Blackboard Jungle (1955)

Blackboard Jungle is a 1955 American social drama film about an English teacher in an interracial inner-city school, based on the 1954 novel The Blackboard Jungle by Evan Hunter and adapted for the screen and directed by Richard Brooks. It is remembered for its innovative use of rock and roll in its soundtrack, for casting grown adults as high-school teens, and for the unique breakout role of a black cast member, Sidney Poitier, as rebellious yet musically talented student Gregory Miller.

Upon release in March 1955, Blackboard Jungle provoked significant controversy for its depiction of violence and juvenile delinquency in urban public schools, sparking riots in some theaters, widespread denouncement from educators and civic groups, and banning or censorship in certain cities and countries. The film's use of "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets marked the first instance of a major Hollywood film featuring rock and roll music, it is also credited for introducing rock and roll to mainstream America.

Blackboard Jungle has since been recognized as a landmark film of the era, and an important influence on the emerging youth culture of the 1950s. In 2016, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".