Reefer Madness (1936) and Mystery of the Leaping Fish (1916) 

Sat. June 25 

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $6 

1hr 8min | PG | Propaganda/Exploitation/Comedy | USA 

25min | NR | Silent Comedy | USA 

Marijuana kills. And kills. AND KILLS! 



At least according to the cult favorite, Reefer Madness.  

Though it was intended to be a sincere warning against the perceived evils of marijuana under the title Tell Your Children, the film was soon purchased and rebranded by Dwain Esper, a director responsible for what some have called the worst film of all time, (1934’s Maniac). Esper recut the film and soon exhibited it on the so-called “exploitation circuit” where it played to audiences seeking out lurid or salacious content.  

Today, Reefer Madness has lost the ability to shock or titillate audiences, but it has since gained a following as an unparalleled and unintentional satire of anti-drug propaganda. Few will take seriously the film’s hysterical warnings of marijuana induced insanity and violence, but many will find it all pretty darn hilarious. 

In fact, we have no doubt the whole audience will get the giggles. 

And make sure you get to the theater in time, (and not just because we have all the snacks to satisfy even the most acute case of the munchies). Before the feature, we’re presenting the silent short comedy, The Mystery of the Leaping Fish with live organ accompaniment by Stephen Warner. 

Silent screen legend Douglas Fairbanks, better known for acrobatic stunt work than slapstick comedy, stars as the punnily named parody of Sherlock Holmes, Coke Ennyday. And if that goofy moniker doesn’t give you a clue as to the tone of this oddity from the pre-pre-code era of Hollywood, just take it from Fairbanks’ biographer who describes the film as, “a hallucinogenic odyssey into the absurd.” 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and The National Endowment for the Arts.