Going way back to the days of my youth a 'benny' was short for benzedrine, one of those amphetamine laced pills you needed to keep awake. Kids took them to cram for finals and they were real popular with truck drivers making those long hauls in those big rigs. They can be mighty addictive.
In Death In Small Doses Peter Graves plays a narcotics cop who's given an assignment by his superior Robert Shayne to find out who's selling and distributing these pills which are causing the deaths of so many drivers.
This is a nicely done B noir film from Allied Artists and Graves gets some good support from two females in the cast with substantial roles. Mala Powers plays the landlady who has a boardinghouse catering to truckers where Graves stays and Merry Anders plays a hashhouse waitress.
Best support of all comes from Chuck Connors who plays an amphetamine addicted driver and he plays it broadly and to the max. He's also real terrifying when he freaks out.
Some good work was done by all the cast members in Death In Small Doses.
Death in Small Doses
1957
Action / Crime / Drama / Film-Noir / Thriller
Death in Small Doses
1957
Action / Crime / Drama / Film-Noir / Thriller
Keywords: truck driveramphetamines
Plot summary
In Washington D.C., the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is concerned with the increasing number of reports about the use of illegal amphetamines among long-haul truck drivers. Such pills, known as 'bennys' or 'co-pilots' provide truck drivers with uncommon energy and stave-off sleep during the long trips. However, many truckers abuse the drug, becoming dependent on it to stay awake. Long-term use causes hallucinations for the user and this translates into frequent deadly truck crashes. The F.D.A. sends undercover investigator Tom Kayler to Los Angeles to find out the source of such illegal amphetamines in the L.A. area. Kayler pretends to be a long-haul novice driver and is employed by local freight company Bodmer Freight Lines. He finds room and board inside the house of young attractive widow Val Owens. Several other long-haul truck drivers also board at Ms. Owens' home. One of them is Kayler's co-worker, hipster Mink Reynolds. Kayler begins his undercover investigation to find the supplier of the illegal amphetamines. His clues will lead him to Dunc Clayton's service station and to cute waitress Amy Phillips at the Six Points truck stop cafe. However, his persistence in trying to find the main source of the illegal amphetamines' supply chain attracts the attention of the people involved. They decide to eliminate Kayler.
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Benny is your friend
Chuck Conners is a master thespian in this flick...NOT!!!
A federal agent, Tom Kaylor (Peter Graves) is posing as a long-haul truck driver because of the damage being done by truck drivers using amphetamines in order to work their exhausting hours. The only really obvious lead is a trucker named 'Mink' (Chuck Connors),a guy who very obviously uses pills because he's perennially giddy and the acting is WAY over the top! But Mink won't talk and so Tom needs to keep his eyes open and be very, very careful because whoever is supplying the junk is more than willing to kill to keep this secret...and they soon end up beating Tom's co-driver to death because he asked too many questions!
While occasionally the film is obvious and anything but subtle, it is entertaining and does provide a public service. I just wish they'd made Mink semi-realistic and explained that most Amphetamine users do NOT have hallucinations or end up in the Psyc Ward! It's not nearly as silly as films like "Reefer Madness" but if should have been a tad less goofy. It's really a shame, as the topic is an important one AND most of the movie was very good. Still, overall it is never dull and certainly is entertaining!!
Peter Graves vs. illegal drug suppliers
DEATH IN SMALL DOSES is an American B-movie crime thriller set in the world of truckers and trucking. It's nowhere near as good as that British classic HELL DRIVERS, but the plot is unusual enough to keep you watching and it could be a lot worse. Future MISSION IMPOSSIBLE star Peter Graves is tasked with investigating the prevalence of illegal amphetamines which truck drivers have been taking to keep them awake during long drives. Unfortunately the side effects include hallucinations and death, so Graves must find the supply chain and nip it in the bud before anybody else dies.
What follows is your usual second-tier story with a little mystery, a little suspense, and a handful of action scenes. Graves is a perfectly likable hero but the real scene-stealer here is Chuck Connors as a beatnik-inspired loudmouth who lights up the screen whenever he appears. Mala Powers is particularly stunning as the love interest of the piece, and the stunt scenes, while hampered by the low budget, keep the production moving along nicely. The twist ending is a strong way to end the film too.