Original subtitles

This is where America's future lies, in its students.

Each year, billions of our tax dollars are invested in that future.

And in most cases, it is very well spent.

But there are exceptions.

In one of the major eastern cities, conditions were among the worst in the nation.

There were overcrowded classrooms, underpaid instructors,

and a tragic shortage of good teachers.

There was money available to correct all these conditions.

There were taxes collected to right every wrong.

But there were the hands of the corruptors reaching deep into the public till.

Almost finished, huh?

I have about a half hour. Good.

Hey, let me see them, huh? Oh, boy, a man can be really big with these.

What have you got there?

Now, what is it, Kustak?

Nothing.

Come on, let's see.

Oh, I haven't got anything.

Did you hear what I said?

Let's have it.

I haven't got anything.

I'm going to ask you one more time.

Come across. Let's have it.

Look, teacher.

He's awful, Celery. Pardon me, pardon me. All right.

Where is it?

Come on, one of you, speak up.

Come on, one of you, show a little guts.

Where is it?

Where is it?

Who has it?

Who has it? Who has what?

It seems our dear teacher doesn't know what he's looking for.

I have to apologize, Q-Stack. I shouldn't have done that.

He, uh, he clouted me real hard. It, uh, it still hurts.

He, uh, he picked on me, Mr. Spannard.

That's the truth, so help me.

I was minding my own business. Making brass knuckles.

He's, uh...

He's got it in for me.

I didn't do a thing, so help me.

I was at my bench... You're lying, you're lying, you're lying.

You've been lying ever since you came to this school. He doesn't know the truth.

Crazy.

You see what he does to me? He even calls me a liar, you see.

What about these brass knuckles, Kustak?

Well, what would I know about any of that? I want an honest answer. Well, look,

would I lie to you, the principal? Kustak, come on, Kustak.

Look, Mr. Spannard, he says that there is this thing about which I do not know.

So, okay, where is it?

One of his pals hid them.

He says.

Ask anybody in class, and they'll tell you he

just made it up because he's got it in for me.

I swear on my mother's grave.

Right on her grave.

That'll be all.

Yes, Mr. Spannard, sir.

Yes, sir.

You know he's lying. I wasn't thinking about

Kustak. I was thinking about you, McLeod.

You only weakened your position with violence. A teacher must maintain his dignity.

Dignity over what? Animals like Kustak?

He's not an animal, McCloud. Whatever you think of him, he's not an animal.

And I am a teacher.

I do best what I've been trained to do best, teach history.

Not shop or an occasional utility class you have to assign me to.

And the same goes for Kustak. He needs a specialist.

And isolation.

Otherwise, we're just asking for trouble.

I hear you, and I hear myself.

30 years ago.

We're a poor school. We'll be a lot poorer if we don't do something about it.

You're asking for the impossible.

The practical solution is to work with what we have. No, no, that's the fault.

Turning our back on the problem, Mr. Spannard.

You want miracles, McCloud.

There are some things that can't be changed.

I started in this very building 30 years ago as a substitute teacher.

Things were the same then.

30 years.

Wasted.

I was a young man like you, with a dream and an ideal. I loved knowledge.

I wanted to spread it, inspire my pupil.

And I settled for the security of a weekly paycheck.

It's a dream, McLeod.

Only a dream.

A citizens' committee, which had been hamstrung in their

efforts to alleviate the conditions in the school system,

tipped me off to the political maneuverings of John Walsh,

a local bigwig in the party.

As leader of a powerful organization,

Walsh could obtain key appointments for building inspectors and expedite

school appropriations where it would do him the most good.

Jack Flood's job was to put together the visible evidence of this racket.

With a school construction and repair program averaging 100 million a year,

the payoffs were said to total 10 million annually.

This was the background for the Q-Stacks.

All of it living proof of a wasteland.

Firehose is rotting.

Loose stairway supports, cracked walls, doors off hinges, smashed windows,

falling ceiling plaster. Yeah, you name it.

Real pretty, huh?

I'll have to ask where the money went. That's the

usual pattern. Payoffs, kickbacks, shakedowns.

