Devil's Harvest

synopsis

With World War II raging in Europe, roadshow shockers all but faded from the exploitation scene… with Devil’s Harvest one of the few exceptions, and doing its patriotic duty by warning Americans everywhere to stay vigilant against the Menace of Marijuana, specifically the peddling of marijuana to high-school kids. “Here, before us, in peace and tranquility, stands one of the greatest symbols of American democracy – the public school. But the shadow of lurking evil takes form in many guises” such as – brace yourselves – the innocent hot dog. Yup, “an innocent hot-dog stand, which is situated across the street from a public institution of learning,” is serving reefers on a bun! Just say, “Fix me a hot dog, Oliver, and a stack!” Oh, the bastards!!! Released by J.D. KENDIS’ Continental Pictures, Devil’s Harvest is typical drug-film silliness, naïve and simplistic with a 40’s flavor to its music and dialogue, that certainly follows the pattern of marijuana movies like Assassin of Youth and Reefer Madness before it. Nevertheless, marijuana quickly faded from the movie screen and it wasn’t until movie star Robert Mitchum was arrested for smoking weed at the home of starlet-wannabe Lila Leeds that marijuana made its roadshow return when Miss Leeds starred in 1949’s Wild Weed, aka She Should’a Said No! , which, like Devil’s Harvest, used the threat of drugs to sell sex: “She’s a Good Girl until She Smokes a Reefer!” 1942.