The read
A Balasaur Score of 45 out of 100, drawn from IMDb 3.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 39%, Metacritic 70/100. Critics rate it 33 points higher than audiences do. Most of the 354 1930s drama movies in this catalog score higher. It runs a compact 1h 6m. Streaming on Paramount+ and Tubi.
Synopsis
High-school principal Dr. Alfred Carroll relates to an audience of parents that marijuana can have devastating effects on teens: a drug supplier entices several restless teens, Mary and Jimmy Lane, sister and brother, and Bill, Mary's boyfriend, into frequenting a reefer house. Gradually, Bill and Jimmy are drawn into smoking dope, which affects their family lives.
Ratings
IMDb3.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes39%
Metacritic70/100
Critics rate it 33 points higher than audiences do.
136 audience votes
Key crew
- Arthur HoerlScreenplay
- Hugo RiesenfeldOriginal Music Composer
- Louis J. GasnierDirector
Cast
- Dorothy ShortMary
- Kenneth CraigBill
- Lillian MilesBlanche
- Dave O'BrienRalph
- Thelma WhiteMae
- Carleton YoungJack
- Warren McCollumJimmy
- Patricia RoyaleAgnes
- Joseph ForteDr. Carroll
- Harry Harvey Jr.Junior
- Richard AlexanderPete Daley (uncredited)
- Bob BurnsJuror (uncredited)
Themes
drug dealerpropagandadrug traffickingdrug addictionopiumexploitationhallucinationhallucinogenic drugmarijuanadrugspsychotronicso bad it’s good