Blonde on a Bum Trip (1968) – Nostalgia Central

Susan (Alexis Wassel) is the titular blonde – a naive young college student majoring in chemistry who is persuaded by her friends, Vanessa, TJ and Max – and a hip young professor – to make LSD for them.

Initially hesitant to try the drug because of her prim and proper morals, she soon finds herself tuning in, turning on, and dropping out into an underground world of hallucinogenic free love (complete with a Bela Lugosi mask).

Sugar cubes are passed out at a party, and everybody chants, “LSD’s gotta hold on me!” to bongo music. The freak-out scenes are clever, and there are several tasteful sex scenes.

Director Raf Mauro promised the most accurate reproduction of an LSD trip ever shown on film. With a budget of $10k.

He delivered 65 sometimes overexposed black-and-white minutes shot on location in New York City and largely slapped together via narration in the editing room in the best sexploitation tradition.

None of the actors were professionals, which adds to the appeal as the camera careens through vintage Manhattan locations in between drug party tangents.

The garage-rock soundtrack features tracks from The E-Types (including the excellent theme tune Put The Clock Back On The Wall), The Vagrants, Thee Neons and The Bit A’Sweet.

Susan
Alexis Wassel
Rest of the cast
Don Nevins
Barbara Spiegelberg
Carole Trent
John Wonderling
Tom McEntee
Martha Rubell
Joyce Diamond
Basil Hoffman
Robert Silver

Director
Raf Mauro

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