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9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
pretty lila leeds, 17 November 2003
10/10
Author: tigerpaths from de

lila leeds, the cute blonde receptionist in LADY IN THE LAKE(1947) becomes the main character in this t-men type study of pot smokers....like a government issue with a moral attached, we see a pretty dancer corrupted by the ills of a pusher and thrown into an illegal world of adult mayhem.....ending up in jail after her brother commits suicide, lila leeds turns against the weed and survives... this marilyn monroe look-alike only made eight films and was arrested with robert mitchum in 1948....she agreed to make this film as part of her payment to society.

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Starring Real Life Addict!, 17 April 2005
3/10
Author: sbibb1 (sbibb1@aol.com) from New York, NY

This film was originally called "Wild Weed." The star of the film is Lila Leeds, a promising starlet who had very minor roles in earlier films, but achieved worldwide notoriety when she was arrested along with Robert Mitchum and other for smoking pot in 1948. She spent several months in jail, and when she was released this was one of the few film roles she was able to get. On the contrary, Robert Mitchum, who was also arrested, came back to resume a hotter then ever film career.

Leeds is beautiful, a sort of young Marilyn Monroe lookalike. The film is not one of the better "exploitation" films, but is notable for its cast of authentic Hollywood actors, though they were at this point well past their prime. Perennial B-movie actor Lyle Talbot, Alan Baxter and Michael Whalen, among other round out the cast.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Dope-y flick is pure exploitation, 15 July 2007
6/10
Author: melvelvit-1 from NYC suburbs

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"How Bad Can a Good Girl Get Without Losing her Virtue and Self Respect? The Film That's Scorchin' The Nation's Screens! The Screen's Newest Blonde Bomb!"

When Ann Lester (Lila Leeds), a pretty young nightclub dancer, catches the eye of slick L.A. pusher Markey (Alan Baxter), he seduces her at a "tea" party he'd arranged for that very purpose. Ann's stoner ways soon get her fired and she goes to work full-time as a hostess for Markey. When Bob, the younger brother she's been putting through college, comes home and finds out what she's become, he hangs himself. Ann's former boss turns her in and she's given a harrowing tour of prisons, psychopathic wards and the morgue before being sentenced to 60 days in jail. Remorse-ridden, Ann goes undercover for Police Captain Hayes (Lyle Talbot) to nail Markey's supplier, drug czar Jonathan Treanor (Michael Whalen)...

Sexy starlet Lila Leeds made headlines around the world when she was busted for smoking pot with married movie star Robert Mitchum on September 1, 1948. The publicity surrounding the high-profile case (long thought to be a set-up) off-set mounting charges of police corruption within the L.A.P.D. Lila became a victim of Hollywood (and the nation's) double-standard at the time: Mitchum skyrocketed to stardom as a "Hollywood bad boy" while Leeds became a pariah after they both served time in the county jail. Bob's first film post-scandal was THE BIG STEAL (1948), filmed in the heart of Mexico's marijuana country, but the only work Lila could get was this roadshow exploitation quickie capitalizing on her notoriety. Kroger Babb, "America's Fearless Showman," promoted WILD WEED as "The Story of Lila Leeds and Her Expose of the Marijuana Racket!" and in one scene Leeds even wears the same suit she wore to court. Purporting to be made in the name of education, moviegoers got to vicariously view Lila smoke dope, misbehave, and eventually pay for her sins behind bars. There's ridiculous moments galore, including a reckless teenage car crash, "tea" party hysterics, Ann's "police tour/prevention cure" (right out of the previous year's THE SNAKE PIT) with ravaged inmates in advanced stages of drug-induced insanity and Lila transforming into an emaciated hag in a prison mirror as she drives herself mad with the taunt "Baby-Killer!" The movie loves its many montages and concert pianist Rudolf Friml, Jr. tickles the ivories in the pot-induced hallucinations of a musical doper. Getting high is called "cutting up a touch" and "tea" (or "tomatoes") are $2 a stick -or you can have the "special": three for $5. The lissome Miss Leeds is out of her league histrionically as she goes from good kid to hardened moll and although WILD WEED boasts an "All-Star Hollywood Cast!", only Alan Baxter, Lyle Talbot and Michael Whalen show up. Look for a young Jack Elam as a crime kingpin's killer "butler".

A bona fide B-Movie curio. Way to go, Lila! WILD WEED would make the ideal second feature for Robert Mitchum's THE BIG STEAL.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
"I could turn your life into a nice big beautiful sleigh ride.", 10 April 2008
4/10
Author: classicsoncall from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This story of 'tea' and 'tomatoes' purports to boast an 'All Star Hollywood Cast', but even if you're a follower of films from the 1930's and '40's, I don't think you'll recognize a single name in the credits. Maybe Lyle Talbot, who's screen credits total nearly three hundred roles, but after that I think you'd be hard pressed to recognize another actor in the picture. Except for Jack Elam in one of his very first screen roles; he actually was a rather good looking guy back then. That might have been the single treat in the film for me.

It's curious how all of these exploitation films wind up with a handful of different titles. I saw this picture under the name "She Shoulda' Said No", and just like the classic cult film "Reefer Madness", it tells the story of youth run wild after falling victim to the evil terrors of marihuna (sometimes spelled marijuana as a closing segment informs us). It's hard to take seriously today of course, and I really wish there were some folks around from the era who could tell us first hand how these flicks were received back in the day.

