Drugs Are Like That…
They suuuure are! This little film from 1979 reminded me of those education films that are frequently parodied on The Simpsons. But this one’s hip and trippy! Ok the story is, a girl and a boy talk about drugs while making lego. The girl talks about what some “lady” told her about drugs (we then fade out to different scenes where the “lady” narrates in the background). The aforementioned lady is Anita Bryant of US 60’s pop and TV jingle fame. She also became famous as an anti-gay spokeperson which finally led to the demise of her entertainment career.
Her voice was rather ‘alluring’, hmm maybe I should put that as sounding gentle and relaxing haha. Though it was also the kind of condescending tone of voice you expect to receive a slap on the head after. Unfortunately the serious subject matter is glossed over and treated simplistically. The kids make analogies about drugs while buliding lego (the lego becomes part of an analogy too) with some really annoying dialogue. And Ms. Bryant keeps telling us in each analogy….”drugs are like that too!”
If anything kids were going to be confused by this well meaning but flawed film. It’s funny they use a corny hippie sounding song for the start and end. They also have weird camera angles and dream sequences of drugs floating down. The producer was surely smoking something. Right now I’m starting to think the kids were definately high on something with their inane conversations. Even the lego was smoking by the end! 
And the moral of the story is, according to Anita…….”So, be careful turning corners.”
(she really says that!)
Oh and the hippie lyrics:
Once you start some things you just can’t stop,
Drugs are like that tooo.
You pick it up and it’s hard to drop,
Drugs are like that tooo.
(cue falling drugs)
Like a baby goin through a phase,
an like a player playing in a daze, yeah yeah
You break a rule and you have to pay.
It may not hurt but then again it may,
Drugs are like that too you know,
Drugs are like that too i know, know know….
Singin, drugs are like that
Drugs are like that
Drugs are like that
Drugs are like that
Drugs are like that tooooo(fade)
Surreal, absurd, kitschy and downright funny!
(Via AV Geeks Film Archive)
January 16th, 2006 at 11:30 am
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! what a totally demented anti drugs ad! it’s so dorky…if kids wanted to be cool, then they would probably do the exact opposite of this ad…:S. don’t get me wrong…i don’t think doing drugs is cool or something ANYONE should do…(i’d guess it’d be like being insane…believing a different reality from what everyone else sees…like being forever lost…back to the point) but this anti drug campaign would have the opposite effect…i wonder if kids then would have taken it seriously at all…it’s so obvious and so stupidly portrayed…and those 2 kids…i’d be in hell if i had to share a conversation like that with someone…i’m suprised they didn’t drive each other insane