''Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical'', also known as ''Reefer Madness'', is a 2005 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Andy Fickman Andy Fickman is an American film director, film producer, screenwriter, television director, television producer, and theatre director. His credits as a theater director include the premiere of the ''Reefer Madness!'' musical, the first Los Angele ...

, written by Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney, and produced by the three. It is a

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

of the trio's 1998 musical of the same name, itself based on the 1936

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...

also of the same title. It premiered on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

on April 16, 2005. The film also received a limited theatrical release overseas, and grossed $8,972 in its short run. The film stars

Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky That ...

Christian Campbell Christian Bethune Campbell (born May 12, 1972) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Gabriel in the film ''Trick'', Greg Ivey in the television series ''Big Love'' and on stage as Jimmy Harper in the musical '' Reefer Madness''. E ...

, and

John Kassir John Kassir (born October 24, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as the voice of the Cryptkeeper in HBO's ''Tales from the Crypt'' franchise. He is also known for his role as Ralph in the off-Broadway show ''Reef ...

reprising their stage roles, with the notable addition of

Alan Cumming Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...

and

Ana Gasteyer Ana Kristina Gasteyer (born May 4, 1967) is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1996 to 2002. She has since starred in such sitcoms as ABC's ''Suburgatory,'' TBS's '' People of Earth'', NBC's ' ...

in other lead roles.

Robert Torti Robert Felix Torti (born October 22, 1961) is an American actor. Torti originated the roles of Jesus and Jack in both the New York City and Los Angeles stage productions of ''Reefer Madness''. Earlier in his career, Torti was honored with a To ...

, who played the characters of both Jack and

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

onstage, portrays only the latter in this version.

Plot

In a small middle-America town in 1936, a group of parents have been gathered by a mysterious Lecturer for an assembly. The ominous Lecturer informs the parents that he has come to warn them about the evils of

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

on their youth ''("Reefer Madness")'' through the tragic tale of one boy's struggles with the demon weed in a film titled ''"Tell Your Children"''. Throughout the film, the Lecturer stops to detail a political point or to condescend any audience member questioning his credibility. Jimmy Harper and Mary Lane, a joyful teen couple, blissfully enjoy each other's company ''("Romeo & Juliet")'', unaware of the seedy goings-on in The Reefer Den across town. This is the residence of Mae, who is abused by her boyfriend, Jack, a street tough who supplies her and others with dope ''("The Stuff")''. Mary, Jimmy and their school friends head to Miss Poppy's

Five and Dime A variety store (also five and dime (historic), pound shop, or dollar store) is a retail store that sells general merchandise, such as apparel, automotive parts, dry goods, toys, hardware, home furnishings, and a selection of groceries. It us ...

, ''("Down at the Ol' Five and Dime").'' Jack appears at the hangout, offering Jimmy swing lessons to impress Mary. Jimmy is taken to the Reefer Den, where Jack, Mae, college dropout Ralph and neighborhood prostitute Sally pressure him into smoking his first joint, leading him to a hallucination of an insidious bacchanal. ''("Jimmy Takes a Hit/ The Orgy")''. Jimmy turns into a crazed addict and neglects Mary, leading her to pray for him ''("Lonely Pew").'' While breaking into a church to steal collection money, Jimmy has a vision of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

in a Vegas-esque Heaven, telling him to change his ways or be sent to

eternal damnation Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment and torment in an afterlife for actions that were committed, or in some cases, not committed on Earth. In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, citizens would recite t ...

