This Day in Cannabis History:
It was 43 years ago today that legendary cannabis comedy legends Cheech and Chong released their first feature film, Up in Smoke.
The movie follows the misadventures of two stoner characters—Cheech's Pedro de Pacas and Chong's Anthony "Man" as they repeatedly get high, drive around, and inadvertently smuggle a van made of marijuana across the border from Tijuana to Los Angeles, all while narrowly avoiding being busted by a group of bumbling cops. In the film's climax, they end up entering and winning a battle of the bands at the famous Roxy Theater on Sunset Boulevard.
The film was produced and directed by the duo's longtime cohort (and Roxy owner) Lou Adler, who reportedly ponied up $800,000 of his own money to finish the film after it ran over budget. Though not well received by critics, the movie made over $300,000 in its first week and went on to eventually gross around $105 million worldwide. More importantly, though, it created an entirely new sub-genre of stoner films and established Cheech and Chong—who had been recording albums together for around a decade by that time—as the new kings of counterculture entertainment.
Jam-packed with iconic bits of silly drug humor, Up in Smoke is a timeless comedy classic and a must-see for every stoner.
Comments