Go Ask Alice – Wayback Wednesday

Go Ask Alice

Made for TV – Movie of the Week 1973

Last year when I was residing in London, I was all for cheap thrills and a Hackney Library Card was free. As I revisited my past through a long list of old reads, Go Ask Alice was among the titles I checked out again. At this point, I had never questioned its veracity. With ample time on my hands as a uni grad living abroad in London during a recession, I decided to look into it, and what I discovered blew me away for a second time. 

According to the wikipedia page, the authenticity of the book has been questioned. In fact, it has been listed as a work of fiction for a number of decades. SIGH. Which brings me to the one glorious part of this inquiry – I became aware of a made for tv movie based on the book. In 1973 Go Ask Alice aired on ABC Movie of the Week! And fortunately for me in the year 2011, I was able to find it on YouTube.

THE STAR STUDDED CAST

SQUARESVILLE

The book (and movie) begins with Alice starting a diary as a place to be “herself” while moving to a new city without any friends. Her father accepted a job as an assistant dean and everyone in her family is adjusting to the move in stride aside from herself.

Cue Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit.

After a month of being a complete loner, Alice makes one friend: Beth. Together they’re shy wallflowers on the fringes of the high school hierarchy.  While Beth is content with this, choosing to focus on her studies, it’s clear Alice aspires to ascend her position and really “make it” at this school. She longingly watches the hip kids from afar. To use the popular vernacular of the time: they are squares.

The mustard mini skirt/pattern shirt combo is my favourite (as seen above). If you actually watch the movie you’ll notice the blouse is patterned with bizarro looking dancing elephants. Incredible.

When Beth leaves for summer camp, Alice finds herself accepting the invitation to a party hosted by the hip kids in town. During the party they play a hipper version “Button Button Who’s got the Button” without explaining the premise of the game to Alice. Certain bottles of coke are spiked with LSD and no one knows which one they’re getting until they’re tripping. Thus begins Alice’s spiritual awakening. 

TURN ON, TUNE IN, DROP OUT

The movie wastes no time with Alice’s seemingly overnight transformation into the no-shoe wearing hippie chick. Immediately she’s heavily experimenting in a groovier lifestyle with her new found friends and a boyfriend. 

Another signifier of this drastic change is her hairstyle. Before it was curled and accessorized with clips now it’s straight and long.

When school resumes after summer break, Alice has now achieved her goal of being somebody and unceremoniously abandons her friendship with Beth. It’s actually pretty annoying to watch how gleeful Alice is while she dismisses Beth to run off with her new best gal pal Chris.

Alice and Beth’s starkly different wardrobe choices illustrate how diametrically opposed their interests have become in a short period of time. Beth’s buttoned down and studious outfit looks as though she is ready to be a college student whereas Alice is in a floppy hat and a loose denim jacket.

FAR OUT AND GONE

When Alice’s parents discover her stash of pills, she packs a bag and races off to her boyfriend Ritchie’s house only to discover him sleeping with Chris’s boyfriend. She steals their money, meets up with Chris, and together they catch a bus out of town. They begin their new lives as runaways.

During this odyssey, Alice meets the young Mackenzie Phillips (the girl on the right in the photo below.) 

Despite her life on the street unravelling, Alice continues to update her diary periodically. When things become too untenable, she seeks the help of a priest. He calls her parents and assists in her safe return home after her major jag in San Francisco. 

BACK TO SQUARE ONE

The second half of the book and film follows Alice on her redemption arc while she attempts at restoring her reputation. She’s trying to get her life straight but it isn’t a linear process. I won’t spoil the ending for those who aren’t familiar. 

JUST SAY NO

In 1971 Richard Nixon began the “war on drugs” which has had a lasting impact on today’s world in far reaching ways. As with the majority of the anti-drug rhetoric that was coming from Nixon’s White House, the story of Alice is supposed to be a cautionary tale. Don’t take LSD or you will die a horrible mysterious death!!!!! Propaganda but you got to love how sincere it’s attempting to be despite being complete fiction written by a much older woman than Alice purported to be.

GO ASK ALICE

As with most films based on books, they cut out a lot of parts and used artistic license for some of the unsavoury bits. My feelings are the same as The Runaways movie I posted about last year. It’s better to read the book if you want the full story. While they are both fun to watch, I would definitely recommend giving the book a read too! Fortunately, the ENTIRE movie is available to watch on YouTube.

UNMASKING ALICE

Addendum September 2022

It’s been 10 years since I originally made this post. First of all – holy shit I have blog posts that are almost tweens! I digress. Much has happened since I published this. First of all, Rick Emerson wrote an exceptional book investigating the backstory of how Go Ask Alice came to be. Unmasking Alice is a MUST READ. It’s fascinating and quite possibly the biggest modern day literary swindle of the 20th century.

YOU’RE WRONG ABOUT: GO ASK ALICE

In addition to the Unmasking Alice book, one my favourite podcasts, You’re Wrong About, did a three part series on this very topic. Rick Emerson is in this series as well.

LISTEN TO ‘YOU’RE WRONG ABOUT’ PODCAST:
Part One / Part Two / Part Three.

And of course, check out the original book Go Ask Alice for reference.

OTHER 1970s POSTS

1970s Condo Renovation Before and After
A 70s Sears Wishbook Wishlist
Ladies of the Canyon Inspired Style
Vintage Wool Tunic

photographs - sandy joe karpetz