kidboots Lila Leeds claim to fame should be as the beautiful blonde secretary that Robert Montgomery could not take his eyes off in "Lady in the Lake". Instead it was as a "starlet goes bad" warning to other young actresses of the time. She was "busted" along with Robert Mitchum in an infamous drugs raid and spent time in prison. Robert Mitchum bounced back and made being in prison "cool" - making him an "anti- hero". Poor Lila was persuaded to appear in this potboiler as part of her probation.A slimy drug peddler "Marky" is selling his wares to high school kids - they are in a horrific car accident, one of the girls loses her legs!! He is also selling to chorus girls and is determined to get beautiful Ann Lester (Lila Leeds) hooked!!! - which he does quite easily!!! At the most boring party ever a stoned pianist (Rudolf Friml Jnr.) imagines that he is playing at the Hollywood Bowl. It is a good attempt to show the "delusions of grandeur" that is a side effect of the drug.Ann and her friend Rita are sacked from their chorus jobs (they are too drugged up to dance) so Marky introduces Ann to selling the drug and "entertaining" the clients. When Bob (David Holt) comes home and finds how his sister Ann is really paying for his college fees, he hangs himself. Ann blames herself for his death and is then persuaded by Captain Hayes (Lyle Talbot) to go undercover, after viewing what an addict's life is really like and getting first hand experience of prison life.It is a pity Leeds couldn't put it all behind her as she is so pretty and is a passable actress. I agree "Hollywood Stars" is an exaggeration but their names would be familiar to film devotees of the 1930s.Lyle Talbot had been a star of pre-codes but this was in one of his down periods. David Holt was a child actor in the early 30s when studios were looking for the next Shirley Temple. Michael Qualen was a handsome leading man in a couple of Shirley Temple movies - "Poor Little Rich Girl" (1936) and "Wee Willie Winkie" (1937). "Wild Weed" was also one of Jack Elam's first films. Altogether the acting was of a higher level than most exploitation films. They might not have been Hollywood greats but they were professionals and it showed.

classicsoncall This story of 'tea' and 'tomatoes' purports to boast an 'All Star Hollywood Cast', but even if you're a follower of films from the 1930's and '40's, I don't think you'll recognize a single name in the credits. Maybe Lyle Talbot, who's screen credits total nearly three hundred roles, but after that I think you'd be hard pressed to recognize another actor in the picture. Except for Jack Elam in one of his very first screen roles; he actually was a rather good looking guy back then. That might have been the single treat in the film for me.It's curious how all of these exploitation films wind up with a handful of different titles. I saw this picture under the name "She Shoulda' Said No", and just like the classic cult film "Reefer Madness", it tells the story of youth run wild after falling victim to the evil terrors of marihuna (sometimes spelled marijuana as a closing segment informs us). It's hard to take seriously today of course, and I really wish there were some folks around from the era who could tell us first hand how these flicks were received back in the day.I have to say, I was really distracted by Alan Baxter's portrayal of the local pusher Markey. He's a dead ringer for a young Jack Nicholson, and if I didn't know better, I would have been checking the credits to see if it was him or not. Another weird thing was the use of that eerie sci-fi/Twilight Zone type music whenever folks on screen were shown puffing on the dreaded weed. You know, I had to laugh when I saw the "I'm gonna die' guy under the influence. It reminded me of the very first and just about only time I tried pot myself. It was in an apartment that lost it's heat in the winter, and my best friend was convinced he was going to freeze to death. I wasn't as hysterical as Rita and her friends, but I thought it was all pretty funny at the time.I had a curious thought about mid-way through the picture. Wouldn't it be great if the Coen Brothers took the idea of these exploitation flicks and made one of their own? You could really get some mileage out of characters portrayed by John Tuturro, Jon Polito, and Steve Buscemi. Jack Nicholson might be a little too old for this sort of stuff, but I think a cameo would be just the right touch. I think he would be up for it.

Michael_Elliott She Shoulda Said No (1949) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Government "warning" film in the same vein as Reefer Madness works on the same camp level and has a somewhat historic Hollywood twist. Anne Lester (Lila Leeds) is a hard working good girl until she takes a hit of marijuana and soon she turns into a mental slut. Can she be saved before ending up in a mental hospital? Like all of these "warning" exploitation films, this one here is very poorly made and the facts the film presents are so incredibly stupid you can't help but laugh at them. Weed is referred to here as tomatoes and tea, which are two terms I haven't heard the stuff called. The film also claims that, in 1949, there were over 200 million pot users, which seems a tad bit high (no pun intended). I guess the most interesting thing is the true Hollywood story of lead actress Lila Leeds who was busted with Robert Mitchum during his infamous marijuana bust. As part of her probation she had to appear in this film. I think she should have just done jail time like Mitchum. Lyle Talbot co-stars.

sbibb1 This film was originally called "Wild Weed." The star of the film is Lila Leeds, a promising starlet who had very minor roles in earlier films, but achieved worldwide notoriety when she was arrested along with Robert Mitchum and other for smoking pot in 1948. She spent several months in jail, and when she was released this was one of the few film roles she was able to get. On the contrary, Robert Mitchum, who was also arrested, came back to resume a hotter then ever film career.Leeds is beautiful, a sort of young Marilyn Monroe lookalike. The film is not one of the better "exploitation" films, but is notable for its cast of authentic Hollywood actors, though they were at this point well past their prime. Perennial B-movie actor Lyle Talbot, Alan Baxter and Michael Whalen, among other round out the cast.