And a big fat slice going to the hands of John F. Walsh himself.

And the price of corruption being paid by school kids.

We waste them, Jack, a million kids a year, dropouts.

We force them out of schools like these to become

drifters, wasters, rejects, outsiders.

And a few aimless years on the outside, they become dynamite.

Kids jealous of anybody who has anything more than they have.

And the number of teachers willing to take the gaffe gets smaller and smaller.

More coffee?

Thanks.

It's a lovely evening out.

Just what you ordered to take Julie to the park.

Julie? Is my birthday girl ready to go with her daddy?

Just a minute, Mommy.

Something wrong, Frank?

You hardly touched your dinner.

No, I wasn't hungry.

Trouble at school?

There's always trouble there.

Is it worth it, Frank?

This constant struggle against the odds.

I don't know.

I used to think so.

I can't give up.

What I like to do, what I want to do.

What makes me feel as though I'm accomplishing something.

Frank, I want to understand. Only it isn't easy.

I go to the shopping market and listen to them sometimes.

The women.

They talk about their trips and the new cars they're buying.

And I wonder about you.

Underpaid and not even being appreciated.

I want to teach.

That's why it's wrong, Frank,

for a teacher to earn less than the janitor at your school.

It won't always be like that.

No.

One day, you'll be the superintendent of schools.

You get to do everything you've always wanted to do.

Separate classes for the boys who need help, specially trained teachers.

I don't like to hear you so bitter.

And I don't want to preach, Frank.

Only I keep thinking how little it's brought you.

I get enough.

You know, see good come out of kids that might otherwise be wasted.

Well, well, Miss McCloud, look at you.

Look at here.

You see how grown up your daughter is?

Must be that extra year. I'm ready, Daddy.

You are?

Well, let's not keep the carousel waiting then.

Bye-bye.

Let's go.

Goodbye, dear. Bye.

Have a good time. Bye, Mommy.

Bucky, Bucky, I gotta talk to you. It's important. Are you crazy?

I've got money on this shot.

Forget it. This is important. Later. Listen to me.

This is... Look!

When I want you to talk to me, I'll tell you.

I'd better make this shot.

I just better.

I thought you got worry on your face, old man. Hey, Hal.

You ever see a guy worry so much?

I think it's six bucks.

What's the matter?

I'm not going to get a chance to make it up? Come on.

Come on.

All right, Sandy. Listen,

I just saw our dear teacher taking his kid to the amusement park.

Are you sure?

Hey, Roger, we're still over on the merry-go-round.

Hey, don't flip out, man. I mean, cool it.

Because they're going to be here a while, and we'll keep an eye on them. Hey.

Hey.

You want this back?

You really want it?

Hey, we're going to see your uncle.

Yeah. Yeah? Where? Where?

Yeah. Come on.

Come on.

There's your uncle. You know something, he's right. If you look,

there's a slight resemblance. Hey, take a look.

Go on, go on, go on. Oh, Daddy.

You do, huh? You love it? Yeah. All right, well, what are we gonna do next?

The Ferris wheel.

The Ferris wheel.

You think so? Yeah.

I'm sorry you lost your balloon, honey.

That's all right, Daddy.

I'm sure having a good time.

Daddy, you went away.

Oh, oh, I'm sorry, honey. I was just thinking about something.

I love you.

I love you, too.

You know what I want.

You do a good job.

I'll be waiting for you.

You don't mind about that balloon going up in the air, huh?

You know, I don't think you've ever been out this late before in your life.

It's all right, honey. Julie, it's all right.

Why did they hit you, Daddy?

Why did they hit you? It's okay, honey. It's okay. It's okay.

We're going home. What a bunch.

What a bunch of lumps.

Yeah, when you give you guys a job, you sure know how to louse it up, don't you?

Man, you sure know how to louse it up. We tried, Rocky. Why don't you shut up?

Wow.

Yeah, you let him get away. No, no, you let him take

you. That's what you did. You let him take you.

Three against one.

A teacher.

Man, that guy must be a tiger.

Excuse me.

You, uh... You weren't there, were you?

No, no, you weren't there.

Man, you can really make tracks.

