Til K KKNTITKV KKHNKU Friday. April

13. 19

'Blackboard Jungle' Creates Controversy Harold Rice
JUDITH CRIST
Herald Tribune '
When Hollywood devotes a feature film to public education it
should be a matter for rejoicing.
Its first major venture Into this
field, however,
"Blackboard JunRle," which opened in
New York the other day will be the
center of controversy.
For the past several weeks the
film has been previewed before
teachers, supervisors and education
writers and it is on the reactions
of these viewers, expressed to this
reporter, that the prediction of
controversy is based. For beyond
the superficial conclusion that this
Is a gangster film in a school setting its Implications for public education as
Book and Film
The film follows a novel of the
same name by Evan Hunter, whose
experience with public education consisted of seventeen days as a substitute In Bronx
Vocational High School. The book
was condemned by educators but
lauded by some lay critics, few of
whom could match even Mr.
Hunter's knowledge of school life
today.
The story deals with the
first semester in a vocational school in a depressed area
(city unidentified, but the school
is next to an elevated train. In
the course of a day or two, every
imaginable juvenile crime from
bloody assaults and
trucks to attempt rape, knifings,
blackmail takes place, with most
of the hero's seventh term English
students participating.
The hero, befuddled by Martinis,
is beaten up by his students. His
wife is terrorized by students' letters and phone calls linking her
husband with a woman teacher.
The latter, who has a penchant for
fixing her garters on school stairways, is nearly raped by a student.
A Shocking Hint
All the other teachers are weaklings or cynics who call the school
a "garbage can.'- - But the hero
finally "breaks through" to his
pupils first by enthralling these
high school seniors by showing
them an animated cartoon about
"Jack and the Beanstalk" and
finally by wresting a knife from,
one of them.
It is a shocking hint of the low
Hy

M-O--

was favorable on two counts: First,
they felt, as one put it, "It's time
the public knows what goes on in
their schools what we put up
with. If the story has to be told
in harsh, exaggerated cliche term-- ,
well, that's the way it is."
Second, the film pleads for more
pay for teachers in no uncertain,
though peculiar, terms "even a
prostitute gets more than we do"
and the very mention of this

need stirs teachers today. They

even forget that the film's faculty
of villains, fools and nymphomaniacs is not likely to arouse

much sympathy.

far-reachi-

non-stude- nt

new-teacher-

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off

's

SVorhs Way,
Through UK

state of teachers' morale today dents' level and conquers mainlv aptitude or desire. But he magnifies that fraction into a whole and
that many teachers' first reaction by brute force.

The Teachers' View
Howard Dietz,
of
told this reporter that he
has found the "majofity" of "scores
of teachers enthusiastically for the
movie," although "some were
alarmed at the telling of such a
bold storv, a few hostile." "Several
vice-preside-

nt

M-O--

hundred teachers, psychiatrists, juvenile workers," he said, agree with
him "that the dramatic elements
of the story all are duplicated in
real life."
Here most of the teachers and
supervisors with whom this reporter discussed the film take issue. Even teachers in the most depressed vocational schools point
out that while each of the "dramatic elements" has occurred in
and out of some kind of school in
any number of cities, these are
events in one
not
school, let alone one classroom.
These educators admit that some
vocational schools have become
"dumping grounds" for those who
do not fit into "academic" schools;
that some vocational schools have
assumed custodial rather than educational functions. Too often
these schools are in depressed
n
areas, where
facilities
and overcrowded classes reflect the
environment.
Who Ms to blame? In "Blackboard Jungle," as one teacher put
it, "the villain is the wrong villain
and the hero is the wrong hero."
for the "villain" is the student
n
gang which appears
in
the classroom, with no indication
of the home or society that made
it what it is. The "hero" is the
teacher who descends to his stu
day-in-day-o-

ut

run-dow-

full-grow-

EC

thinks of nil boys as garbucr
thrown into the incinerator. He
maligns young humanity."
Whether the film will arouse the
public to positive remedial action
where it is needed remains to bo
seen. A sampling of educators who
have previewed it, however. Indicates that in large part they see it.
as Mr. Keller said of the novel, a
"an ecregious disservice to the
Board of Education and the Cltv
of New York, the vocational high
school teachers and to soriety."

