Assassin Of Youth (1937)

Assassin of Youth took its title from “Marijuana: Assassin of Youth,” a 1937 magazine article by Harry J. Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and the driving force behind America’s campaign against cannabis. Its director, Elmer Clifton, had begun his career as an actor and assistant to D.W. Griffith. Films like this toured independent cinemas as warnings, and found a second life decades later as cult entertainment.

The poster carries the tagline “Marihuana – A Puff – A Party – A Tragedy!” and is a fine example of Depression-era exploitation advertising. Made for small independent houses rather than the big studio circuits, posters for these films were printed in modest numbers, and this folded-as-issued One Sheet surfaces only rarely.

• Year: 1937
• Nationality: United States
• Condition: Folded-as-issued
• Type: Original US One Sheet
• Size: 28 x 42.5 inches
• Product Code: P2555