The Student Teachers
| The Student Teachers | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jonathan Kaplan |
| Written by | |
| Produced by | Julie Corman |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Stephen M. Katz |
| Music by | David Nichtern |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | New World Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | U.S. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | Under $100,000[1] |
| Box office | $1,078,000 (U.S./Canada rentals)[2][3] |
The Student Teachers is a 1973 American exploitation film directed by Jonathan Kaplan and produced by Julie Corman. Part of the "nurse" cycle of films that began with The Student Nurses (1970), it was made by the same team behind Night Call Nurses.[4] The film was shot in 15 days for under $100,000 and became one of the most successful entries in the series.[5]
Plot
[edit]Three new teachers at Valley High School attempt to implement progressive teaching methods despite institutional resistance.
Rachel Burton teaches a girls' sex education class. Finding the standard curriculum focused on disease prevention and abstinence messaging, she introduces supplementary discussions on contraception, consent, and sexual health. Burton organizes after-school sessions and has students create an educational film addressing topics including pornography and gender dynamics. When school administrators discover these activities, parents file complaints alleging inappropriate content. Burton defends her methods as addressing gaps in traditional sex education, but is subsequently dismissed from her position.
Tracy Davis teaches art and proposes adding figure study through photography to the curriculum. Principal Peters rejects the proposal, directing Davis to maintain conventional lesson plans. Davis continues the project off-campus with student Mickey, using his family's darkroom. The work focuses on lighting techniques, composition, and artistic expression. The collaboration creates tension in Davis's relationship with boyfriend Alex, who objects to both the subject matter and her involvement with the student.
Jody Hawkins mentors Carnell Smith, a former dropout, and involves him in Second Chance, an alternative education program serving single mothers, ex-convicts, and other at-risk populations. When the program faces closure due to financial difficulties, Hawkins devises a plan to obtain funding. She infiltrates the drug operation of Dinwiddie, Smith's former employer, by posing as a buyer. Working with Smith and others, she substitutes the heroin supply with fake product, creating internal conflict within the organization while securing money to maintain the school's operations.
All three teachers encounter opposition from Principal Peters and parents concerned about the school's public image. The educators ultimately resign from Valley High School and join the staff at Second Chance, where they can continue their alternative educational approaches.
Cast
[edit]- Susan Damante as Rachel Burton
- Brooke Mills as Tracy Davis
- Brenda Sutton as Jody Hawkins
- Johnny Ray McGhee as Carnell Smith
- Bob Harris as Dinwiddie
- John Kramer as Alex Boslick
- Dick Miller as Coach Harris
- Chuck Norris as Karate Advisor
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]Roger Corman had achieved success with The Student Nurses, written by Stephanie Rothman and Charles S. Swartz and directed by Rothman. He initially commissioned Rothman to write The Student Teachers, but she left New World Pictures after The Velvet Vampire to work for Dimension Pictures.[6]
Following two successful sequels to The Student Nurses - Private Duty Nurses and Night Call Nurses - Corman decided to expand the concept to teachers. Director Jonathan Kaplan, who had directed Night Call Nurses, recalled: "After Night Call Nurses was done, I didn't talk to him again for a while. Then Julie called me and said, 'We're a big hit in Tallahassee! Roger wants you to come out and make the same movie, but with teachers instead of nurses'."[7]
Writing
[edit]Producer Jon Davison noted that no one who worked on The Student Teachers ever saw the original Rothman/Swartz script. A new script was written by Kaplan and Danny Opatoshu (who had helped write Night Call Nurses), but Corman requested rewrites.[1]
Kaplan later explained his approach to early filmmaking: "When I looked at the filmographies of the directors I admired, I noticed that they made a hell of a lot of movies before they made a good one. And I made the decision consciously to make as many movies as I could in as short a period of time as I could."[8]
Filming
[edit]The film was shot in 15 days for under $100,000, including three days of filming at the Paramount Ranch. According to Davison, Corman removed several jokes from the final chase sequence to play it more seriously.[1]
Casting
[edit]The lead role was originally written for Patti Byrne, who had appeared in Kaplan's Night Call Nurses, but when she did not commit, the role went to Susan Damante. Kaplan's sister, Nora Heflin, and mother, Frances Heflin, appear in the film and share a scene together. Chuck Norris has a small role as the karate advisor.[1]
Post-production
[edit]Producer Jon Davison invited Joe Dante to Los Angeles to edit the film's trailer, which launched Dante's career at New World Pictures.[7]
Reception
[edit]Box office
[edit]The Student Teachers was released on May 31, 1973, and earned $1,078,000 in U.S. and Canada rentals, making it one of the most successful films in the nurse/teacher cycle.[2][3]
Critical response
[edit]The film received mixed reviews from critics. Writing in the Chicago Reader, film critic Dave Kehr described it as "an ugly, exploitative downer," but acknowledged that director Kaplan "puts some infectious high spirits into the incidental action." However, Kehr criticized the film's structure, noting "it seems a shame when the film is forced to stop every 10 or 15 minutes so the three lead actresses can take off their shirts."[9]
DVD Talk critic Tyler Foster was less favorable, calling the film "a slog" and noting that "there's not enough of a connection between teaching and mobsters to justify shoehorning this material into the film."[10]
Chuck Norris, who had been told the movie was about unconventional teachers, took his karate students to a screening and was surprised by the amount of sex and nudity in the film.[11]
Roger Corman later praised the film, stating it "was one of the best of that series, and it was one of the most successful. I think it proves that if a film is made a little bit better than other films in the genre, it will do better."[5]
Marketing influence
[edit]The film's promotional artwork became a template for later exploitation marketing campaigns. In 1977, the advertising materials for The Student Teachers were borrowed by distributor Jack H. Harris for the re-release of the unrelated 1973 drama The Swinging Teacher (originally titled Just Be There), creating misleading marketing that suggested the film was part of the sexploitation genre despite its serious dramatic content.[12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Jon Davison on The Student Teachers at Trailers From Hell
- ^ a b "Big Rental Films of 1973". Variety. January 9, 1974. p. 60.
- ^ a b Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American Film Distribution: The Changing Marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 298. ISBN 978-0-8357-1776-2.
- ^ "Saturday the 14th: Interview with Producer Julie Corman". The Frida Cinema. November 15, 2021.
- ^ a b Corman, Roger (1979). The Movie World of Roger Corman. p. 181.
- ^ Koetting, Christopher T. (2013). Mind Warp!: The Fantastic True Story of Roger Corman's New World Pictures. p. 18.
- ^ a b Nashawaty, Chris (2013). Roger Corman: King of the B Movie: Crab Monsters, Teenage Cavemen, and Candy Stripe Nurses. p. 130.
- ^ Taylor, Paul (February 1, 1989). "Keep on Truckin' - Jonathan Kaplan". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 56, no. 661.
- ^ Kehr, Dave (December 2, 1985). "The Student Teachers". Chicago Reader. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ Foster, Tyler. "Presenting Roger Corman's...Best of B*s Collection 2: Naughty Nurses & Tawdry Teachers". DVD Talk. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ Norris, Chuck (1988). The Secret of Inner Strength: My Story. Little, Brown. pp. 91–92. ISBN 978-0-316-61191-6.
- ^ "Pictures: PG Pic Poses as an R, Too Mild: Cancel 'The Swinging Teachers' Formerly Titled 'Just Be There'". Variety. Vol. 286, no. 13. May 4, 1977. p. 6.
External links
[edit]- The Student Teachers at IMDb
- The Student Teachers at Letterbox DVD