The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson of the Packard Campus.
Friday, January 20 (7:30 p.m.)
Blackboard Jungle (MGM, 1955)
Equally renowned for its gritty depiction of rebellious teenagers in an inner-city school and its theme song by Bill Haley and the Comets’, “Rock Around the Clock,” The Blackboard Jungle is a landmark film that defined an era. In 1955, rock ‘n’ roll was considered by many parents to be immoral and a bad influence on their kids. That concern, along with the violent images and coarse language in the film, appeared to be the threat people suspected when fights often broke out where the movie was being shown. In spite of this, the film was a box office success and earned four Academy Award nominations, including best adapted screenplay for Richard Brooks who also directed. Glenn Ford stars as a teacher assigned to the school who tries to make a difference, and the cast features a group of young, relatively unknown actors who went on to major careers – including Sidney Poitier, Vic Morrow and Jamie Farr. The Blackboard Jungle was added to the National Film Registry on December 14, 2016.
NOTE: The Packard Campus Theater will be closed Saturday, January 21, 2017.
For more information on our programs, please visit the website at: www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.