BEHIND THE SCENES AT SYNANON

foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] come on zankye aren't you gonna talk how do you feel about joni do you digger do you dig girls yeah we'd like to know you a little better some of the people in this room are dope addicts they've gone all the way this is where they come after they've been there those who aren't dope addicts are actors i'm chuck connors one of the actors you think this is some sort of game huh we're trying to save your life zankye but you never did talk straight did you you've never said one word from your gut hey hey all right let's break this thing up all of us both addicts and actors have been spending a lot of the last few weeks in this house on a california beach it's called cinnanon [Music] we're making a movie here this new movie like everything about synonym is already a subject of controversy after all when you set up a bunch of dope addicts in what was once a beach resort hotel people are going to ask questions one of those who asked a lot of questions was edmond o'brien who portrays synonyms founder chuck diedrick in the film o'brien spent days with diedrich studying his personality and learning everything there was to know about the operation of synonym [Music] the characters in the screenplay are typical of the case histories at synonym stella stevens plays a swinger who's broken every rule of society stella and all the other actors learned about it firsthand from people who have lived that way and about synonym from the same people the people who live here now turnabout is fair play i'm coaching two of the cinema members who play themselves in the film those guys catch on fast [Music] richard quine director of the movie is using every corner of synonym and most of its people as an integral part of this story he wants it real [Music] [Applause] a new kind of movie star makes his debut in synonym he's alex cord ex-rodeo rider [Music] alex and stella stevens are rehearsing their roles two young addicts who suddenly come together in synonym with the kind of voracious appetite that had been satisfied before only by narcotics [Music] their clandestine love affair rocks this community of social outcasts [Music] in cinema there are no secrets no place to hide i've seen you taking care of this dope thing boy you were the queen mother romeo and juliet what do you want to bring that up again for everybody's heard it 200 times so they'll hear it once more the same old pattern for people who have tried everything shame has no meaning now joni is free to swing a little with a new dauphine boyfriend but you have one great problem your husband doesn't make enough money to support both your habits you and your boyfriend the best thing to do is swallow a lot of pills huh you failed at that too so you go back on the streets and find yourself some new friends by the time you get back here you're so sick you don't even remember your name did you well did you no i didn't okay i didn't i didn't no one has ever made a dramatic motion picture inside the house where dope addicts gather to take care of each other there's never been a place where people who've gone so far beyond you