That's wild, that's wild. Wow. You know, you should have worked him over real good.

But you know, he worked you guys over. He took you apart at the seams.

He really gave you guys a lesson.

Well, he's got a lesson coming, too.

Please, God, don't let those bad boys hurt my daddy again.

God bless Mommy and Daddy and make those boys not hurt Daddy again.

I'm sorry it happened, honey.

You can't just pass it off like that, Frank.

Not now.

Not when they mean to do you physical harm.

And Julie, forced to look on while those thugs attacked you.

Don't make it tougher than it already is.

I want you to go to the police, Frank.

Now.

Now, before you have a chance to talk yourself out of it.

I can't.

Why not, Frank?

I'm a teacher, not a policeman.

Some of those kids are with me, and I can't lose them. And the others, well,

I think they got the message tonight.

I don't want theory, Frank.

Just protection for my family.

Now you're talking through anger.

Yes, Frank.

Cold, calculated anger.

Don't you realize those hoodlums are... They're laughing at us.

Maybe planning more moves against you.

Stop, Frank. Please.

Well, now, what's wrong with putting students into beautiful surroundings,

making our schools proper, dignified places of learning? You call that a waste?

Putting in luxurious shower rooms that have never been used is a waste.

Well, some kids just don't think to showering, I guess.

Maybe they would if the pipes were connected with the water lines.

Oh, yes, yes, that's quite an oversight.

I'll have to look into that.

Sure, mistakes are only natural.

Like in bids for school construction. That old chestnut.

You know about sore losers, Mr. Marino.

I know about schools where kids aren't getting a

fair shake because of waste, neglect, and graft.

You're accusing me of an awful lot. Why not the London Bridge that's falling down?

I might if you build it.

That's pretty good. Say, I can go along with the joke, Marino. How about you?

I didn't mean to be funny.

Well, of course, there's always a certain amount of red tape,

and a few dollars do get wasted, but nobody gets hurt.

School kids bullied by gangs,

teachers in sheer self-defense turning their backs or quitting,

and you tell me nobody gets hurt?

Well, now I went to a pretty tough school myself, and it didn't hurt me.

Plenty of kids have come out of the slums and gone on to be judges, mayors,

even governors. Those that have what it takes make it.

Some do and some don't, that's all. Now, you're not going to change human nature.

Like I say, Mr. Marino, Nobody gets hurt.

Unless, of course, they ask for it.

Before we begin today's class in history,

I'd like to give you a little of my personal history.

It may be of interest to some of you.

I used to be a Marine on Guadalcanal.

I was trained for work behind enemy lines, especially hand-to-hand combat.

Anything else you'd like to know about me, please ask.

No?

Good.

Then let's get to today's lesson.

Democracy.

Its meaning.

Page 287.

Come.

Real good. Table turns out as good as the drawing.

You can take over the class.

Good work.

Big man.

Well, I wouldn't want to tangle with him again.

You won't have to.

You got something up for McCloud?

What are you gonna do, Rocky?

Something.

He means this.

Better.

Better.

There's nothing erotic about a switchblade held at your throat.

There's just not enough money for everything.

What you mean is, instead of making recommendations, you've been taking orders.

You have no right to say that.

And you have no right to protect yourself at the expense of a school.

I know you expect to retire in a few months, on a pension.

Then it'll all be behind you.

So why upset the apple cart now, huh? I've heard enough.

Please, Mr. Marino, I... Oh, no, you haven't.

Not until people are aware of it and are willing to do something about it.

And you might tell your friend Walsh...

But in a mess like this, somebody always gets hurt.

All right, boys. Here we go. Here we go.

Never let it be said that John Walsh didn't play it fair and square.

Right, boys?

Equal opportunity for all. The American way. Am I right, boys?

How about it, Don?

Yes, John. Good, good. And Don Kerry should know, gentlemen. Well,

who got the lucky number?

Come on, who's got it? Emmett, Emmett, congratulations.

Emmett.

The building contract for the new school on 14th Street is yours.

Now, I hold up my end. I see to it that your bid makes it among these four,

and I also see to it that all other bids are disqualified.

