The Explosive Generation (1961)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Buzz Kulik

Writer:

Joseph Landon (writer)

Release Date:

October 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

They look like kids -- but they want love like adults!

Plot:

High school teacher gets in trouble when he tries to teach a class in sex education.

Plot Keywords:

Student | Sex | Teacher | High School | Essay

Cast

William Shatner	...	Peter Gifford
Patty McCormack	...	Janet Sommers
Lee Kinsolving	...	Dan Carlyle
Billy Gray	...	Bobby Herman Jr.
Stephen Dunne	...	Bobby Herman Sr.
Arch Johnson	...	Mr. George Sommers
Virginia Field	...	Mrs. Katie Sommers
Phillip Terry	...	Mr. Carlyle
Hanna Landy	...	Mrs. Carlyle
Edward Platt	...	Mr. Morton
Suzi Carnell	...	Marge Ryker
Jocelyn Brando	...	Mrs. Ryker
Beau Bridges	...	Mark
Peter Virgo Jr.	...	George
Bruce Kerner	...	Stephen

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:16 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11

Company:

Vega Productions

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: Twice, after Mr. Gifford first enters his classroom and when Dan and Janet are in the car after their parents have their conference with the principal, a boom mic is extremely conspicuous for several seconds in each scene.

Quotes:

Mr. Morton: [refering to handbill about protest rally] In our own printshop! On our own presses! How could this happen?
Printing Teacher: Well like I said, we're understaffed. Not a bad little job, but the spacing could be a little better here...
Mr. Morton: You may go!

Very dated but also very interesting

Progressive teacher Peter Gifford (William Shatner) allows the students in his class to write essays about anything they want. Most write about sex and their feelings about it. One student tells her mother, other parents find out, go crazy about their kids talking about sex in school (this WAS 1961) and order the principal (Edward Platt!!!) to fire Gifford. He does but the students led by Bobby (Billy Grey), Dan (Lee Kinsolving) and Janet (Patricia McCormack) decide to fight back. But will they win?

This film is laughably dated but still is not bad at all. The kids naivety is actually pretty interesting and the parents overreaction is convincing. This could have become a camp classic but competence at every level makes it work. The acting is pretty good--this is before Shatner became full of himself and it's amusing to see McCormack all grown up from "The Bad Seed". However Billy Grey is TERRIBLE in his role. And look for a young Beau Bridges in a few scenes. It's well-written (and based on a true incident) and I really liked how the students fought back in a non-violent fashion. Also well-directed in stark black & white. It also treats the teenagers (and parents) with respect. The ending was a little TOO goody-goody but still worked.

Worth seeing as a (I think) pretty accurate look at teen life back in 1961. Recommended.