Jimmy_the_Gent4 A study of drug addicts in an real life treatment center.This is a good film with an interesting cast. Third billed Alex Cord is actually the main character, the weirdly named Zankie Albo, a slick braggart with an addiction to heroin. Stella Stevens (one of her best performances) is Joaney, a divorcee with a young son who resorted to prostitution to pay for her habit. She gets involved with the charming but dangerous Albo. Top billed Chuck Connors (fresh from The Rifleman) is Ben the ex con who kicked his "H" addiction but has to contend with trouble maker Albo, who was his cell mate in prison and has a beef against him. Oscar winner Edmond O'Brien is Chuck the head of Synanon, he uses tough talk and punishments like having heads shaved and wearing humiliating signs for breaking the rules. Other "dope fiends" are played by Richard Conte, Eartha Kitt and Bernie Hamiliton.Anyone who is interested in 1960s black and white films about lurid subjects or is a fan of any member of the cast should seek this one out.

JasparLamarCrabb Using the famed drug rehab center of SYNANON as a backdrop seems like a sure fire hit, but this film misses more than it scores. Alex Cord is a junkie who seeks help at the center and finds himself at odds with former prison crony Chuck Connors. He also finds himself smitten with sexy fellow addict Stella Stevens. A film of such noble bearing is difficult to criticize but it is a shame that director Richard Quine infuses the story with such cliché-ridden melodrama. The acting is mightily uneven with Stevens and Connors coming off best. Cord is far too dull a screen presence to be truly compelling and, as the founder of the program, Edmond O'Brien recites each and every line as if he's addressing an assembly. He's so didactic it's impossible not to snicker at his verbose delivery. There's some great B&W cinematography by Harry Stradling Jr. and some very odd pseudo-jazz music by Neal Hefti. The supporting cast includes Barbara Luna, Alejandro Rey, Eartha Kitt and Richard Evans as "Hopper," Cord's demented junkie pal.

Michael Morrison Studies of drug use and addiction in these United States show there wasn't really what could be called a "societal problem" until after passage of the Harrison Act of 1913, the law outlawing so many drugs.Marijuana was outlawed about 25 years later, and all the drug prohibition has faithfully followed the pattern set by alcohol prohibition in the 1920s: crime and misery and violence and bloodshed.And huge profits for the people willing to break the laws against selling and distributing those products.Opponents of prohibition believe, with much research and evidence backing their position, that the laws cause more problems than do the drugs.There is really not much support for the drugs themselves, although there is growing support for the freedom to choose, and even the most ardent opponent of prohibition recognizes that at least some people suffer badly from drug use and especially from drug addiction.Synanon was founded by a former substance abuser to help addicts kick their habits. This movie is about him and that effort.It could have been a cheapie exploitation movie, and the original advertising plan did seem to appeal to the sensational. But it had, instead, an intelligent and apparently honest script and some of Hollywood's most talented actors.I started watching a TCM presentation with trepidation, prepared to switch channels, but found myself fascinated.Especially by the actors.Chuck Connors is one of my favorites and I sat in awe of his very low-key performance. Yes, he stayed busy, even having two TV series, but I don't think he got the respect he should have.Edmond O'Brien is one of the greatest, an actor capable of probably any type of characterization.Richard Conte is another of my favorites, and again his low-key performance fit his role just perfectly.Many others also deserve praise, but I've gone on too long. Let me just say I highly recommend "Synanon."

Kelt Smith One of the first movies to show drug addicts & their attempts to 'get clean'. Main character 'Joaney' played by the great STELLA STEVENS is an addict that is trying to straighten out her life and get custody of her son. She is attending counseling sessions at the famed SYNANON HOUSE in sunny California. Lots of good acting support from off-key sources like EARTHA KITT. Overall, film is average.