Tell Your Children
dir. Louis J. Gasnier · 1938
The choices we make can lead to devastating consequences that affect not only ourselves but also those around us.
At a PTA meeting, Dr. Carroll warns parents about the dangers of marijuana, recounting the tragic tale of Mae and Jack, whose lives spiral into chaos as they introduce high school students to the drug. Watching this film is like stepping into a time capsule, revealing the fears and moral dilemmas of a bygone era, where the specter of addiction looms large over the innocence of youth.
Film that relates the story, as told by high school principal Dr. Carroll to parents at a PTA meeting, of the scourge of marijuana. The tale revolves around Mae and Jack, accomplices in the distribution of marijuana, who manage to entice the local high school kids to stop by Mae's apartment to smoke reefer. The lives of all who are involved with this menace are inevitably shattered. One man becomes so addicted to the killer weed that the guilt over framing a teen for murder causes a judge to order him to be committed for life to a mental hospital. Dr. Carroll closes by advising us to not incur the same tragedy.
Talking points
- the impact of propaganda on public perception
- the role of authority in shaping moral values
- the historical context of drug use in America
- the consequences of addiction on community dynamics
