William CurranSex Madness (1938)

This is a typical sex exploitation film from the early 1930s - complete with wild parties, sex out of wedlock, lesbianism, etc. A chorus girl's exposure to the "casting couch" also exposes her to syphilis.

Exploitation filmmakers hoped to capitalize on the taboo subjects of venereal disease, sex before marriage, lesbianism, etc. while skirting the Motion Picture Production Code of 1930 which forbade a film from containing such content. Films like this would tour the United States for years - mostly being shown in rundown, skid row theaters. This film has been re-edited and re-titled ("Human Wreckage", "They Must Be Told", "Trial Marriage", "About Trial Marriage") many times to attract the same audience to film, to take advantage of a taboo subject which may have gotten press recently or to appease local censors who disapproved of the film's content.

You can find more information regarding this film on its IMDb page.

Also, if you are interested in the rich, uniquely American history of exploitation films, there are two excellent books on the subject:

"Forbidden Fruit - The Golden Age of the Exploitation Film", Felicia Feaster and Bret Wood, Midnight Marquee Press, 1999.

"Bold! Daring! Shocking! True! A History of Exploitation Films, 1919 - 1959" Eric Schaefer, Duke University Press, 1999

This item is part of the collection: Feature Films

Director: William Curran
Production Company: Cinema Service Corp.
Audio/Visual: sound, b&w
Keywords: exploitation; melodrama

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: 温柔刺刀 - - April 5, 2008
Subject: 有人能看懂我写的什么吗？

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Reviewer: Robin_1990 - - March 20, 2008
Subject: Stinks

Why do people download this crap when there are classics like "The Kid" and "Nosferatu" available on the Internet Archive? Are you people INSANE?!?!

Note: This is NOT a porn film. But even sex couldn't make this good.

Reviewer: abdo299 - - January 23, 2008
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Reviewer: ahmadmb - - February 5, 2007
Subject: Irresistable!

Ridiculous plot , technically inept and incredibly bad acting ; so who could ask for anything more?

Reviewer: gratefulviewer - - February 5, 2007
Subject: Not worth waiting.

I downloaded this movie, and saw part of it, hoping to get a few chuckles, or watch something mildly interesting. After about 20 minutes I gave up. It's awful from every perspective. Excruciatingly boring, paper-thin and distasteful characters, and inept directing, to name a few. I gave it two stars because I did not watch the full 57 minutes, and I guess it is possible (although I really doubt it) that things got better after I stopped watching.

Reviewer: petrov1 - - January 4, 2007
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Reviewer: ahltheking - - December 17, 2006
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Reviewer: fingonek - - October 24, 2006
Subject: Why is this flick so often downloaded?

I am wondering why is this picture so often downloaded. I suppose that's because the most of people are awaiting porn. They will be disappointed. I excepted old movie from thirties. I've got BAD old movie from thirties.

Reviewer: aliali - - August 26, 2006
Subject: sex madness

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Reviewer: joeditt - - April 5, 2006
Subject: Totally different director names & production years!

Why am I told here the director was William Curran, while Imdb (under the link officially posted above) claims it was Dwain Esper?

And why, if it is the same movie (or is this difference only result of the re-naming & re-touring procedures?), does Imdb state the year of production was 1938 instead of 1930?

Reviewer: faitherman - - March 6, 2006
Subject: thanks

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Reviewer: LaMarr Bruister - - January 2, 2006
Subject: Sex Madness

A very bad exploitation film directed by Dwain Esper attempting to deal with the controversial issue of syphilis.

While just as poorly made as "Reefer Madness" (which was released two years prior under the title "Tell Your Children"), "Sex Madness" isn't nearly as funny as that film, nor is it as funny as two other famous Dwain Esper exploitation films: "Marihuana" and "Maniac."

There are some moments of unintentional hilarity, but mainly, "Sex Madness" is a very dull and slow-moving film.

Check it out if you must, but I would recommend seeing "Marihuana" and "Maniac" instead, if you haven't already (by the way, why aren't these titles on the Internet Archive?)

Reviewer: agmasd - - December 24, 2005
Subject: wow of old

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Reviewer: DisguisedAsASquirrel - - December 18, 2005
Subject: I can't stand up.

My wife will know I'm looking at porn online.

Get this!

Reviewer: Christine Hennig - - November 14, 2005
Subject: How You Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm After They've Had VD?

This is more of a soap opera than an exploitation film. Small-town girl Millie wins a beauty contest and gets to go to New York City, leaving her fiance Wendell behind at home. After the contest is over, she has stars in her eyes and tries to Make It Big. Unfortunately, she quickly lands on the street with no job, no money, and no prospects, so she falls for the pitch of a 'theatrical agent,' lands on the casting couch, and ends up with syphilis. Now she can't go home and marry Wendell, so she must drown her sorrows in her job as a chorus girl in a burlesque show. Fortunately, a kindly doctor puts her in the hospital and gives her effective treatments for the disease. Eventually, she is well enough to go home, but under strict orders to continue the treatments with a doctor at home and not marry Wendell until she is completely cured. She follows doctor's orders, going to a neighboring town for the treatments and keeping her condition a secret from her family and Wendell. But when Wendell pressures her to get married, she falls for the pitch of a quack doctor who promises to cure her in 30 days. She marries Wendell, and they have a baby, but soon the baby gets desperately ill, and Wendell discovers he doesn't see too good anymore. What's a poor girl to do? There is plenty of tear-jerking and scenery-chewing in this film, as well as uniformly bad acting, bottom-of-the-barrel production values, lots of preaching about the evils of 'social diseases,' a silly 'ironic' subplot involving the son of the local anti-sex crusader coming down with syphilis (d'oh!!), and a couple of creepy moments where lesbianism and child molestation are hinted at in leering ways. Mostly, though, this is a real weeper, lacking the energy of Reefer Madness or the goofiness of Assassin of Youth, but making up for it in preachiness.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.

Reviewer: wilson126a - - November 14, 2005
Subject: a lesson not learnt

the film is a lesson of that time period which relates to today except we are fighting Aids. the acting i believe was average for the time period.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - November 1, 2005
Subject: Beds are for action! Not for relaxation!

Sure there are camp moments in Sex Madness, a film which somehow tries to gain the notoriety that "Reefer Madness" has but fails despite having tons of elements that should point in its favor.

In the beginning it starts off strongly, with all sorts of people going to a burlesque show (and jamming the auditorium up!). This show is probably the highlight of the movie, plenty of silly dancing, no nudity, and clunky choreography. I liked the personalities that showed up for this. A group of randy boys looking to party, a lesbian couple who can't stop pawing each other, and a man who gets all worked up he rapes the first girl he sees. Funny, but ALL of these plot lines get dropped for Millicent (!!), a dancer in the chorus, who finds out she has VD from her doctor. After taking a tour which she's all chipper about seeing icky cases of VD, she goes into treatment, carefully hiding it away from her fiance. After going home and seeing another doctor who gives her a quack cure, she marries and.. well you can guess the rest. Rest assured that as foul as it sounds, it drags somewhat, and is nowhere as memorable as "Reefer ", (admittedly, I thought It was going to be of the same looniness). It's okay for some laughs, but doesn't hold up.

Reviewer: subet - - August 27, 2005
Subject: Looks good

I wanna watch it.

Reviewer: swaltonb2003 - - July 12, 2005
Subject: Irresistable!

Ridiculous plot , technically inept and incredibly bad acting ; so who could ask for anything more?

Credits

Screenplay: Joseph Seiden and Vincent Valentini

With Vivian McGill, Rose Tapley, Al Rigeli, Stanley Barton, Linda Lee Hill.