Blackboard Jungle (1955)

A new English teacher at a violent, unruly inner-city school is determined to do his job, despite resistance from both students and faculty.

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writers:

Richard Brooks (screenplay), Evan Hunter (novel)

Stars:

Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Louis Calhern

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Glenn Ford	...	Richard Dadier
Anne Francis	...	Anne Dadier
Louis Calhern	...	Jim Murdock
Margaret Hayes	...	Lois Judby Hammond
John Hoyt	...	Mr. Warneke
Richard Kiley	...	Joshua Y. Edwards
Emile Meyer	...	Mr. Halloran
Warner Anderson	...	Dr. Bradley
Basil Ruysdael	...	Prof. A.R. Kraal
Sidney Poitier	...	Gregory W. Miller
Vic Morrow	...	Artie West
Dan Terranova	...	Belazi
Rafael Campos	...	Pete V. Morales
Paul Mazursky	...	Emmanuel Stoker
Horace McMahon	...	Detective

Storyline

War veteran Rick Dadier is one of three new teachers hired at North Manual High School, an inner city boys school. This is his first teaching assignment, which he needs to support himself and his insecure pregnant wife, Anne. Despite Principle Warnecke's assertions to the contrary, Dadier quickly learns that the rumors of student discipline problems at the school are indeed true. The established teachers at the school try to counsel the newcomers, all inexperienced in such situations, as how best to handle the rowdy students. Regardless, Dadier tries to exert discipline in his class, which provokes a violent response. Dadier believes the student leaders against him are Artie West, but more specifically Gregory Miller, who he thinks uses the fact of being black as a means of racial provocation. Dadier has to decide either to leave and teach at a "real" school, or stay and figure out how to get through to his students. If he decides to stay, he has to figure out who the real disruptive ...

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Plot Keywords:

teacher as protagonist | teacher | high school | jazz | rockabilly | 

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Taglines:

A shock story of today's high school hoodlums!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Blackboard Jungle

Filming Locations:

El Segundo, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,168,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$5,292,000, 31 December 1955

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,144,000, 31 December 1955

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was initially rejected for a UK cinema certificate by the BBFC in March 1955. It was resubmitted again in August where it was then cut by around six minutes to remove uses of threatening dialogue and the entire climactic switchblade scene between Dadier and Artie. It would later be passed completely uncut for video and DVD with a 12 certificate.

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Goofs

As Mr.Dadier is talking to the detective about his attackers,a few of the students are seen entering the classroom twice.

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Quotes

Richard Dadier: What's your name?
Artie West: Why do you want to know?
Richard Dadier: What's your name?
Artie West: What're you picking on me for?
Richard Dadier: I'm not picking on you, I asked what's your name.

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Crazy Credits

"We, in the United States, are fortunate to have a school system that is a tribute to our communities and to our faith in American youth. Today we are concerned with juvenile delinquency -- its causes -- and its effects. We are especially concerned when this delinquency boils over into our schools. The scenes and incidents depicted here are fictional. However, we believe that public awareness is a first step toward a remedy for any problem. Is is in this spirit and with this faith that BLACKBOARD JUNGLE was produced."

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Alternate Versions

Initially banned in Australia. This decision was reversed but with 165 ft removed (1:50 at 24 fps). In 2005, it was passed uncut with an M rating for "moderate violence".

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Connections

Referenced in Martin: Blackboard Jungle Fever (1993)

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Soundtracks

Auld Lang Syne
Traditional tune, lyrics by Robert Burns
Heard on the radio

User Reviews

Rebel with a Cause

Blackboard Jungle (1955)

There is so much intensity and visual punch to this socially concerned schoolhouse narrative, it's hard to not overlook the pushiness of some of the plot and the blatant stereotyping of most of the characters. Glen Ford is, in fact, truly commanding here, and he becomes the movie. Most of the rest, really all the rest, are supporting roles, and not all of them do him credit. And this comes not from lack of talent, but from a script that has too many little agendas at work. Hey, but they are important and interesting agendas, so fear not. It's exciting going every step of the way.

Even young Sydney Poitier, for all his charm and ease on screen, is forced into a role, as a reluctant but talented student, that makes him a two-dimensional, and his relationship with Ford is pushed on us at the expense of the others. Some of the other teachers are convincing in their own ways, most of all Louis Calhern as a grumpy and jaded older teacher who expects the worst and gets it. There are moments of high drama that work--mostly violence or the avoidance of violence--and there are moments too contrived and too foreshadowed to contribute very much. The female teacher is set up to tempt the determined Ford main character, and she plays out in expected ways.

It might be a testament, actually, that the movie grabs you and won't let go even with these storytelling flaws. For one thing, it looks great (with photography by Russell Harlan) and is edited crisply, so technically it soars (and in a vivid widescreen black and white, not 4:3 like IMDb says). The director, Richard Brooks, clearly makes the most of the material. His career has left us a number of almost great movies, and this might be his greatest. It seems to have had the most impact in its time, sparking violence in the theaters where it was shown. And by using "Rock Around the Clock" it helped make Bill Halley and Comets and white rock and roll hugely popular.

But as just a movie, on the screen, it is Ford who takes on the subtle turmoils going on in his character's head, and you read it in his face and his stiff body language, and you believe him.