Blackboard Jungle, Glenn Ford, Ann Francis (1955)

is a powerful 1955 American social-commentary film and novel focusing on an idealistic teacher in a tough, inner-city vocational school. It is widely recognized for its groundbreaking use of the song “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley & His Comets in its soundtrack, which helped introduce rock and roll to mainstream America and became an anthem for 1950s youth culture. 

The film, directed by Richard Brooks and based on the 1954 novel by Evan Hunter, stars Glenn Ford as Richard Dadier, the new teacher, and features early, breakout performances from Sidney Poitier as a charismatic student named Gregory Miller, and Vic Morrow as the thuggish gang leader Artie West. The narrative follows Dadier’s struggle to connect with his unmotivated and often violent students and overcome a dilapidated, hostile school environment. (Google)