This short narrative film from 1970 is both an anti-drug PSA and as a quiet character study about two men and how they deal with the setbacks and disappointments of life. One of these men is Roger (Ron Fisher), a homeless dropout who takes “uppers and downers” (amphetamines and barbiturates.) While squatting on in abandoned boat, Roger is discovered by Charlie (Paul Backensten), an old man forced into retirement and left without a purpose in life. After Charlie buys the boat, he lets Roger live there while he restores it, and the two men slowly develop a friendship. At a doctors appointment, Charlie gets the low down on the pills Roger has been taking and the seriousness of pill addiction. Charlie then convinces Roger to stay onboard and help finish the boat project, giving both men something to live for, and Roger is able to kick his pill habit. Though they get the boat all fixed up, Charlie dies suddenly, leaving Roger heartbroken and once again unmoored. But not all is lost; in the last scene, as Roger boards a Greyhound bus, we see that he’s literally left his pills behind as he rides off to begin a new chapter in life. Starring Ron Fisher, Fred Ostero, Paul Backensten, Ben Freedman, and Pat McCallister. Written by Phillip W. Hoffman, produced and directed by J. Gary Mitchell. Distributed by Bailey Film Associates.

00:07 TITLE CARD; on a fishing wharf, Roger (Ron Fisher) empties trash and looks despondent 00:40 In a diner kitchen, a man cooks burgers on a griddle, Roger stacks clean plates 00:59 Woody (Fred Ostero) and Roger take pills 01:52 Woody and Roger sit on a bus stop bench and take pills, a Rexall Pharmacy in the background 03:22 Charlie (Paul Backensten) and Zoe (Ben Freedman) discuss a derelict boat on the beach 04:02 Charlie inspects the boat and discovers Roger 06:29 Roger and Woody party on the boat, take pills; Roger takes downers and passes out 10:07 Charlie wakes Roger as he works on the boat 10:37 Roger reluctantly helps Charlie, fixes a sliding door 12:13 Roger takes pills, Charlie talks about being forced into retirement 14:04 Charlie see his doctor (Pat McCallister) and shows him the pills Roger has been taking; doctor explains amphetamines and barbiturates, addiction 15:42 Roger and Woody walk on the beach 16:28 Roger tells Charlie he’s leaving 17:13 Wooden braces supporting the boat start to fail, the two men rush to secure it 18:02 Charlie offers to pay Roger to work on his boat 18:44 Roger, no longer taking pills, paints the boat and horses around 20:06 Roger prepares a brass plaque commemorating the boat’s completed restoration; “This Vessel Rebuilt and Refitted by Charles C. Wilkins & Roger M. Barlow, June 13, 1970” 20:28 Station wagon approaches, Zoe in the passenger seat 20:53 Zoe informs Roger that Charlie died the previous night but that he died happy thanks to Roger 21:26 Heartbroken, Roger throws the plaque into the ocean 22:09 Roger and Woody sit at the same bus stop from earlier; a Greyhound Bus pulls up and Roger boards 22:44 Woody, alone on the bench, notices the pill box Roger left behind, and takes a pill from it 23:05 CREDITS