NARCOTIC (1933) Harry Cording, Joan Dix & Patricia Farley | Biography, Drama, Horror | B&W

SYNOPSIS
Exploration film which follows the downward spiral of an idealistic medical student whose fall from grace leads him to opium dens, a carnival freakshow, swanky drug parties, dingy brothels, and finally the barrel of his own revolver.

As the opening scroll explains, "Narcotic" was "presented in the hope that the public may become aware of the terrific struggle to rid the world of drug addiction." The movie itself is a salacious plunge into a world of sordid pleasures. It tells the story of Dr. William G. Davies, an infamous snake-oil salesman who started his career as a promising medical student. In the opening sequence he saves an unborn baby by performing a Caeserean operation after the mother is killed in an automobile accident. Stock medical footage shows a woman's stomach being sliced open like a ripe watermelon and the baby popping out like a jack-in-a-box. But the allure of opium proves too strong for the doctor to resist. After a single night of relaxation in a Chinatown opium den, Davies becomes a slave to drugs. As his medical practice deteriorates, he shifts his attention to "selling medicine by demonstration." He tells his nurse/fiancee, "I can't see anything wrong if my preparation has merit." However, his "preparation" is one of the great quack cure-alls: "Tiger-Fat." Davies soon becomes one of the leading sideshow attractions for a carnival. His success as a carnival huckster initially allows him to run with a fast crowd. In the movie's most shocking episode, Davies and his ritzy friends retire to a hotel room together for a drug party. "We're gonna get lit," says a woman. A buffet of drugs is spread out on a table and each guest takes their drug of choice. "It takes a needle for me to get a bang," says a woman. As each participant indulges, the party quickly turns into an orgy of excesses, one woman hikes up her skirts, another laughs hysterically, a man pontificates, another man becomes paranoid. The movie provides a litany of different reactions to drugs. Ultimately, Davies' drug addiction leaves him gaunt and stooped, living in a hovel with no hope of returning to his previous life.

Note
The film includes an appearance of Elmer McCurdy, an Oklahoma would-be bank robber who was killed in 1911, and whose embalmed body circulated through various sideshows, fun houses and amusement parks for over 60 years. McCurdy's body was not only used as that of a "drug addict" in the film but was put on display by Dwain Esper at screenings of the movie. McCurdy was eventually discovered in a Long Beach (CA) funhouse in 1977 by a film crew for the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man (1974) and he was returned to Oklahoma for proper burial.

CAST & CREW
Harry Cording as Dr. William G. Davis
Joan Dix as Mrs. Davis
Patricia Farley as Mae
Jean Lacy as Lena
J. Stuart Blackton Jr. as Gee Wu
Paul Panzer as Cashier
Miami Alvarez as Drug Addict
Charles Bennett as Hand Wrestler
Josef Swickard as Federal Narcotics Agent

Directed by Dwain Esper and Vival Sodar't
Produced by Dwain Esper and Hildegarde Stadie
Written by A.J. Karnopp
Screenplay by Hildegarde Stadie
Story by Hildegarde Stadie
Runtime 57 min
Country USA
Language English

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