Lights, camera, cocaine? According to movie mogul Barry Diller, the set of the 1980s kids’ hit “Popeye” was a hotbed of drug activity. Diller, who was the head honcho at Paramount Pictures during the film’s production, spilled the beans to Anderson Cooper at the 92Y this week. The movie, starring Robin Williams and Shelly Duvall, was filmed in Malta, and apparently, the cast and crew were not just high on spinach.
Cocaine was flowing like water on the set, with film cans being used to transport the illegal substance back and forth from LA. Diller even hinted that viewers might be able to see the effects of the drug use on screen, comparing the movie’s pace to a vinyl LP playing at 78 rpm instead of the standard 33 rpm. The film’s orchestrator, Van Dyke Parks, also chimed in, recalling a time when he found a bag of cocaine hidden in a walkie-talkie, further emphasizing the rampant drug use during production.
The scandal didn’t stop there. Producer Robert Evans, known for his work on films like “The Godfather” and “Chinatown,” was caught with cocaine-packed luggage at the airport during the shoot. Evans’ troubles with drugs continued even after the movie wrapped, with an arrest for cocaine trafficking during post-production. The film itself may have faded into obscurity, but the behind-the-scenes drama and drug-fueled antics are still a topic of conversation decades later.
