The Explosive Generation

This film stars William Shatner as a teacher who teaches class for Seniors on subjects related to graduation and adulthood. However, when he is having a discussion with them, they begin asking about sex and dating. Considering they are graduating soon and many are already 18, the request is pretty reasonable. While the talk never even remotely becomes smutty, when the parents find out about it, the older generation does what every responsible parent would do--they become hysterical and want the teacher's head on a platter! The main thrust (so to speak) of the film is healthy sexuality as well as academic freedom and non-violent resistance.

What surprised me, however, about this film is that the topic was dealt with very realistically and responsibly. In addition, the kids and especially Shatner did a good job of acting. This really was a shock, as Shatner did NOT talk in his usual staccato voice nor did he overact in the least. While I have loved watching Shatner and his histrionics in such terrible films as IMPULSE, here he has nothing to be ashamed of--his acting (pre-star days) was good.

I didn't expect much when I began watching this movie. By the end, I was completely stunned. Although it's billed as a film about teaching sex education in high school in 1961, it is, in fact, about the pivot point at which the silent generation gave way to the "explosive" boomers- the generation that wouldn't take no for an answer. What could have been filled with cheap platitudes about honesty in education and life, turned out to be a really deep exploration of how and why the generations changed from the 1950s to 1960s. The fact that it was made at the time it was happening and no one could know where this would all lead made it more amazing.

Progressive teacher Peter Gifford (William Shatner) allows the students in his class to write essays about anything they want. Most write about sex and their feelings about it. One student tells her mother, other parents find out, go crazy about their kids talking about sex in school (this WAS 1961) and order the principal (Edward Platt!!!) to fire Gifford. He does but the students led by Bobby (Billy Grey), Dan (Lee Kinsolving) and Janet (Patricia McCormack) decide to fight back. But will they win?

This film is laughably dated but still is not bad at all. The kids naivety is actually pretty interesting and the parents overreaction is convincing. This could have become a camp classic but competence at every level makes it work. The acting is pretty good--this is before Shatner became full of himself and it's amusing to see McCormack all grown up from "The Bad Seed". However Billy Grey is TERRIBLE in his role. And look for a young Beau Bridges in a few scenes. It's well-written (and based on a true incident) and I really liked how the students fought back in a non-violent fashion. Also well-directed in stark black & white. It also treats the teenagers (and parents) with respect. The ending was a little TOO goody-goody but still worked.

Worth seeing as a (I think) pretty accurate look at teen life back in 1961. Recommended.

Contrary to the lurid poster and title, The Explosive Generation is an enlightened, sensitive, and even-handed treatment of the issues involved in attempting to include a sexual education curriculum in high schools in the early 1960's. William Shatner is sensitive, realistic, gentle, and winning as the teacher trying to his best only to find his words and methods distorted by those with other agendas.

Patty McCormack (known for the Bad Seed, Kathy O, the Miniskirt Mob, and the Ropers) is quite good as the ingenue made to feel suddenly uncomfortable about her own sexuality in increasingly tense and challenging times. 50's TV fans will enjoy seeing Bud from Father Knows Best (Billy Gray) as one of the students. This is truly worth seeing both as a movie and as a history lesson.

The Explosive Generation is a harbinger of things to come. Little did they know about student protests in 1961. The best that kids could come up with as a protest concern is the dismissal of a popular English teacher. This was way before an unpopular war, a slew of assassinations, and the spread of drugs. This was before half of the Sixties was over.

These kids are as normal a group of Eisenhower era teens as you can find. But when William Shatner asks them about topics they want to discuss in his class and Patty McCormack mentions sex and not in the hygiene manual way it all mushrooms from there.

The parents of these kids particularly Arch Johnson who is McCormack's father get hysterical when their kids want to discuss grownup topics. When Shatner is canned, the protesters led by McCormack, Lee Kinsolving, Suzi Carnell and Billy Gray get creative in their protest. They would have made the kids who sat in in Columbia later in the decade proud.

The Explosive Generation isn't exactly atomic in its impact. More like a few pounds of TNT. Still those nostalgic for the era and its music will like it.