You know what you do. Consolation prize to these

other gentlemen is agreed in payment to you,

of course, for your efforts. That's right. That's right.

Everything nice and neat and nobody gets hurt. Gentlemen,

the bar's set up in the other room. Will you go in and have a drink?

Don and I'll join you in just a minute.

Hey, where are you going? Out. How far?

For a walk in the park. Like, man, I'm real hot.

Get back to work. You heard me.

You're a very cruel teacher, very misunderstanding.

Let go of me! Come on.

Let go of me!

Oh, my arm.

It's broken. My whole arm is broken.

Oh, come on, come on.

I can't move it. It's broken. He did it. He broke my arm.

Oh, teach. Hey, we better get him to the nurse.

Yeah, yeah, the nurse. Can we take him to the

nurse? All right, all right, everybody.

Come on, get back to work.

Let's go.

Oh, hey, hey, what's the idea? We're supposed to go see the nurse.

Rocky said it should look real bad when the nurse sees it.

I'm sorry, Roy.

He said a broken arm should be a broken arm.

Come on, come on. No, you can't do that. What? He was only kidding.

Do you really think it'll work?

I know it will.

You got it all straightened out, don't you, Hazel?

Yeah.

How about you?

You girls go practice, because I don't want any slip-ups.

Sure, Rocky.

You know, I really think this is going to clinch it for McCloud.

What about me? I did all right, didn't I?

You know what I'm going to do? About what?

I'm going to autograph that.

With love and kisses from The Rock.

He put the Hargrove boy up to it.

You should have gone straight to the police

the night they attacked you in the alley.

I couldn't.

That would be admitting absolute defeat.

You go on about dedication.

And I think about my family. Who knows what might have happened that night?

What do you suppose I think about every time you take her out?

I even imagine somebody's following me.

Julie's forgotten about it, Helen. I wish she would.

No, she hasn't, Frank.

You were asleep last night.

I heard her sobbing. Oh, it's no good, Frank.

I want to do it your way, only it gets more difficult.

I just can't give up.

You can get another job teaching in a better neighborhood

and for more appreciation, too. Oh, Frank.

I don't want to see you hurt.

I love you.

Come in. Good morning. Good morning.

Good morning, girls.

You sent for me?

Yes, I did.

Now repeat, in Mr. McCloud's presence.

What you told me.

We saw Mr. McCloud peeking through the door of the girls' locker room.

What?

Isn't that right, Marie?

And it wasn't only yesterday. It's happened before. Yes.

Yes?

Marie.

Now, Marie, you know me better than that.

Why are you doing this, Marie?

Why? Who put you up to this?

Girls, you may leave. No, no, no.

No, I want them to stay.

Marie, why are you doing this?

You don't tell lies.

What have I ever done to you that you should do this to me?

Marie, please.

Girls.

Marie, I've never mistreated you in any way.

Why should you do... Give me leave.

You believe that, Tripe?

You said you didn't strike the Hargrove boy either, but his arm is broken.

It happened after he left the shop, I told you.

There is no tactic too low or filthy for that Kustak boy.

You've got to know that.

McLeod.

I'm going to let you slip out of this gracefully by resigning.

Resign?

The less fuss, the better.

You mean for you.

The less trouble for you, the better.

Maintain the status quo. Keep the lid on the garbage can. Well, I'm not buying.

No, sir.

I was going to tell you today that I was leaving, but not now.

Nobody's going to scare me off.

I'm staying.

Then I have no alternative but to discharge you.

All the better.

I'm going to the school board and demand a hearing.

You only make things worse for yourself.

Mr. Spannard, what happened to your dream?

The one that made you a teacher?

I understand the hearing is set for next Tuesday.

I've got a right to teach,

and I've got a right to defend myself against

lies and accusations. Of course you have.

But unfortunately, you did hit Q-Stack. You've admitted it.

And they'll play that up for everything it's worth.

I'm not trained to deal with monsters.

This boy needs to be separated from the rest.

He's probably beyond rehabilitation, but nonetheless,

they gotta get him out of there.

Spanner just turns his back on the whole thing. I don't know.

