What is Scalise sniffing throughout the movie?
Does anyone know?
shareYep. It's a small nose inhaler, used for stuffy noses. I think the point here is not that he has a cold, but (as you can learn from reading Jack Kerouac) back then those things contained Benzedrine, a mild but effective stimulant (speed). The Beats used to open them and dip the Benzedrine-soaked sponge inside in water, to create a speed-tea. But I imagine sniffing it all day would do the trick also.
shareRichard Widmark uses one in The Street with No Name, too.
shareEddie Muller on TCM seems to indicate that the character was asthmatic.
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