The Pace That Kills (1935 film)

The Pace That Kills (also known as Cocaine Madness and The Cocaine Fiends) is a 1935 American exploitation film directed by William O'Connor. The film, starring Lois January, tells the story of Jane Bradford, who gets involved with a drug dealer and becomes addicted to cocaine. Similar to other movies of the genre, the final film was a reissued work with additional scenes, mostly using footage from the earlier silent The Pace That Kills (1928).[1]

The Pace That Kills
Directed by
  • Norton S. Parker
  • William A. O'Connor (credited as Wm. A. O'Connor)
Produced byWillis Kent
StarringLois January
Narrated byWillis Kent (credited as presenter)
CinematographyJack Greenhalgh
Edited byHolbrook N. Todd
Production
company
Willis Kent Productions
Distributed by"State Rights"
Release date
  • December 1935 (1935-12)
Running time
68 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Small-town girl Jane Bradford (Lois January) falls for Nick (Noel Madison), a guy from the big city who offers her the opportunity to escape her small-town life. He also offers her "headache powder" that she is unaware is really cocaine—and that Nick is a drug dealer. By the time they get to the city, she is hooked on her new medicine.

When Jane's family back home doesn't hear from her for a year, her brother Eddie (Dean Benton) comes to the city to look for her. He gets a job as a drive-in carhop and is befriended by waitress Fanny (Sheila Bromley). Fanny is one of Nick customers, and Fanny soon gets Eddie hooked on the "headache powder." This vice soon sends Eddie's and Fanny's lives downhill: they're both fired and unable to find new jobs. On the periphery of both Eddie and Jane's lives is Dorothy Farley (Lois Lindsay), a drive-in customer who dates Dan (Charles Delaney). She comes from a wealthy family, throws money around easily, and is willing to financially assist those in need.

Fanny tells Eddie that she is pregnant. He tells her he really never loved her. She turns off the flame and lets the gas into the tenement. The song "All I Want Is You" is sung at the nightclub. Dorothy's father is exposed as a drug mobster and Jane, now known as Lil, shoots and kills Nick as the police arrive. Dan was an undercover cop and he and Dorothy are to marry.

Cast
  • Lois January as Jane Bradford aka Lil
  • Noel Madison as Nick - The Pusher
  • Sheila Bromley as Fanny
  • Dean Benton as Eddie Bradford
  • Lois Lindsay as Dorothy Farley
  • Charles Delaney as Dan - the Detective - Dorothy's Boyfriend
  • Eddie Phillips as Manager of Dead Rat Club
  • Frank Shannon as Mr. Farley
  • Fay Holden as Madame / Henchwoman
  • Maury Peck as Himself - Master of Ceremonies
  • Nona Lee as Herself - Vocalist
  • Gay Sheridan as Dorothy's Friend
  • Frank Collins as Himself - Singing Waiter

Preservation status
  • A copy is preserved in the Library of Congress collection.[2]

Production

Typical of the other films that Willis Kent produced during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s was a string of low-budget westerns and exploitation films, thinly disguised as cautionary tales. The plot also dealt with amorality and prostitution.[3] Production began November 9, 1935.[1]

Soundtrack
Nona Lee singing "All I Want Is You"
  • Nona Lee - "All I Want Is You"
  • Frank Collins - "Towsee Mongalay" (Written by Grahame Jones)[4]

Reception

The Pace That Kills was released without a Code seal from the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) and distributed via "State Rights" where local sales agents would then sell rights to individual theaters. The theater operators would then play the film as often as they desired in an attempt to make as much profit as possible.[5] The Pace That Kills was re-issued in 1937 as The Cocaine Fiends.[1]

Re-use of footage

Footage from the film, including the song "All I Want Is You," was re-used in Confessions of a Vice Baron (1943).

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References

Notes
  1. "Detail: 'The Pace That Kills'." AFI. Retrieved: May 18, 2016.
  2. Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress, (<-book title) p.135 c.1978 by The American Film Institute
  3. Cripps 1996, p. 77.
  4. ""Towsee Mongalay." Charles Templeton Sheet Music Collection, Mississippi State University Libraries. Retrieved: May 18, 2016.
  5. Hall and Neale 2010, p. 24.

Bibliography
  • Cripps, Thomas. Hollywood's High Noon: Moviemaking and Society Before Television. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. ISBN 978-0-8018-5315-9.
  • Hall, Sheldon and Stephen Neale, Epics, Spectacles, and Blockbusters: A Hollywood History. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-8143-3008-1.
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