''("Listen to Jesus, Jimmy")''. Jimmy refuses to heed the word of God and continues to spiral into sin. One night, Jimmy and Sally take a joy ride in Mary's stolen car while buzzed, running over an old man. Jimmy runs to Mary, debating whether to continue being under the influence or repent his ways ''("Mary Jane/ Mary Lane").'' Jimmy returns to Mary romantically, but he realizes that he is putting her in danger and tells her that he must leave town without her. Jack brings him back to the Reefer Den with a pot-brownie, putting him in a cartoonized trip ''("The Brownie Song").'' Mary follows Jimmy to the Den where Ralph seduces her by convincing her that Jimmy has joined his "

frat A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity ...

ern ity". He suggests that they celebrate with a smoke, which turns out to be a toke. This intro to reefer immediately turns Mary into a sadistic

dominatrix A dominatrix (; ) or femdom is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily limit the genders of her submissive partners. Dominatrices are known for inflic ...

who terrorizes Ralph for pleasure ''("Little Mary Sunshine)''. Jimmy enters and a fight ensues. Jack stops the fight, knocks out Jimmy and accidentally shoots Mary. He frames an unconscious Jimmy for the crime. Jimmy gives Mary his class ring, and comforts her as she dies in his arms ''("Mary's Death")''. Jimmy is taken away by police. Racked with guilt, Ralph has pot-induced hallucinations of Jimmy as a ghost, Mary as Satan's sodomy pal and the children who got hooked on the Reefer Gang's dope as the living dead. Ralph gets an extreme case of the munchies and ends up killing and cannibalizing Sally. Jack shoots Ralph to stop him ''("Murder!")''. Seeing similar visions, Mae realizes the error of her ways and tells Jack to do the same. He rejects her pleas and she bludgeons him to death with a garden hoe, gaining her much-needed empowerment ''("The Stuff (Reprise)"). Mae pleads to the visiting

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

about Jimmy's case, earning the boy a presidential

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

. Jimmy, Mae, the President and Jimmy's fellow prisoners, Ralph, Jack, and Sally (reincarnated as

Uncle Sam Uncle Sam (which has the same initials as ''United States'') is a common national personification of the federal government of the United States or the country in general. Since the early 19th century, Uncle Sam has been a popular symbol of ...

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

, and Lady Liberty respectively) raise the American justice system and patriotism ''("Tell 'Em the Truth")''. Jimmy burns down the Reefer Den's weed garden, freeing Mary from both Hell and

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

before everyone's eyes. The Lecturer's film ends with Mary entering Heaven, greeted by Jesus and other Holy souls. The entire audience joins the suddenly real film cast to hold a huge anti-reefer

book burning Book burning is the deliberate destruction by fire of books or other written materials, usually carried out in a public context. The burning of books represents an element of censorship and usually proceeds from a cultural, religious, or politi ...

pledging to join the fight against marijuana, sex, racial and ethnic minorities and other things harmful to their dear country ''("Finale")''. The Lecturer drives off, pleased that he has succeeded in exploiting everyone's biases.

Cast

Principal cast

as The Lecturer, The Goat Man,

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, and other minor characters *

as James Fenimore "Jimmy" Harper *

as Mary Lane *

Steven Weber Steven Robert Weber (born March 4, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Brian Hackett on the television series ''Wings'' which aired from April 1990 to May 1997 on NBC, as Sam Blue in '' Once and Again'', and ...

as Jack Stone and

in "Tell 'Em the Truth" *

as Mae Coleman *

as Ralph Wiley and

in "Tell 'Em the Truth" *

Amy Spanger Amy Spanger (born May 21, 1971) is an American actress, singer and dancer. Early life Spanger was born in Newbury, Massachusetts. Career Spanger made her Broadway debut in 1995 in the musical ''Sunset Boulevard'', following a half-year ru ...

as Sally DeBanis and

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...

in "Tell 'Em the Truth" *

Neve Campbell Neve Adrianne Campbell (born October 3, 1973; ) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her work in the drama and horror genres. She has appeared on ''People'' magazine's list of "50 Most Beautiful People" twice. Following a series of minor ...

as Miss Poppy

Supporting cast

* Abraham Jedidiah as Dead Old Man *

Christine Lakin Christine Helen Lakin (born January 24, 1979) is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as Alicia "Al" Lambert on the 1990s ABC/CBS sitcom '' Step by Step''. She also played Joan of Arc on Showtime's ''Reefer Madness'' ...

