Stoned (TV special)
| Stoned | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Short Drama |
| Written by | John Herzfeld |
| Directed by | John Herzfeld |
| Starring |
Scott Baio Vincent Bufano Largo Woodruff |
| Music by | Gary Anderson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Linda Gottlieb |
| Producer(s) | Boyce Harman |
| Cinematography | Larry Pizer |
| Editor(s) | Katherine Wenning |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Highgate Pictures |
| Distributor | ABC |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release |
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"Stoned" is a 1980 ABC Afterschool Special starring Scott Baio which is built around peer pressure and its resultant drug abuse. It was featured as the fourth episode in the program's ninth season.
Jack Melon (Baio) is a gangling and awkward teenage freshman who doesn't fit in at his local high school. Distracted by a new girl in school named Felicity (Largo Woodruff), Jack bumps into Teddy (Jeffrey Frichner), a classmate who is a reputed marijuana user and pusher, who tells him to watch where he's going and calls him "Goofball" as he leaves.
Teddy's drug habit is outed in the Spanish class that Jack and Teddy share. Mr. David (John Herzfeld in his major TV acting debut), the teacher, orders Teddy to stand up after catching him sleeping at his desk. Teddy tells the teacher that he didn't sleep well last night but refuses Mr. David's offer to send him to the nurse's office. When Teddy protests, Mr. David tells him "Don't come to class stoned!"
Later, Jack catches Teddy and Alan (Steve Monarque also in his major TV acting debut), another classmate, smoking pot in the boys' room. Teddy offers him a chance to try it, but Jack refuses, saying he doesn't have to eat dirt to know he doesn't like the taste. Alan teases him by asking if his 'goody-goody' older brother Mike (Vincent Bufano) taught him the remark. Jack leaves, and asks Mike if he had ever tried pot. Mike says he had tried it "once or twice", but didn't like it.
Jack also looks up to his older brother, but is often ignored by their father, who constantly praises Mike for his athletic abilities on the swim team, while Jack has no athletic prowess. As there is no presence of a female authority figure in the house, it's presumed that the father is widowed or divorced.
An argument between the normally close brothers happens the day before a swim meet, where Mike tells Jack he wants to take a long drive alone to get his head together for the meet. When Jack suggests Mike talk it over with him, Mike explodes and tells him to stop "hanging around my neck like an anchor".
The next day at school, Jack is approached by Teddy again. This time he grabs the joint, but doesn't feel the effects. Teddy invites him to his home after school, where he presents Jack with a bong. Jack this time gets high after a couple of hits. The experience leads to a friendship between Teddy and Jack, and Mr. David, noticing Jack's change in behavior, conducts class outside one day to teach his students about the dangers of marijuana. Like he did with Teddy, Mr. David outs Jack's obvious use of marijuana when Jack starts goofing off during the lecture.
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