DON'T EVEN TRY IT PSA

Genre: public service announcement

Year Published: 1980s

Description: This brief anti-drug public-service announcement with actor Clint Eastwood and First Lady Nancy Reagan is centered on crack cocaine and the broader “Just Say No” culture of 1980s drug-prevention campaigns. It begins with Eastwood showing a small vial identified as crack rock cocaine and contrasts its unassuming appearance with a warning about addiction and death. Nancy Reagan then appears, explaining that the Clint Eastwood segment is part of an upcoming series of messages produced through cooperation between the motion-picture industry and theater owners, using the slogan “The thrill can kill.” It calls on communities to reject drug dealers and argues that reducing demand is the way to push drugs out of schools and neighborhoods. The closing section acknowledges that dealers may minimize the dangers of drugs, but challenges viewers to make an informed refusal, ending with the narrator's blunt declaration that he would tell anyone offering him drugs to “take a hike.”

0:00 - The film opens on a close-up of a small vial containing what Clint Eastwood identifies as crack cocaine, described as the most addictive form of cocaine. The deliberately ordinary appearance of the vial contrasts with the serious warning that follows.

0:19 - Clint Eastwood refers to crack as a supposed “glamour drug” of the 1980s, then explains that the film's purpose is to cut through that image with a blunt reminder that crack can be fatal. The message rejects the idea that using the drug is worth risking one's life.

0:42 - Nancy Reagan explains that the motion-picture industry and theater owners will soon present audiences with a series of anti-drug messages similar to the one just shown, placing the commercial within a broader public-awareness campaign aimed at moviegoing audiences.

0:51 - The central slogan is delivered: “The thrill can kill.” The short statement summarizes the campaign's argument that the temporary excitement associated with drug use can carry potentially deadly consequences.

0:56 - Reagan turns her attention toward drug dealers, saying they should understand that communities want them removed from schools, neighborhoods, and people's lives.

1:03 - Nancy Reagan argues that the way to undermine the drug trade is to remove its customers: viewers are encouraged to refuse drugs, “say no to drugs,” and instead “say yes to life.” The message reflects the highly recognizable anti-drug language of the 1980s.

1:12 - Eastwood acknowledges that a local drug dealer may tell potential users something very different about the dangers of drugs. Rather than simply accepting a dealer's claims, however, viewers are warned that choosing to experiment after hearing the risks would mean doing so knowingly rather than out of ignorance. The line ends with a deliberately harsh insult directed at that choice.

1:23 -Eastwood answers the film's final question—what he would do if someone offered him these drugs—by saying he would tell the person to “take a hike,” ending the PSA with a direct refusal of drug use.

Online Copy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAdrk4MZ1vs

Metadata Source:YouTube