MovieChat Forums > Thieves Like Us (1974) Discussion > all that coke drinking

all that coke drinking

posted 11 years ago by daamskippy
3 replies | jump to latest

were people really that obsessed with drinking coke during that time ? .. I know people still drink a lot of it today, especially when eating out etc .. but it seemed like an obsession in the movie

[–] cranialsi 11 years ago

well when you consider that it contained 'coke' for many years, maybe they were more than obsessed!

[–] kentor404 9 years ago

Extract of coca leaves was one of the ingredients of Coca-Cola in the 1880s and 1890s when it was not a controlled substance, and was an over-the-counter stimulant like caffeine. Early soft drinks including Coca-Cola were sold as medicines (Coca-Cola was marketed as a "nerve tonic") back in the pre-FDA days of an uncontrolled drug market and "snake oil" salesmen, which is why in the late 1800s soft drinks were originally mixed and sold in drug stores by pharmacists. This movie takes place in the 1930s, 30-ish years after a form of cocaine was no longer an ingredient in Coca-Cola. If they were hooked on cola drinks, it was from the caffeine and sugar buzz.

[–] billymac72 7 years ago

Not sure of the backstory of the movie, but there could have been a product placement deal? Not sure...from what I understand, companies paying for product placements is a relatively new phenomenon. I believe filmmakers usually had to ask for permission back when this was made. This changed, I believe, during the 1980s. I could be wrong. Not an expert on the subject.

Shelley Duvall's character seems to be the one with a heavy Coke-guzzling habit, but various others are seen drinking it as well (Carradine buys one early on at Tom Skeritt's gas station). There is also that terrific moment when a Coca-Cola promotional truck is riding through the town square with a Coke "girl" handing out bottles to kids.

Who knows (and perhaps one of you do)....Altman may have been trying to make some kind of cultural statement with the whole thing. Coca-Cola, while extremely popular to this day, was not the only soda available during the time. Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Sunkist and many others were competing for the market.