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

* John Mann as

* Harry S. Murphy as Warden Harrah * Tom Arntzen as Officer D.J. Sordelet *

Ken Kirzinger Kenneth Kirzinger (born November 4, 1959) is a Canadian actor and stuntman best known for his portrayals of Jason Voorhees in ''Freddy vs. Jason'' (2003), Pa in '' Wrong Turn 2: Dead End'' (2007) and Rusty Nail in '' Joy Ride 3: Roadkill'' (2014) ...

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...

Agent Matthews * Chang Tseng as Asian Man *

Britt Irvin Brittney Elizabeth Irvin (born November 10, 1984) is a Canadian actress. She has also done voiceover work for Ocean Productions. Irvin is best known for playing Katie in '' Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktakular'' and its sequel '' Scary Godmoth ...

Alexz Johnson Alexzandra Spencer Johnson (born November 4, 1986) is a Canadian musician, actress, and philanthropist. Her debut album ''Voodoo'' was independently released with her brother Brendan Johnson in 2010, followed by the demo release of ''The Basem ...

as Arc-ettes

Lecture assembly

* Kevin McNulty as Mayor Harris Macdonald * Stephen Sisk as Blumsack, the Lecturer's projectionist assistant * Robert Clarke as Principal Poindexter Short *

Lynda Boyd Lynda Boyd (born January 28, 1965) is a Canadian actress, singer, dancer, musician, and writer. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the films ''Final Destination 2'' (2003), ''An Unfinished Life'' (2005), ''She's the Man'' (2006), and ''O ...

as Mrs. Deidre Greevey * Ruth Nichol as Mrs. Roxanne MacDonald *

Michael Goorjian Michael Andranik Goorjian (born February 4, 1971) is an American actor, filmmaker, and writer. Goorjian won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special for his role as David Goodson in the television film ''David's ...

as Mickey Druther

Musical numbers

* Reefer Madness''- Lecturer, Parents/ Zombies Ensemble'' * Romeo and Juliet''- Jimmy, Mary'' * The Stuff''- Mae'' * Down at the Ol' Five and Dime''- Mary, Miss Poppy, Lecturer, Youth Ensemble'' * Jimmy Takes a Hit/ The Orgy''- Sally, Jimmy, Jack, Mae, Ralph, Exotic Ensemble'' * Lonely Pew ''- Mary, Lecturer (Organist), Ensemble'' * Listen to Jesus, Jimmy''- Jesus Christ, Joan of Arc and Arc-ettes, Satan, Heaven Ensemble'' * Mary Jane/Mary Lane''- Jimmy, Mary, Full Company (Mae, Jack, Singing Clams, Miss Poppy, Dead Old Man, Officer Sordelet, Jesus, Joan, Satan, Ralph, Sally, Asian Man)'' * The Brownie Song''- (animated) Jimmy, Mae, Sally, Jack, Ralph'' * Little Mary Sunshine''- Ralph, Mary'' * Mary's Death''- Jimmy, Mary'' * Murder!''- Jimmy, Ralph, Mary, Satan, Sally, Jack, Mae, Zombies Ensemble'' * The Stuff (Reprise)''- Mae'' * Tell 'Em the Truth ''(Finale)''- Mae, Jimmy, Lecturer (FDR), Mary, Jack, Sally, Ralph, Prisoner Ensemble'' * Romeo and Juliet (Reprise) (Finale)''- Mary, Jimmy'' * Reefer Madness (Finale)''- Company'' * Reefer Madness (End Credits)''- Full Cast'' * Mary Lane ''(Mary Jane/ Mary Lane)''(End Credits)''- Mary, Jimmy, Company

Production

In 1998, writing partners Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney, who had met while studying at

Drew University Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey. Drew has been nicknamed the "University in the Forest" because of its wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three scho ...

Madison, New Jersey Madison is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 16,937. Located along the Morris & Essex Lines, it is noted for Madison's historic railroad station becoming one ...

, were driving from

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and listening to

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

's ''

Joe's Garage ''Joe's Garage'' is a three-part rock opera recorded by American musician Frank Zappa in September and November 1979. Originally released as two separate studio albums on Zappa Records, the project was later remastered and reissued as a triple a ...

