Blackboard Jungle

'Blackboard Jungle' was released in 1955, directed by Richard Brooks and based on the 1954 novel by Evan Hunter. The film was one of the first major Hollywood productions to directly address juvenile delinquency and racial tension in inner-city schools, and its frank depiction of classroom violence generated significant controversy upon release.

The film prominently features 'Rock Around the Clock' by Bill Haley and His Comets over its opening credits. The song's inclusion is widely credited with helping launch the rock and roll craze — after young audiences heard it in theaters and on the soundtrack, the single surged to number one on the Billboard charts in 1955, introducing rock and roll to a mass mainstream audience.

The film stars Glenn Ford as Richard Dadier, an idealistic new English teacher at a tough vocational school, alongside Sidney Poitier in a breakout role as the student Gregory Miller. The cast also includes Anne Francis as Dadier's wife and Vic Morrow as Artie West, the leader of the hostile students, with most teenage roles played by adult actors.

The film follows Richard Dadier, a new teacher at North Manual High School, an inner-city New York vocational school plagued by student violence and intimidation. Dadier struggles to connect with his hostile students — particularly a faction led by Vic Morrow's character — while attempting to reach Sidney Poitier's Gregory Miller, a bright but alienated student who may be receptive to a teacher who genuinely cares about his future.