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IMDbPro

Blackboard Jungle

  • 19551955
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 41m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
9.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
8,725
3,818
Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, and Margaret Hayes in Blackboard Jungle (1955)
Trailer for this black and white film about classroom hooligans
Play trailer2:52
1 Video
82 Photos
CrimeDrama
A new English teacher at a violent, unruly inner-city school is determined to do his job, despite resistance from both students and faculty.A new English teacher at a violent, unruly inner-city school is determined to do his job, despite resistance from both students and faculty.A new English teacher at a violent, unruly inner-city school is determined to do his job, despite resistance from both students and faculty.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
9.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
8,725
3,818
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Richard Brooks
    • Writers
      • Richard Brooks(screenplay)
      • Evan Hunter(novel "The Blackboard Jungle")
    • Stars
      • Glenn Ford
      • Anne Francis
      • Louis Calhern
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Richard Brooks
    • Writers
      • Richard Brooks(screenplay)
      • Evan Hunter(novel "The Blackboard Jungle")
    • Stars
      • Glenn Ford
      • Anne Francis
      • Louis Calhern
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 111User reviews
    • 39Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
    • Nominated for 4 Oscars
      • 1 win & 6 nominations total

    Videos1

    Blackboard Jungle
    Trailer 2:52
    Blackboard Jungle

    Photos82

    Glenn Ford and Sidney Poitier in Blackboard Jungle (1955)
    Glenn Ford and Sidney Poitier in Blackboard Jungle (1955)
    Sidney Poitier in Blackboard Jungle (1955)
    Glenn Ford and Vic Morrow in Blackboard Jungle (1955)
    Anne Francis in Blackboard Jungle (1955)
    Glenn Ford in Blackboard Jungle (1955)
    Paul Mazursky and Vic Morrow in Blackboard Jungle (1955)
    "Blackboard Jungle" Vic Morrow, Sidney Poitier, Glenn Ford © 1955 MGM
    Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, and Margaret Hayes in Blackboard Jungle (1955)
    Glenn Ford, Sidney Poitier, Paul Mazursky, Rafael Campos, Vic Morrow, and Dan Terranova in Blackboard Jungle (1955)
    Glenn Ford in Blackboard Jungle (1955)
    Glenn Ford and Sidney Poitier in Blackboard Jungle (1955)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Glenn Ford
    Glenn Ford
    • Richard Dadier
    Anne Francis
    Anne Francis
    • Anne Dadier
    Louis Calhern
    Louis Calhern
    • Jim Murdock
    Margaret Hayes
    Margaret Hayes
    • Lois Judby Hammond
    John Hoyt
    John Hoyt
    • Mr. Warneke
    Richard Kiley
    Richard Kiley
    • Joshua Y. Edwards
    Emile Meyer
    Emile Meyer
    • Mr. Halloran
    Warner Anderson
    Warner Anderson
    • Dr. Bradley
    Basil Ruysdael
    Basil Ruysdael
    • Prof. A.R. Kraal
    Sidney Poitier
    Sidney Poitier
    • Gregory W. Miller
    Vic Morrow
    Vic Morrow
    • Artie West
    Dan Terranova
    Dan Terranova
    • Belazi
    Rafael Campos
    Rafael Campos
    • Pete V. Morales
    Paul Mazursky
    Paul Mazursky
    • Emmanuel Stoker
    Horace McMahon
    Horace McMahon
    • Detective
    Jamie Farr
    Jamie Farr
    • Santini
    • (as Jameel Farah)
    Danny Dennis
    • De Lica
    David Alpert
    • Lou Savoldi
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Richard Brooks
    • Writers
      • Richard Brooks(screenplay)
      • Evan Hunter(novel "The Blackboard Jungle")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    7.3
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Clare Boothe Luce, then U.S. Ambassador to Italy, prevented the film from being shown at the Venice Film Festival; and a Senate committee had decided that the film would not have beneficial effects on contemporary youth. Both incidents only served to increase publicity and ticket sales for the controversial movie.
    • Goofs
      Set decoration includes a cardboard alphabet running across the top of the blackboard--something rarely seen past a third-grade classroom, let alone a high school.
    • Quotes

      Richard Dadier: Yeah, I've been beaten up, but I'm not beaten. I'm not beaten, and I'm not quittin'.

