''The Explosive Generation'' is a 1961 film directed by

Buzz Kulik Seymour "Buzz" Kulik (July 23, 1922 – January 13, 1999) was an American film director and film producer, producer. He directed 72 films and television shows, including the landmark CBS television network anthology series ''Playhouse 90'' ...

. It stars

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

and Patty McCormack.

Plot

The story is about Peter Gifford, a teacher who wants to teach high school students to think for themselves and express themselves. A female student pushes to have open classroom discussion about the physical and emotional issues associated with teenage relationships and sex. This issue gets blown out of proportion by parents who don't have the facts and jump to ill-informed conclusions, demanding sanctions against the mostly innocent teacher, who keeps still on the matter to protect the involved students. The entire student body rallies in a Gandhiesque silent protest that helps everyone learn to appreciate the truth of the matter.

Cast

as Peter Gifford * Patty McCormack as Janet Sommers * Lee Kinsolving as Dan Carlyle *

Virginia Field Virginia Field (born Margaret St. John Field (sometimes mis-transcribed Margaret Cynthia Field); 4 November 1917 – 2 January 1992) was a British-born film actress. Early years Virginia was an only child, born in London. Her father was Sir J ...

as Mrs. Katie Sommers * Billy Gray as Bobby Herman Jr. * Steve Dunne as Bobby Herman Sr. * Phillip Terry as Mr. Carlyle * Arch Johnson as Mr. George Sommers * Edward Platt as Mr. Morton *

Beau Bridges Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III (born December 9, 1941) is an American actor. He is a three-time Emmy Award, Emmy, two-time Golden Globe Award, Golden Globe and one-time Grammy Award winner, as well as a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award nomine ...

as Mark * Stafford Repp as Police Captain * Vito Scotti as Custodian * Jocelyn Brando as Mrs. Ryker (uncredited) *

David Geffen David Lawrence Geffen (born February 21, 1943) is an American film producer, record executive, and media proprietor. In music, he co-founded Asylum Records with Elliot Roberts in 1971 before founding Geffen Records in 1980, DGC Records in 1 ...

as Student (uncredited)

References

External links

* * 1961 films 1960s teen drama films American teen drama films American high school films American black-and-white films Films directed by Buzz Kulik Films about educators United Artists films 1961 directorial debut films 1961 drama films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films English-language teen drama films {{1960s-US-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links