Movie Posters - 1970s
In this 1970 drama, Calvin Lockhart of classics like Uptown Saturday Night and Cotton Comes To Harlem fame, must keep tensions in control at a predominantly black high school faced with the busing in of a few white students.
A young Jeff Bridges and Rob Reiner also star along with many familiar faces.
I found a "special report" on the film at a site called ShoeString.org, which states some interesting facts about the film:
"Halls Of Anger" was intended as a smash hit for United Artists. It starred Calvin Lockhart as Quincy Davis, yet another Wonder Teacher from that era who achieves the impossible in a biracial setting, this time a Los Angeles High School. Black and white grownups would like it, black and white kids would like it, U.A. would make a fortune, the careers of the cast would be assured and the charismatic, handsome and talented Mr. Lockhart would be the next Sidney Poitier, right? Wrong...
From the start, there was extreme hostility on the set and why wouldn't there be? Whose brilliant idea was it to make the black kids the unmitigated villains of the piece?
[...]
Since there had already been movies about black discrimination, why not make one about the discrimination white students face when they're bussed to a predominantly black high school?
Positive black role models? Only a handful are mentioned, including O.J. Simpson. Moreover, white principal Boyd Wilkerson (John McLiam) acts like he's actually the Warden of San Quentin. Now this already looks like a terrible idea on paper. Imagine how it played out when the mostly unknown cast members realized that making "Halls Of Anger" might be all the careers they would ever have.
I haven't seen nor heard of the film, and the above write-up certainly doesn't make me want to. Anyone?
Check out a 4 minute clip below:
Hmmm..."To Sir, With Love" this is not from the looks of it.
Not quite...