Film homage Assassin of Youth 1937 John Vachon Omaha Nebraska 1937-2010 Dwain Espair
by David Lee Guss
Title
Film homage Assassin of Youth 1937 John Vachon Omaha Nebraska 1937-2010 Dwain Espair
Artist
David Lee Guss
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Marijuana was criminalized in the US in 1937. The first film to expose the evils of the plant is Dwain Esper's "Marijuana" (1936).
Esper has my vote as the worst film director in Hollywood history. But like P.T. Barnum (1810-1891) he was a master showman, His savviest coup was to obtain the rights to MGM's 1933 flop "Freaks." He traveled the country showing the movie at theaters he bought out, a practice later called "four-walling." He would bombard the locale with "Adults Only" posters. In some cities he was run out of town.
Well into the late 1970's he claimed that he even directed "Freaks."
But he did direct and produce the abomination "Maniac" (1934).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfa9XetyzIE
The second film dealing with the menace of weed is "Assassin of Youth" (!938).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_XyNCYy48E
The most famous anti-marijana movie is "Reefer Madness," also from 1938. It initially had been a sincere effort financed by a church group, called "Tell Your Children."
Dwain Espair (1894-1982) soon purchased the movie, recut it and renamed it "Reefer Madness." Like with "Freaks" he hawked the movie from town to town as an exploitation film.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1jB7RBGVGk
Uploaded
June 6th, 2013
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