Stop the Madness

rdf:langString Stop the Madness

rdf:langString "Stop the Madness" is an anti-drug music video uniquely endorsed and supported by United States President Ronald Reagan and the Reagan administration in 1985. The video includes Claudia Wells, New Edition, La Toya Jackson, Whitney Houston, David Hasselhoff, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kim Fields, Herb Alpert, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Darrell Creswell, Tim Feehan, Casey Kasem and Boogaloo Shrimp from the Breakin' franchise. Perhaps the main star of the video was Ronald Reagan's wife, Nancy Reagan, whose main cause as First Lady was speaking out against drugs, and forming the "Just Say No" anti-drug association. Mrs. Reagan appeared twice in Stop the Madness. The video also featured Stacy Keach, an actor arrested and jailed for possession of cocaine in 1984 immediately prior to the release of the video to American high schools. The video features an appearance from Los Angeles Raiders defensive end Lyle Alzado, who would later admit to taking steroids and human growth hormones since 1969 in a July 8, 1991 article he wrote for Sports Illustrated. Alzado would die from cancer (brain lymphoma) in 1992 at the age of 43. The video was created by Tim Reid, who was then co-starring on CBS' Simon & Simon as Lieutenant Marcel Proust "Downtown" Brown when the video was being made. (The stars of Simon & Simon, Jameson Parker and Gerald McRaney also make an appearance in the video.), and Brian Dyak, founding president and CEO of the Entertainment Industries Council, with Dyak serving as the video's executive producer. The song was written by Michael Stokes. It premiered January 17, 1986 on NBC's Friday Night Videos and was in regular airing for over six months. The song featured in the video was released as a single by MCA Records. The dance version of the song was well received in Europe and played in dance clubs internationally, sparking special anti-drug campaigns in Germany, Italy, and other countries.