''R. P. M.'' is a 1970 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Stanley Kramer Stanley Earl Kramer (September 29, 1913February 19, 2001) was an American film director and producer, responsible for making many of Hollywood's most famous " message films" (he called his movies ''heavy dramas'') and a liberal movie icon.

, starring

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known as Anthony Quinn, was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 ...

and

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born 28 April 1941), credited as Ann-Margret, is a Swedish-American actress and singer with a career spanning seven decades. Her many screen roles include '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' Bye Bye B ...

. As the film's poster notes, the title is an initialism for "

revolutions per minute Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 de ...

", which at the time was a common term for the variable speed of a

record player A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration Waveform, waveforms are recorded as correspond ...

's turntable and generally a unit of rotational speed for rotating machines.

Plot

Set against the political turmoil of the 1960s, radical student activists occupy a university's administration building with a list of 12 demands. Unable to resolve the situation, President Tyler resigns, so the Board of Trustees considers a student-made shortlist of recommended professors to take over the job of university president. The board finalizes the choice of Professor F.W.J. "Paco" Perez, despite his radical beliefs, given his close past relationship with students, including romantically. After midnight, Perez, along with his

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

graduate student girlfriend Rhoda, is awakened by a phone call by Dean George Cooper, requesting a meeting. Perez is appointed "acting president" of the college campus. Later that morning, Perez arrives to the campus on a motorcycle. Attempting to negotiate with the activists, Perez reads their demands, which include 20 inner-city scholarships, a college reinvestment program, no military research on campus, and an African American on the all-white Board of Trustees. Perez disagrees with three of the 12 demands, including the students' right to hire and fire the faculty. Perez tells the activists he will deliver on the first nine demands. A brief conflict between the leader, Roositer, and Steve Dempsey, leads to the eighth demand changed to the hiring of a black admissions officer. Perez nominates Dempsey for the position, which the young black activist accepts. Perez serves as mediator between the faculty and the unwavering student body over the unresolved three demands, while being berated at home by Rhoda for his hypocrisy. Perez notifies the faculty of an audio-recorded message that Roositer will destroy the school's computer hardware if the demands are not met. With no options left, Perez sends in a squadron of police officers led by Police Chief Henry J. Thatcher. Thatcher orders the activists to evacuate the facility in three minutes, but they refuse to comply. The officers invade the building, releasing

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

, and violently arrest several students. At the police station, Perez sees that Rhoda also has been arrested. Perez meets with the faculty in the administration building, now back under their control. He signs a bail grantee, defending the outcome of the rebellion. Upon leaving the building, Perez walks through the crowd and is loudly booed by the activists.

Cast

as Prof. F.W.J. "Paco" Perez *

as Rhoda * Gary Lockwood as Rossiter * Paul Winfield as Steve Dempsey * Graham Jarvis as Police Chief Thatcher * Alan Hewitt as Hewlett * Ramon Bieri as Brown * John McLiam as Rev. Blauvelt *

Don Keefer Donald Hood Keefer (August 18, 1916 – September 7, 2014) was an American actor known for his versatility in performing comedic, as well as highly dramatic, roles. In an acting career that spanned more than 50 years, he appeared in hundreds of ...

as Dean George Cooper *

Norman Burton Norman Burton (December 5, 1923 – November 29, 2003) was an American actor. He was occasionally credited as Normann Burton. Early life Born in New York City, Burton was a student of the Actors Studio. After early work on stage, he broke in ...

as Coach McCurdy * John Zaremba as President Tyler * Ines Pedroza as Estella * Linda Meiklejohn as Student * David Ladd as Student * Jose Brad as Student * Henry Brown as Student * Frank Alesia as Student

Production

The movie was filmed on location at the main campus of the University of the Pacific (UOP) in

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...

. The student "extras" were actual members of the student body of the university at that time. It was the first film Ann-Margret made in the US for a number of years.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album for the movie was released in the US and Canada in 1970 on Bell Records (BELL 1203). The songs were written by

Barry De Vorzon Barry De Vorzon (born July 31, 1934) is an American composer, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He worked as a pop musician during the 1960s and co-founded Valiant Records, before being known as a composer of film and television scores ...

and

Perry Botkin, Jr. Perry Botkin Jr. (April 16, 1933 – January 18, 2021) was an American composer, Record producer, producer, arranger, and musician. Life and career He was born in 1933 in New York City, the son of Perry Botkin Sr., who also was a successful ...

except "We Don’t Know Where We’re Goin’", which they wrote with Melanie. Melanie sang two tracks on the album: "We Don’t Know Where We’re Goin’" and "Stop! I Don’t Wanna Hear It Any More".

References

External links

* {{Stanley Kramer 1970 films 1970 drama films American drama films Columbia Pictures films Films directed by Stanley Kramer Films produced by Stanley Kramer Films scored by Barry De Vorzon Films scored by Perry Botkin Jr. Films set in universities and colleges 1970s English-language films 1970s American films English-language drama films