | runaway | deaf | psychedelic | hippie | 

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Taglines:

Taste a Moment of Madness...Listen to the Sound of Purple

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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

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

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Quotes

Stoney: We need you to play with us.
Dave: You still playin' games, Stoney?
Stoney: Since when is music a game. Playin' makes me feel good.
Dave: So does a paycheck.
Stoney: Oh, yeah. The old bad thing. The root of all evil, right?
Dave: No. Not bad or good. There's only the truth.
Stoney: The truth. Old black and whitey.

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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 Wanderlust (2006)

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Soundtracks

Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow
The Strawberry Alarm Clock
Performed by The Strawberry Alarm Clock

User Reviews

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!