The Indictment

By way of contrast the young
teacher visits another school somewhere in town, where well dressed
boys and girls work away in well

It

(

1IKIS HOOSI.EY

Take the case of the Mii.rf:;?
equipped laboratories and stroll
working his way through rollr..
about on lovely lawns. In the vocational school the boys fight,
Harold Hire,
smoke and cat-ca- ll
while the astrieal engineering senior tt r.
sistant principal bellows threats.
Nowhere in the film, one superKenton County, entered UK l:
visor points out. is there mention
fall of 1951.
of a board of education, of superAlthough he had saved fri:i, a
visors or individual teachers who
to
Mimmrr Job enough mom;,
see. or try to find, real solutions.
start school, he also received .
How is the problem to be solved?
scholarship from Kentucky UtiliThe answer need not be given in
ties He was granted $") for n,
the film. Mr. Dietz said, for it "is
year for his outstanding h.
not the function of film companies
school record
to teach or preach" but to provide
During hU first semester, Harold
entertainment. "But." he adds, "if
If you're wishing you lived close
along the line certain powerful enough to Lexington to commute, secured a I.rxinctnn Ilrrald piptr
dramatic stories carry contempor- don't. And thank your lucky stars route from which he r.irnrd si
ary social impact. I regard that as the old home town is far enough month. He supported himself with
for nearly l years. His
a desirable
away that you have to live on the this routework were from 3:.10 to ?
hours of
wholeheartedly that the campus.
"I feel
evrry morning.
picture can be beneficial to the
Besides getting up with the
During one summer of thve r v.
cause of American education. . . chickens, it gets pretty doggone exindictment, if there is one in pensive, a little tiring and boring years, he nlo handled the i 'i
The
::.
a tnend together with hi-the rather inflammatory episodes
Take the case of some comof Blackboard Jungle.' is not of muters from rankfort, the capital
In July. 1P.". Harold "sold U- : f
our school system or our young- city, u bout 25 .mles Irom Ixmg-ton- . paper route and bought a In.'-- .'
sters, but of ourselves."
one that paid him Slfio a M'.'T.'.!;.
Several supervisors and teachers
morning, it's 2t miles to, Hi"- hours on this route urn
Each
'.i
were surprised at this comment, the little red school houe and 4 :?0 to R a m.
for the film clearly indicts the stu- when class is over it's 2.r miles
With the job playing havoc .'ii
dents.
back. That's about what it amounts his sleep and study tune. h
i
to. nothing but miles.
u. t'f
still maintained a
The Effects
Most of us commuters live at Engineering College.
How many of the 40.000 young- home because we think we save
He al.-- ha been at Various t .:
sters in New York's thirty-on- e
money and also get a chance to a member of the following oi i:.
vocational schools" will "rejoice in make some extra cash but I'm bethe Wesley Found. ". ;..
the implication that they are all ginning to wonder.
the Disciple Student Fellou !. ;.
worthless hoodlums, one teacher
Unless you are extremely lucky . the Pershing Nil Irs. thr
anasked. How many teen-ager- s,
or have bribed the professors you terian PUkm Club, and the li
YMf'A
other wondered, will be tempted undoubtly will get afternoon classes Cabinet.
very least the callous- at least three days a week. Ix't's
to imitate at
II nold lias financed MiwT.iv
manness, truculcnce and wise-gu- y
put $.75 per day for food; about
through school with these pjprr
nerisms of the boys in the film. $10. a month on food should not
routes and th scholarship, withFor all the teachers praised the let you starve.
out other help, lie also has ! n
acting and the realism of the
able to buy and trade ?, cars at
school set.
Ocean Study
different times to use on his p.tpr
There seems, these educators
of route, and lir has saved a
The Scripps Institution
agreed, to be confusion as to cause
sunt of money.
and effect. Only a part of the total Oceanography has been dumping
Upon 'graduation
next : :,
a thousand corked bottles a month
school picture has been shown
ocean. The bottles con- - Harold intends to sell his pa; r
out of focus and distorted. For the into the
to
who
author of "Blackboard Jungle," as j tain cards asking the finder to route his another studentschool. nu;-- t
way through
in- - work
thirty-fiv- e
return them to Scripps with
Franklin J. Keller, for
Dozens of other students rue
years principal of Metropolitan formation on where they were dis- Vocational High School, said, "pic- covered. The institute hopes to now completely financing U. .;
tures only the small fraction that learn about oan currents this wav through the University, wvh
and without scholarships.
somes to school without interest, way.
1

Don't Commute,
UK Student Says

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