'', when they began discussing how one might stage the piece. "So I started picturing it in my head," Studney recalls. "Frank Zappa's concept of a musical and then it just hit me. I turned to Kevin and said 'What about doing ''Reefer Madness'' as a musical?'" By the time duo reached L.A., they had already written the first song. The high school is named after

Harry J. Anslinger Harry Jacob Anslinger (May 20, 1892 – November 14, 1975) was a United States government official who served as the first commissioner of the U.S. Treasury Department's Federal Bureau of Narcotics during the presidencies of Herbert Hoover, ...

, the first Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Narcotics, known as the Father of the Drug War.

Release

''Reefer Madness''

premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...

d at the 2005

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

. It also screened in competition at the 2005

Deauville Film Festival The Deauville American Film Festival (french: Festival du cinéma américain de Deauville, link=no) is a yearly film festival devoted to American cinema, which has taken place since 1975 in Deauville, France. It was established by Lionel Cho ...

and won the Premiere Audience Award. On April 20, four days following the film's television premiere, Showtime aired the musical back-to-back with the 1936 exploitation film that inspired it. A limited theatrical release occurred internationally in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

. The film made $8,972 in its short run.

Home media

Showtime released the

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

on November 9, 2005. The DVD includes the

original film Original Film is an American film and television production company founded by Neal H. Moritz. Notable films the company has produced include the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. History Original Film was started out in the early 1990s by Neal H ...

and an

audio commentary An audio commentary is an additional audio track, usually digital, consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with a video. Commentaries can be serious or entertaining in nature, and can add informatio ...

by director Fickman with several cast members. The DVD case itself also smelled of brownies.

Accolades

The film won the 2005

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for

Music and Lyrics ''Music and Lyrics'' is a 2007 American musical romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Marc Lawrence. It focuses on the relationship that evolves between a former pop music idol (of the fictional band PoP!) and an aspiring writer as ...

(for "Mary Jane/Mary Lane", which was written specially for the film). It also received Emmy nominations for

Choreography Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design ...

and Make-Up Effects.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack CD was first released by Showtime in their "stash box" press package. Mixed from the 5.1 audio masters, this version has several anomalies including a few sound effects. On October 28, 2008,

Ghostlight Records Sh-K-Boom Records is an independent record label and producer of recorded and live entertainment, which was founded in 2000 by Kurt Deutsch with the mission of bridging the gap between pop music and theater. In 2004 Sh-K-Boom created their second ...

released a double CD of the soundtrack from the film and original Los Angeles cast recording. The night before,

The Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...

Joe's Pub Joe's Pub, one of the six performance spaces within The Public Theater, is a music venue and restaurant that hosts live performances across genres and arts, ranging from cabaret to modern dance to world music. It is located at 425 Lafayette St ...

hosted a release party concert featuring a four-person ensemble and leads

, and

Jenna Leigh Green Jenna Leigh Green (born August 22, 1974) is an American actress and singer best known for her performances as Libby Chessler on the television show ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'', as well as for roles on tour in the musical ''Wicked'' and later i ...

doing an abbreviated concert version with introductions to each song by Kevin Murphy. The two versions of the soundtrack differ in quite a few places, both from each other and from the film, but it is most noticeable during the song ''Murder''. The Showtime CD features a longer version of the song, sans all spoken dialogue. The Ghostlight CD features a truncated version of the track littered with dialogue from the film.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reefer Madness 2005 films 2005 television films 2000s musical comedy films American comedy television films American musical comedy films Canadian comedy television films Canadian musical comedy films Films about cannibalism German television films German musical comedy films English-language Canadian films English-language German films Films directed by Andy Fickman Films scored by Nathan Wang Films based on musicals based on films Musical film remakes Portrayals of Jesus in film Showtime (TV network) original programming Cultural depictions of Franklin D. Roosevelt Stoner films Films based on musicals 2005 comedy films 2000s American films 2000s Canadian films 2000s German films