Maryjane (film)

1968 film by Maury Dexter

Maryjane

Directed by| Maury Dexter
Written by| Dick Gautier
Peter Marshall
Based on| story by Maury Dexter
Produced by| Maury Dexter
Starring| Fabian
Diane McBain
Cinematography| Richard Moore
Edited by| Sidney Levin
Music by| Mike Curb
Lawrence Brown

Production
company

American International Pictures

Distributed by| American International Pictures

Release date

* January 24, 1968 (1968-01-24)

Country| United States
Language| English
Box office| $1,000,000 (US/ Canada)[1]

Maryjane is a 1968 feature film starring Fabian as a high school art teacher who is framed for drug possession.[2]

## Plot

[edit]

A car driven by a driver intoxicated by marijuana plunges off a cliff, killing the driver and injuring a female passenger.

It turns out marijuana use is rife at a small town high school, led by the clique of Jordan Bates. Art teacher Phil Blake tries to persuade student Jerry Blackburn not to smoke. Jerry borrows Phil's car and Jordan leaves some marijuana in it. Phil gets arrested for possession of marijuana.

## Cast

[edit]

* Fabian as Phil Blake
* Diane McBain as Ellie Holden
* Michael Margotta as Jerry Blackburn
* Kevin Coughlin as Jordan Bates
* Patty McCormack as Susan Hoffman

## Production

[edit]

According to Maury Dexter "there was nothing salacious or offensive about" the film "but it did have some provocative scenes that showed the results of overindulging and the risks taken when someone needs 'a fix.'"[3]

The movie was shot almost entirely in the Hollywood area. The Doheny Mansion in Beverly Hills was used for some scenes. "The stark beauty of the estate set against the ramblings of a young 'user' was, I thought, quite effective," wrote Dexter later.[3]

Some scenes, including the shoplifting event, were shot in the Conejo Valley and the Decker Canyon Road area between Thousand Oaks and Malibu.

Fabian later described the film as being about "a Good Humor Man who sold marijuana to high school kids."[4]

## Reception

[edit]

Dexter says "the film did very well at the box office, although, it was far from a big hit."[3]

Variety complained "all the adult characters are stereotypes."[5]

Diabolique magazine later wrote that:

> It’s bewildering to think that AIP made this the year after The Trip (1967)… but then Sam Arkoff and Jim Nicholson were concerned about the former movie being too pro-drug so maybe they churned this out to cover their bases. Maury Dexter’s handling is generally quite lively and there is some decent enough acting, but this is just silly, with gangs of kids puffing weed and driving off cliffs, like in Reefer Madness (1936). It’s a little odd seeing Fabian play a teacher... it’s a shame this wasn’t made a few years earlier when he could have played the charismatic bad student.[6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Big Rental Films of 1968", Variety, January 8, 1969 p 15. Please note this figure is a rental accruing to distributors.
2. ^ Maryjane at Fabianforte.net
3. ^ a b c Maury Dexter, Highway to Hollywood p 131 accessed July 5, 2014
4. ^ "Hollywood Hold That Tiger". Cash Box. December 18, 1971. p. 14.
5. ^ "Maryjane". Variety Reviews 1968-1970. February 21, 1968. p. 31.
6. ^ Vagg, Stephen (August 26, 2019). "The Cinema of Fabian". Diabolique.

## External links

[edit]

* Maryjane at IMDb
* Maryjane at TCMDB

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Films of Maury Dexter

Director|

* The High Powered Rifle (1960)
* Walk Tall (1960)
* The Purple Hills (1961)
* Womanhunt (1962)
* Air Patrol (1962)
* The Firebrand (1962)
* Young Guns of Texas (1962)
* The Day Mars Invaded Earth (1963)
* Police Nurse (1963)
* The Young Swingers (1963)
* House of the Dammed (1963)
* Harbor Lights (1963)
* Surf Party (1964)
* Raiders from Beneath the Sea (1964)
* Wild on the Beach (1965)
* The Naked Brigade (1965)
* Django the Condemned (1967)
* The Mini-Skirt Mob (1968)
* Maryjane (1968)
* The Young Animals (1968)
* Hell's Belles (1969)
* A Bullet for Pretty Boy (1970) (uncredited)

Producer only|

* Frontier Gun (1958)
* The 3rd Voice (1960)
* The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1961)
* The Yellow Canary (1963)

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