I have to say, I was really distracted by Alan Baxter's portrayal of the local pusher Markey. He's a dead ringer for a young Jack Nicholson, and if I didn't know better, I would have been checking the credits to see if it was him or not. Another weird thing was the use of that eerie sci-fi/Twilight Zone type music whenever folks on screen were shown puffing on the dreaded weed. You know, I had to laugh when I saw the "I'm gonna die' guy under the influence. It reminded me of the very first and just about only time I tried pot myself. It was in an apartment that lost it's heat in the winter, and my best friend was convinced he was going to freeze to death. I wasn't as hysterical as Rita and her friends, but I thought it was all pretty funny at the time.

I had a curious thought about mid-way through the picture. Wouldn't it be great if the Coen Brothers took the idea of these exploitation flicks and made one of their own? You could really get some mileage out of characters portrayed by John Tuturro, Jon Polito, and Steve Buscemi. Jack Nicholson might be a little too old for this sort of stuff, but I think a cameo would be just the right touch. I think he would be up for it.

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
At times, like an updated version of REEFER MADNESS, 25 September 2007
2/10
Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

This film's structure, at least for the first half is very similar to the classic bad film, REEFER MADNESS. Both had preachy prologues and both showed wild pot parties where the guests behaved as if they were on LSD, not marijuana. While I think pot use is very stupid, I can't see how this film in any way could discourage it, as the way people act on this drug is so silly that any child would laugh at the ineptitude of the film and the central message would be lost.

Oddly, at about the middle of the film, the movie became much less silly in its portrayal of drug use and became a somewhat standard (though very poorly made) cop film. While this improved the film a bit, it was a case of just too little too late. The bottom line is that the film suffers from a horrible script and production values. About the only interesting things about it were how silly it all became and to see both a down-and-out Lyle Talbot as well as Jack Elam in his first film. It's all just a very silly mess.

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Lila Leeds puts her acting skills to good use, 28 November 2008
5/10
Author: kidboots from Australia

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Lila Leeds claim to fame should be as the beautiful blonde secretary that Robert Montgomery could not take his eyes off in "Lady in the Lake". Instead it was as a "starlet goes bad" warning to other young actresses of the time. She was "busted" along with Robert Mitchum in an infamous drugs raid and spent time in prison. Robert Mitchum bounced back and made being in prison "cool" - making him an "anti- hero". Poor Lila was persuaded to appear in this potboiler as part of her probation.

A slimy drug peddler "Marky" is selling his wares to high school kids - they are in a horrific car accident, one of the girls loses her legs!! He is also selling to chorus girls and is determined to get beautiful Ann Lester (Lila Leeds) hooked!!! - which he does quite easily!!! At the most boring party ever a stoned pianist (Rudolf Friml Jnr.) imagines that he is playing at the Hollywood Bowl. It is a good attempt to show the "delusions of grandeur" that is a side effect of the drug.

Ann and her friend Rita are sacked from their chorus jobs (they are too drugged up to dance) so Marky introduces Ann to selling the drug and "entertaining" the clients. When Bob (David Holt) comes home and finds how his sister Ann is really paying for his college fees, he hangs himself. Ann blames herself for his death and is then persuaded by Captain Hayes (Lyle Talbot) to go undercover, after viewing what an addict's life is really like and getting first hand experience of prison life.

It is a pity Leeds couldn't put it all behind her as she is so pretty and is a passable actress. I agree "Hollywood Stars" is an exaggeration but their names would be familiar to film devotees of the 1930s.

Lyle Talbot had been a star of pre-codes but this was in one of his down periods. David Holt was a child actor in the early 30s when studios were looking for the next Shirley Temple. Michael Qualen was a handsome leading man in a couple of Shirley Temple movies - "Poor Little Rich Girl" (1936) and "Wee Willie Winkie" (1937). "Wild Weed" was also one of Jack Elam's first films. Altogether the acting was of a higher level than most exploitation films. They might not have been Hollywood greats but they were professionals and it showed.

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1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Fun, 29 February 2008
Author: Michael_Elliott from Louisville, KY

She Shoulda Said No (1949)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Government "warning" film in the same vein as Reefer Madness works on the same camp level and has a somewhat historic Hollywood twist. Anne Lester (Lila Leeds) is a hard working good girl until she takes a hit of marijuana and soon she turns into a mental slut. Can she be saved before ending up in a mental hospital? Like all of these "warning" exploitation films, this one here is very poorly made and the facts the film presents are so incredibly stupid you can't help but laugh at them. Weed is referred to here as tomatoes and tea, which are two terms I haven't heard the stuff called. The film also claims that, in 1949, there were over 200 million pot users, which seems a tad bit high (no pun intended). I guess the most interesting thing is the true Hollywood story of lead actress Lila Leeds who was busted with Robert Mitchum during his infamous marijuana bust. As part of her probation she had to appear in this film. I think she should have just done jail time like Mitchum. Lyle Talbot co-stars.

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2 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Over-the-top marijuana educational film..., 20 February 2007
2/10
Author: dwpollar from Bothell, Washington

1st watched 2/19/2007 - 2 out of 10(Dir-Sherman Scott): Over-the-top marijuana educational film goes way beyond it's earlier predecessor's with an obvious bigger budget but having the same results. Please -- get a life people!! Stop making these silly movies and bust the offenders instead!! I absolutely hate these government funded opportunities to make bad movies. In this one, a dancer is turned onto the drug at a party as she's trying to get her brother thru college. She's promised lots more money from the seller and is enticed into his world where only heartbreak occurs instead. Her brother kills himself and she blames herself, and her reason for staying in the business is now more self-induced. She is eventually picked up by the cops with the rest of her friends, spends some time in jail where she freaks out but doesn't reveal the seller and his whereabouts. The rest of the movie I won't reveal in case you want to see it. There are some special effects thrown in on this movie but otherwise it's very similar to it's earlier exploitation movies about the horrors of the drug. Too bad the money to make this movie wasn't spent on something more useful, like rehab for users etc…

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