Psych-Out (1968)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Richard Rush

Writers:

Betty Tusher (screenplay)
Betty Ulius (writer)

Release Date:

6 March 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Thriller

Tagline:

Hear! "Incense & Peppermints" by the Strawberry Alarm Clock

Plot:

A deaf runaway arrives in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury hippie district looking for her missing brother.

Plot Keywords:

Runaway | Brother | Haight Ashbury | Deaf | Psychedelic

Cast

Susan Strasberg	...	Jenny Davis
Dean Stockwell	...	Dave
Jack Nicholson	...	Stoney
Bruce Dern	...	Steve Davis
Adam Roarke	...	Ben
Max Julien	...	Elwood
Henry Jaglom	...	Warren
Linda Gaye Scott	...	Lynn (as Linda G. Scott)
I.J. Jefferson	...	Pandora
Tommy Flanders	...	Wesley
Ken Scott	...	Preacher
Garry Marshall	...	Plainclothesman (as Gary Marshall)
Geoffrey Stevens	...	Greg
Susan Bushman	...	Little girl
John 'Bud' Cardos	...	Thug (as John Cardos)

Also Known As:

Revolt of the Flower People (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:Not Rated | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Dick Clark Productions

Trivia:

The movie was meant to perform the same function in relation to The Trip (1967/II). Jack Nicholson had written a script that director Richard Rush thought was too "experimental" for mainstream cinema, so the concept of a 'youth" film based in San Francisco and dealing with flower power and drugs was taken over by other writers and Nicholson did not eventually receive a screen credit for his work, although he took what was essentially the male lead in the picture. But Nicholson wrote the part of Stoney for himself as part of the package.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow" song, the lead guitarist's guitar changes halfway through the song.

Quotes:

Dave: Reality is a deadly place. I hope this trip is a good one.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Wanderlust (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Ashbury Wednesday

Wickedly good fun from the era of Flower Power

It's a rock band - hippie gang trying to protect a deaf runaway girl while on the search for her missing brother, but instead, they're taking The Trip to nowhere. Director Rush, who gave pony-tailed Nicholson some star treatment in HELL'S ANGELS ON WHEELS, delivers this pretty good view of offbeat, sublime hysteria pertaining to the drug frenzy that popularized late 60s culture. One troubling factor, though: it was made to immoralize society as we once knew it. Just say "wicked", and you'll enjoy this cinematic acid trip that isn't half-bad. RATING: * * 1/2