St. James Theatre

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St. James Theatre 107-111 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW - Blackboard Jungle July 1955

Blackboard Jungle is a 1955 American social drama film about teachers 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 school children, and for the unusual breakout role of a black cast member, future Oscar winner and star Sidney Poitier as a rebellious, yet musically talented student.

According to MGM records the film earned $5,292,000 in the US and Canada and $2,852,000 elsewhere.

“(We’re Gonna) Rock Around The Clock” by Bill Haley & His Comets appeared over the opening credits of the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle, starring Glenn Ford and Oscar-winning legend Sidney Poitier.

The St. James Theatre was taken over by MGM in 1934 and screened many of the studio’s classic films. The capacity of the theatre was listed in 1955 as 1,609 seats. The grand cinema closed with “Gone With The Wind” on 20 March 1971 and was demolished to make way for a 26 storey office block.

Contributed by Greg Lynch -