''Halls of Anger'' 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. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by

Paul Bogart Paul Bogart (né Bogoff; November 13, 1919 – April 15, 2012) was an American television director and producer. Bogart directed episodes of the television series Way Out'' in 1961, '' Coronet Blue'' in 1967, '' Get Smart'', '' The Dumplings' ...

, and starring

Calvin Lockhart Calvin Lockhart (born Bert McClossy Cooper; October 18, 1934March 29, 2007) was a Bahamian–American stage and film actor. Lockhart was perhaps best known for his roles as Reverend Deke O'Malley in the 1970 film ''Cotton Comes to Harlem'' and ...

Janet MacLachlan Janet Angel MacLachlan (August 27, 1933 – October 11, 2010) was an American actress who had roles in such television series as ''The Rockford Files'', '' Alias'' and ''The Golden Girls''. She is best remembered for her key supporting part in ...

Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent ac ...

and James A. Watson Jr.

Plot

A predominantly black high school is integrated by white students and trouble follows.

Cast

as Quincy Davis *

as Lorraine Nash *

as Doug * James A. Watson Jr. as J.T. Watson * DeWayne Jessie as Lerone Johnson *

Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' a ...

as Ernie McKay * John McLiam as Boyd Wilkerson *

Rob Reiner Robert Norman Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitcom '' All in the Family'' (1971–1979), a performa ...

as "Leaky" Couloris *

Patricia Stich Patricia Stich (born January 1, 1940) is an American actress, also credited as Pat Stich. Patricia Stich has appeared in many supporting roles on television, films and commercials. Her credits include ''Halls of Anger ''Halls of Anger'' is a 1 ...

as Sherry Vaughn * Gary Tigerman as Buchavitch * Paris Earl as Carter (as Paris Earle) * Ta-Tanisha as Claudine *

Helen Kleeb Helen Kleeb (January 6, 1907 – December 28, 2003) was an American film and television actress. In a career covering nearly 50 years, she may be best known for her role from 1972 to 1981 as Miss Mamie Baldwin on the family drama ''The Walton ...

as Rita Monahan * Barry Brown as Winger

Background

The film was mostly filmed at

Virgil Middle School This is a list of schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The concept of zones is explained on the LAUSD website. K–12 schools Zoned schools * Elizabeth Learning Center (only K–8 is zoned) ( Cudahy, opened 1927) * James A. Fos ...

in Los Angeles. The film draws some comparisons to a contemporary television program, ''

Room 222 ''Room 222'' is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television that aired on ABC for 112 episodes, from September 17, 1969 until January 11, 1974. The show was broadcast on Wednesday evenings at 8:30 ( EST) fo ...

'': A new, black teacher joins a southern California high school; an attractive, sympathetic black female member of staff shows romantic interest; a militant black student is frequently involved in situations; issues of racism and integration are featured. The film and television show even share actors ( Ta-Tanisha,

). However, while ''Room 222'' is a comedy-drama, much milder in tone, ''Halls of Anger'' is purposefully aggressive, using deliberately controversial language and some forceful violence to highlight the very real and dangerous potential of unresolved racial conflict.

Reception

Critical response

Roger Greenspun, the film critic for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', gave the film a mixed review, and wrote, "The picture initially portends sensationalism, with the racial scales reversed and the well-behaved white youngsters harassed and tormented by the black students. What steadies the whole thing is the excellent performance of Calvin Lockhart, as a sane, realistic Negro teacher who more or less holds together the teeming school and the picture itself...But the picture's urgent plea for racial sanity in the classroom is almost methodically blunted by the use of standard-seeming types. The few faculty whites are oafs or hard-heads. There is the pretty Negro teacher, nicely played by Janet MacLachlan, who supports and comforts Lockhart. As the fieriest black student and the spunkiest white newcomer, James A. Watson Jr. and Jeff Bridges do well in characterizations that rate more exploration." Film critic Monica Sullivan praised the acting of Jeff Bridges, if not the film, "The young Bridges stands out in the cast, because his focus on his role is like a laser beam. He pours 100% of his energy into making his character believable and it is. The making of ''Halls Of Anger'' might be a more riveting experience than the film itself."Sullivan, Monica
''Movie Magazine International'', film review, October 16, 2002. Last accessed: March 8, 2010.

References

External links

* * * * * {{Paul Bogart 1970 films 1970 drama films 1970s teen films American drama films American high school films 1970s English-language films Films scored by Dave Grusin Films about educators Films about race and ethnicity Films directed by Paul Bogart Films set in Los Angeles United Artists films 1970s American films