History Film / ReeferMadness

!!Tropes:

Originally called ''Tell Your Children'', this anti-[[AntiquatedLinguistics marihuana]] film from [[TheThirties 1936]], was directed by Louis Gasnier and originally financed by a [[MoralGuardians concerned church group]] and intended for parents, but was picked up by producer Dwain Esper who recut it as an ExploitationFilm. Today, it's in the public domain and considered SoBadItsGood, and has even inspired [[Film/ReeferMadnessTheMusical a 1998 musical satire which itself was adapted into a well-received TV special]].

* CelebrityResemblance: In the ''Podcast/RiffTrax'' commentary, the soda shop piano player is compared to [[Series/{{Seinfeld}} Kramer]] and the Creator/MarxBrothers while Dr. Caroll is compared to [[Series/ALF Willie Tanner]] and TheJudge is compared to Dick Cheney.

* CelebrityResemblance: In the ''Podcast/RiffTrax'' commentary, the soda shop piano player is compared to [[Series/{{Seinfeld}} Kramer]] and the Creator/MarxBrothers while TheJudge is compared to Dick Cheney.

* ArtisticLicenseGunSafety: Jack uses a loaded gun as a blunt weapon. The gun naturally goes off.

Originally called ''Tell Your Children'', this anti-[[AntiquatedLinguistics marihuana]] film from [[TheThirties 1936]], was directed by Louis Gasnier and originally financed by a [[MoralGuardians concerned church group]] and intended for parents, but was picked up by producer Dwain Esper who recut it as an ExploitationFilm. Today, it's in the public domain and considered SoBadItsGood, and has even inspired [[Film/ReeferMadnessTheMusical a 1998 musical satire which itself was adapted into a well received TV movie.]]

* GagDub: ''Reefie's Madhouse'', which once aired as a celebration to 4/20 on {{Network/G4}}. There was even a gag ''colorization'', with clown color pot smoke.

* InsistentTerminology: Mari''h''uana.

* TheStoner: Averted -- ''No one'' in this movie behaves like a real-life stoner. Whatever they're smoking is some kind of powerful stimulant; [[YouFailBiologyForever it certainly isn't pot.]] In fact, the only side effect realistically depicted was the drug pusher's constant eating, which is funny considering that they list a fair number of accurate symptoms in the opening crawl.

* TheAggressiveDrugDealer

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Mae the drug moll doesn't like selling pot to teenagers, a qualm her partner Jack doesn't share.

** Pete, another member of the gang tells the unnamed boss he draws the line selling it to kids.

* KarmaHoudini: Jimmy runs a man over with his car while stoned and gets away clean. Odd for a 1930s movie (since UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode had a rule about bad people not being able to get away with committing crimes) and especially odd for this movie.

* LaughingMad

* [[MarijuanaIsLSD Marihuana Is LSD]]: Even less accurate, marihuana's shown as a violent narcotic. Hell, some of the posters for the film were covered with ''needles''.

* SmokingIsCool: Averted. This was one of the first attempts (if not ''the'' first) at making smoking look ''uncool'', and viewers might have a hard time believing they didn't set the studio on fire... Using "joints" which look ''exactly'' like factory-produced cigarettes is a contributing factor. On the other hand, it's notable that the two leads, Bill and Mary, are depicted as ''incredibly'' square even for 1930s standards -- "Gooooosh, ''hot chocolate!'' -- and yet are shown to smoke (regular tobacco) even before they get introduced to pot.

* TheStoner: Averted - ''No one'' in this movie behaves like a real-life stoner.
** Whatever they're smoking is some kind of powerful stimulant. [[YouFailBiologyForever It certainly isn't pot.]]
** The only realistic side effect was the bad guy's constant eating.
** Which is funny considering that they list a fair number of accurate symptoms in the opening crawl.

** The scenes with the jury invoke 12 Angry Men.

* {{Fanservice}}: Funny how moral films backed by religious institutions always managed to sneak in a ton of cheesecake that the Hays Code would grudgingly allow because of the larger message the film was trying to send, as seen by Mae's showing off of plenty of flesh.

* TotallyRadical: Aside from the constant uses of alternate names for the drug, the poster in the page image calls "marihuana" a "pill", dated slang for even 1936 for a good time.

* TotallyRadical: Aside from the constant uses of alternate names for the drug, the poster in the page image calls "marihuana" a "pill", dated slang for even 1933 for a good time.

** They don't even get it right on the poster in the page image. Nobody in the film or real life takes marijuana as a pill.

* HollywoodLaw: All of the place. For one, [[ArtisticLicenseLaw plea bargains aren't dealt with in that way]].

Witness the frightful toll of the new drug menace which is sweeping America [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54xWo7ITFbg online.]] Don't do drugs, kids!

* BreakingTheFourthWall / TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: At the end, the principal says that this could happen to anyone's children, like yours, or yours, or ''[[SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou yours]]'' (repeating the OpeningCrawl).

* CelebrityResemblance: In the ''Podcast/RiffTrax'' commentary, the soda shop piano player is compared to [[Series/{{Seinfeld}} Kramer]] and the MarxBrothers while TheJudge is compared to Dick Cheney.

* AlternateDVDCommentary: The best way to watch. Creator/MikeNelson has done more than one, but in a pinch the goofy commentary of your stoned buddies will suffice.
** The film was the subject of a live ''Podcast/RiffTrax'' presentation, expanding on Nelson's solo commentary on the Legend Films release.

* CluelessAesop: The movie failed so ''badly'' at its [[AnAesop Aesop]] that it's used as a [[StrawmanPolitical strawman]] by people lobbying to legalize marijuana.
** It might not have been the best idea to start the film by giving detailed instructions on how to make and even smuggle joints.

* DrugsAreBad: Well, ''duh''. Or at least, that's what it tries to say.
** Well just reefer, anyway. [[ValuesDissonance Tobacco and alcohol are A-OK!]]

* GagDub: ''Reefie's Madhouse'', which airs as a celebration to FourTwenty on G4
** Hell, this had a gag ''colorization'': Clown color pot smoke.

* TheJudge:
** Of the gruff older white man sort.
** Who, coincidentally, is played by the same actor who appeared as a judge in Film/TheThreeStooges' ''Disorder in the Court'' later that same year.

* StonerFlick: Ironically.
** To the point where most people hear about it first from someone who's watched it stoned.

* ReactionaryFantasy: A quintessential example.

* ThinkOfTheChildren: Invoked by the DA

* CelebrityResemblance: In the ''Podcast/RiffTrax'' commentary, the soda shop piano player is compared to [[{{Seinfeld}} Kramer]] and the MarxBrothers while TheJudge is compared to Dick Cheney.