BLACKBOARD JUNGLE

"If we can just get their minds out of comic books"

There were several different types of jungles out there in the American cinema of the 1950s. John Huston's masterful film noir THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (1950) depicted a heist gone wrong, Charlton Heston battled hordes of killer ants in THE NAKED JUNGLE (1954) while corrupt unions permeated THE GARMENT JUNGLE (1957).

And then there's BLACKBOARD JUNGLE (1955) a hard-hitting examination of the then widespread epidemic of juvenile delinquency. The film is one of two in cinema history to open to the sounds of Bill Haley and the Comets classic rock and roll anthem "Rock Around the Clock" (the other being George Lucas's AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973), which is, in my estimation, the best film he ever made).

The screenplay by director Richard Brooks was adapted from the novel by Evan Hunter. Hunter wrote many books, mostly dramas, under his real name while as "Ed McBain", he wrote dozens of crime novels, including the famous 87th Precinct series of police procedurals. I have a hardcover copy of the anniversary edition of BLACKBOARD signed by Hunter. And, years ago, I got to introduce him at a screening of THE BIRDS (1963) at the Paramount Theatre. Mr. Hunter wrote the screenplay for that classic Hitchcock shocker and he was gracious enough to sign a copy of the film notes I wrote for that evening.

BLACKBOARD is the story of idealistic young rookie teacher, Richard Dadier (Glenn Ford) in his first year at North Manual Trades High School, an inner-city school for boys of various ethnic backgrounds. Dadier is threatened by head thug Artie West (Vic Morrow) who leads a classroom full of punks in a constant campaign against "Daddio". Only young Gregory Miller (Sidney Poitier), seems reachable and over the course of the film, he turns from antagonist to supporter of Dadier.

The supporting cast is outstanding. Beautiful Anne Francis plays Dadier's pregnant and worried young wife, Louis Calhern is outstanding as a jaded, seen-it-all teacher, John Hoyt is the hard-nosed principal who demands strict discipline, Richard Kiley is another idealistic new teacher who thinks the ruffians in his math class can be reached through music (it doesn't work) and Margret Hayes is a sexy teacher who is attacked by West and his gang and used as the source of a vicious rumor about a relationship between her and Dadier.

At one point, Dadier, frustrated and angry and willing to meet violence with violence, decides to quit teaching at the school and transfer to a suburban school district where students want to learn. But he's persuaded to stay and sees signs of progress The film climaxes with a classroom knife fight in which the bulk of Dadier's students finally stand up for the beleaguered and embattled teacher.

BLACKBOARD JUNGLE received four Academy Award nominations including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Black and White Cinematography, Best Black and White Art Direction and Best Film Editing. It's tough and uncompromising and still packs a punch after sixty-three years. The language in one scene includes various racial epithets and the overall tone of the film is matter-of-fact about this horrific social ill that plagued America in the 1950s.

Thumbs up.