Three O'Clock High (1987)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Phil Joanou

Writers:

Richard Christian Matheson (written by) &
Thomas E. Szollosi (written by)

Release Date:

9 October 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

Jerry Mitchell just bumped into Buddy Revell. Now Jerry isn't thinking about math or english. Because at three o'clock, he's history.

Plot:

A high school nerd, Jerry Mitchell (Siemaszko) is assigned to write a piece for the school paper about new boy Buddy Revell (Tyson)...

Plot Keywords:

School | High School | Fight | Reckless Driving | Bully Comeuppance

Cast

Casey Siemaszko	...	Jerry Mitchell
Annie Ryan	...	Franny Perrins (as Anne Ryan)
Richard Tyson	...	Buddy Revell
Stacey Glick	...	Brei Mitchell
Jonathan Wise	...	Vincent Costello
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Mr. Rice
Philip Baker Hall	...	Detective Mulvahill
John P. Ryan	...	Mr. O'Rourke
Liza Morrow	...	Karen Clarke
Scott Schutzman Tiler	...	Bruce Chalmer (as Scott Tiler)
Guy Massey	...	Scott Cranston
Theron Read	...	Mark Bojeekus
Mike Jolly	...	Craig Mattey
Charles Macaulay	...	Voytek Dolinski
Mitch Pileggi	...	Duke Herman

Also Known As:

3:00 High (USA) (alternative spelling)
After School (USA) (working title)
One of These Days (USA) (working title)
The Bell Rings at Three (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

97 min | USA:101 min | USA:90 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:15 | Iceland:12 | West Germany:16 | Australia:M | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Ogden High School - 2828 Harrison Blvd., Ogden, Utah, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Caitlin O'Heaney's character of Miss Farmer originally only had the one scene where Jerry seduces and kisses her in order to get detention after school. After the movie was completed it was tested, and audiences desperately wanted to know what happened to Jerry and Miss Farmer. The makers (including Steven Spielberg) brought O'Heany and Casey Siemaszko back to film the last scene of the movie where she walks into the bookstore and passionately kisses Jerry.

Goofs:

Continuity: After the pep rally, Jerry goes to the bathroom and enters the third stall. When the kids with the movie camera come in, they find him in the fourth stall.

Quotes:

Jerry Mitchell: [Vincent holds up a knife] You want me to stab him? Are you crazy?
Vincent Costello: Of course not. We plant this sucker in his locker.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "South Park: Breast Cancer Show Ever (#12.9)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Something To Remember Me By

"Looks like it's going to be one of those days."

When I think of the eighties teen genre, I think about John Hughes and John Cusack...and a little movie called Three O'Clock High. Three O'Clock High is the greatest eighties movie that no one knows about. It does, in fact, blow The Breakfast Club out of the water. Casey Siemaszko is perfect in the lead as Jerry Mitchell and he is the ultimate underdog. You can't help but love his character. He definitely has a large degree of untapped talent. The most unforgettable character however, is Richard Tyson's infamous Buddy Revell. I won't say that he completely steals the show, but he does come close to it. Revell has many a one-liner and I quote him on a weekly basis. And who could forget Tangerine Dream's score. They are also an integral ingredient of the eighties flick. This is a truly brilliant piece of comedy. Three O'Clock High is a comic gem as well as a must see.

"You and me, we're gonna have a fight-today-after school-3 O'Clock-in the parking lot. You try and run, I'm gonna track you down. You go to a teacher, it's only gonna get worse. You sneak home, I'll be under your bed. You and me...3 O'Clock."