Maybe it's a question of money.

They'll dirty your name, Frank.

They'll tell their story, those girls, use it against you.

Because that's all they have to use against you. You know, one time, Mr. Marino,

you wouldn't find any bickering in this house.

We had time to laugh with Julie.

That's what this job has done to us.

We have a right to some peace, Mr. Marino.

He's gone as far as he can here, Mr. Marino. Done as much as he can do.

I'm not throwing in my hat now.

Not now.

You were going to leave. Nothing's changed since last week.

Oh, yes.

Yes.

You see, Mr. Marino, what it's done to us?

I can't blame him.

Only hope.

I'm not trying to be a hero, Helen. You've got to believe that.

I know, Frank.

She's right, Frank.

You'll be the scapegoat. You'll play right into their hands.

They'd rather expose one bad teacher than a hundred bad kids.

A hundred bad kids reflects a corrupt system.

But one bad teacher?

Just a rotten apple to be tossed away.

No, but he's gonna talk me out of it.

I don't intend to.

I just want you to be aware of what you're up against.

And I figure if you're going to go through with this, maybe you'll need some help.

I told you, everything is nothing more to say.

You lied.

Marie, you're going to have to live with this for the rest of your life.

You'll never be able to forget it.

I have to go now.

You didn't see me do what you said.

You didn't see me.

I did.

I'm not that kind of a man. You know it.

Why did you say I was?

Marie, you'd really like to tell the truth, wouldn't you?

I did. Ask Hazel. She lives upstairs. Go on up and ask her.

Don't compare yourself to Hazel. You're different from Hazel.

You're not the same kind of a girl.

Come on, Marie.

Tell us the truth.

Please, I told you everything I can.

You mean what Rocky Custack ordered you to say? Marie.

Marie, what have I ever done to you?

Don't you realize what you're doing to Mr. McCloud?

A man who never harmed you, who only means well.

Please.

And his daughter, they'll be hurt too.

Is that what you really want?

I didn't want to do it. I was just afraid of Rocky.

All you have to do is tell the truth.

Rocky! Forget Rocky.

Just go on as you were until you appear at the hearing.

After that, you won't have to worry about Rocky Custack anymore.

I promise.

Okay.

I'll tell you everything.

Hazel, what's the matter?

I'm scared.

Well, walk.

Look, now, do you want Rocky to get mad at us?

But there's no light.

He's waiting for us inside.

Now, come on. Rocky?

Rocky!

There's nobody around.

Well, look, you just wait here, and I'll go see

if I can find him. Hazel, can I just wait here?

You're a real bird.

You already know how to sing.

Well, I'm gonna give you a lesson.

Listen, don't hurt her. He shouldn't hurt her. Where do you think you're going?

He's not going to hurt her.

Don't worry. Take it easy.

What's this about, Marino?

You'll see.

Q-Stack's handiwork.

She was going to tell the truth to the school board.

How does it make you feel, Spenett?

Are you blaming me for what happened to that girl?

You decide that.

You decide how far you'll go to protect your own skin.

Mr. Marino, I... I... I just don't know.

McLeod?

Clara?

I teach.

You come to play a game?

You know who that cat is, don't you, Hal? If that's the guy,

then that knows all about American history.

Yeah, Blaine, like that, uh, that canal place.

That, uh, that guadal.

He's a real big shot marine, a real hero.

And he knows tricks, too.

This guy can break your arm.

What's the matter, Marine?

You come to show me how you knocked off those other guys?

Get out.

Get out of here!

Hey, guys.

Guys!

Stay away from me, Marine.

I'll bring you.

You're going to tell me everything. Everything. What

you did to that girl. You hear me?

You hear me? Come on.

THE END

Corruption doesn't end with the trial and conviction

of one John Walsh and his clique,

or the weeding out of several juvenile delinquents.

The problem asks for deeper probing and understanding, and this is our heritage.

These young men and women of school age compose our true wealth.

The John Walshes and his kind are just one of the factors that add

to this social dynamite and make the rocky cue stacks possible.

The free American educational system is a precious heritage worth guarding.

And when there's corruption, somebody always gets hurt.