    • 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."
    • Alternate versions
      The film was originally rejected in the UK for containing "unbridled, revolting hooliganism" and having a "damaging and harmful effect (on teenagers)". Following protests from the distributor, it was viewed again but there was an even split between examiners in favor of banning it again or cutting it for an X (16) certificate. After further meetings where the distributor claimed it had a sincere moral purpose, a cuts list was drawn up which removed around five minutes of footage. This included the following:
      • The foreword which absolved the US of blame regarding its realistic depiction - this was added specifically for foreign releases following the huge controversy it caused back home. It reads: "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. It is in this spirit and with this faith that BLACKBOARD JUNGLE was produced."
      • Male pupils leering at women.
      • A boy assaulting a female teacher.
      • Dadier being attacked.
      • Dadier being threatened by a knife-wielding pupil.
      • The planning and execution of a van robbery.
      • Dadier fighting back against a pupil.
      Despite the heated conflict involving the BBFC and mixed reviews, the release of this X-rated cut version passed without incident and very little public feedback. No councils who viewed it chose to ban it. In 1996, it was submitted for a video release and passed uncut with a 12 certificate.
    • Connections
      Edited into Heavy Petting (1989)
    • Soundtracks
      Rock Around the Clock
      Written by James E. Myers (uncredited) and Max Freedman (uncredited)

      Played by Bill Haley and the Comets (as Bill Haley and His Comets)

      Produced by Milton Gabler

      Courtesy of Decca Records, Inc.

    User reviews111

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Was this movie really a shocker when released?
    A history professor once told me, "If you want to change history, become a historian." This statement might also apply to movie critics. I came of age (turned 13) when I saw this movie when it was first released in 1955. My buds and I liked the movie, not because it was a shocker, which it was not, but because it dealt fairly realistically with teenagers, much more so than say the old Andy Hardy series. To my knowledge no one was really shocked by this movie. There was no big hoopla by "concerned" citizens as there would be when Elia Kazan's "Baby Doll" played on the same screen a few years later. And "Rock Around The Clock" was not considered rock 'n' roll by most teens, only a pop hit along the lines of "Sh-boom." The first record actually considered rock 'n' roll by most teens was Chuck Berry's "Maybelline." When my buds and I first heard it on the radio, we stopped the car and listened intently to a new kind of teen music. That did not happen with anything Bill Haley and the Comets put on wax. Those who say "The Blackboard Jungle" was a shocker simply did not live through that period of history. Some of these same critics believe that the average family of the 50's was like the one portrayed on "Leave It To Beaver." I knew of no family in my neighborhood that lived like the Cleavers. We found "Rebel Without a Cause" and a somewhat neglected film "The Wild One" to be the ones that related to our rebellious side. "The Wild One," especially Marlon Brando's performance, was the standout film for us teens in those days. Another later Robert Mitchum flick, "Thunder Road," was also a movie that spoke to the teens of the period. Marlon Brando, James Dean, and Robert Mitchum were movie role models for many of us growing up in the turbulent 50's, not Glenn Ford or even Vic Morrow and Sidney Poitier.

    That's not to say that this movie is not worth seeing, for it is a good movie dealing in a somewhat no nonsense way with teaching rebellious and sometimes dangerous teens, who see nothing relevant in book learning and who don't want to be exposed to the higher levels of intellectual endeavors. How do you teach the unteachable? Still a challenge today in the American classroom.
    helpful•53
    22
    • krorie
    • Aug 15, 2005

    FAQ5

    • What is 'Blackboard Jungle' about?
    • Is 'Blackboard Jungle' based on a book?
    • On what does Miller say Artie is high?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 25, 1955 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Blackboard Jungle
    • Filming locations
      • El Segundo, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,168,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 41 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.75 : 1

    Related news

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