Glenn Ford plays a Navy vet turned New York City schoolteacher who gets a job at a delinquency-ridden school, attempting to reach the kids while cautiously working his way around their appointed leader. Much-imitated melodrama adapted from Evan Hunter's book has aged fairly well, with still-relevant issues and characters, taut situations and convincing dialogue. Ford is fine, if a little soft; Sidney Poitier glowers and shows off his piercing stare; Vic Morrow and Paul Mazursky are two of the other students. Bill Haley and the Comets sing "Rock Around the Clock" over the opening credits (the first rock song to christen a major motion picture, which probably caused quite a stir in movie-houses circa 1955). **1/2 from ****
Review of Blackboard Jungle
