The Cocaine Fiends
by W.A. Conner, William O'Connor
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Dean Benton, Edward Phillips, Lois January, Noel Madison, Sheila MannersDirector: W.A. Conner, William O'Connor
Brand: Bayside ENT Dist
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 60 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-04-15
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Alpha Video
Movie Reviews of The Cocaine Fiends
Movie Review: The Pace That Kills
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Cocaine Fiends" (aka "The Pace That Kills") is a fairly average exploitation film that depicts the dangers of drug abuse as they were seen back in the 1930s. Although this film must have had some impact at the time it was released, people are correct to notice that this film is rather mild by today's standards. For example, we never see anyone--not anyone--in the film actually using cocaine or any other drug although we do see people having a few drinks in a nightclub here and there. In addition, the plot moves along pretty well and the casting was great--the acting was considerably better than I expected for this motion picture. The cinematography is average and the print is in need of a full restoration.
When the action starts, drug pusher Nick (Noel Madison) hides out in a small town country diner run by Jane Bradford (Lois January) and her mother. Nick gives Jane some cocaine as "headache powder" to help her relieve a stress headache; and then it isn't long before he sweet-talks Jane into coming to the big city with him, all the while helping Jane to more and more "headache powder." Jane goes with him and is horrified when she finds out that she's been using "dope;" but it's too late as Jane is hooked. Jane even changes her name; she now goes by "Lil" to avoid anyone tracing her back to her roots in the country where she feels she would be a disgrace to her mother. Jane even denies her own identity when she runs into her brother Eddie (Dean Benton) at a nightclub in the city; Eddie came there to find Jane but Jane isn't about to return home.
Meanwhile, we see the incredibly bad effects of cocaine on all the young people who start taking it--there's Eddie and his addicted girlfriend Fanny (Sheila Bromley) who will do anything for Eddie even though Fanny knows he doesn't really love her. We see even more of the bad side of city life in the seedy and drug lord operated Dead Rat Café with its wallpaper that actually has drawings of dead rats on it!
There are also great performances by Lois Lindsay as Dorothy Farley, daughter of the wealthy Mr. Farley (Frank Shannon); and Marin Sais does a great job of playing Jane and Eddie's mother, Mrs. Bradford.
Despite some very good acting, The Cocaine Fiends is very dated although sadly the message about the dangers of drugs still needs to get out. Drugs are a real problem in our society; but the ways we deal with the problem have changed somewhat with time. For example, pictures like this one would never even make it to the big screen in our day; this film is extremely dated and it's probably too tame in many ways. However, if you enjoy exploitation films with moralistic messages from the early decades of the 20th century, you would do well to get this film.
Summary of The Cocaine Fiends
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