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Peter
Quite right. BUT... I think we have to acknowledge Synanon's importance to the development of the TC movement - if only because they were one of the few agencies around who actually believed in those days that recovery was possible. The early days of Synanon, I think were much more inspiring. There was a series of three articles by Phill Jackson (a journalist with Morrock News in San Francisco) which offered a pretty balanced view of the Synanon story. Sadly, it's no longer available on-line. If anyone has a copy, let me know.
Rowdy Yates
Senior Research Fellow
Scottish Addiction Studies
Department of Applied Social Science
University of Stirling
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NOTE: EFTC Conference, 6 - 9 June 2007, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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-----Original Message-----
From: Therapeutic Communities on behalf of Peter Martin
Sent: Tue 3/6/2007 11:21 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Dope Fiends in Disneyland?
Dear ALL
Having seen the film years ago I can only concur with the critics view of
it. Synanon was an important foundation stone of the TC movement and full of
rich learning of how not to have any kind of accountability. Chuck was the
first TC Guru and ended up intitiating an attempted murder of a journalist
who was investigating the outfit. When I was in California I met Chuck's
cook - a huge old time addict. He said that he knew something was wrong when
Chuck maniplulated "overnights" with his wife another resident. Much of the
TC madness can be traced back to good ol' Chuck and the early days of
Synanon. Power corrupts - where have we seen this before. I only write this
is case anyone holds Synanon in historical greatness. It was full of fear,
corruption, and base instincts were acted out by the powerful few. In the
end, like any unaccountable cult, damaged many lives masquarading as the
"only" answer.
For anyone interested, Synanon lives on as a commercial advertising agency
without the late Chuck Dederich who was tried and banned from holding any
public office in the US for life.
Homer
_____
From: Therapeutic Communities
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Rowdy Yates
Sent: 06 March 2007 10:56
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: More on that Film
Here's that critical review:
SYNANON (1965).
In yet another misguided attempt by Hollywood to understand America's drug
use, this focuses on real-life rehab center Synanon House, where junkies
could clean up and switch to "safe" vices such as chain-smoking cigs. Filmed
at their actual Santa Monica beach-front locale, director Richard Quine
bludgeons us with preachy cliches and a strung-out roster of
recovering-addicts. Though its obvious intent is to send audiences screaming
from the horror of narcotics, the result is a corny b&w soap opera enlivened
by its enjoyable cast and grim 'tough-love' attitude. Like any formulaic
prison film, its story begins with a new fish -- in this case, Alex Cord as
smack-happy newcomer Zankie Albo. Stumbling into Synanon's door, he gets the
standard cold turkey treatment and meets the other residents, including
Chuck Connors as a long-clean jailbird who tangled with Zankie in prison;
Stella Stevens as curvaceous Joaney, who abandoned her baby and will
undoubtedly fall for this swarthy new cynic; Eartha Kitt, who admits to once
being a swinger, a whore and a vegetable; plus Richard Conte and Alejandro
Rey. Then there's Edmond O'Brien as Synanon's blustery, ex-alcoholic founder
Charles Dederich, who bitches about underfunding, bellows at screw-ups, and
gets the best line when the center receives free tickets to a nearby
amusement park: "Dope fiends at Disneyland?" Wallowing in past fuck-ups
during the house's rap sessions, and shaving the head of anyone who sneaks a
quick high, this place seems like a voluntary prison camp. Will Zankie and
Joaney return to their old spike-in-the-vein ways? With a film this
self-righteous you know the answer is going to be a bummer, and if Synanon's
idea of happiness is a group sing-in of "We're poor little lambs who have
lost our way," pass me a needle, quick!! The actors work hard, as if they've
been conned into believing this hard-hitting slop. Cord's character is an
asshole (but also provides the hippest, junked-up banter), Connors has to
restrain himself since he's playing an ex-bully trying to change his bad-ass
ways, and Stella attempts to act, but only proves that her finest role was
as January 1960's Playboy Playmate... But wait! What makes this film
unintentionally hilarious is Synanon's legacy, since the real-life Dederich
went nuts in the mid-'70s. Declaring Synanon a religion (shades of L. Ron
Hubbard!), he cut himself off from society, and instead of sending
rehabilitated junkies back into the world, they were to stay in Synanon
forever. Increasingly-wacko Dederich also created his own "Imperial
Marines," while hundreds of his cult followers were ordered to get
vasectomies and divorces! With this crackpot info undercutting everything
on-screen, it's no wonder that this glowing tribute rarely surfaces.
Rowdy Yates
Senior Research Fellow
Scottish Addiction Studies
Department of Applied Social Science
University of Stirling
E: [log in to unmask]
T: 01786 - 467737
W: http://www.dass.stir.ac.uk/sections/scot-ad/
NOTE: EFTC Conference, 6 - 9 June 2007, Ljubljana, Slovenia
W: http://www.eftc-europe.com/conferentie/
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