Poitier starred opposite Tony Curtis in Stanley Kramer’s Oscar-winning drama about two escaped convicts who — since they are still chained together — reluctantly agree to cooperate despite their differences.
Reunited with much of the cast of the 1960 Broadway production of Lorraine Hansberry’s play, Poitier plays the ambitious young Chicago man squabbling with his family over how best to spend their late father’s insurance money.
It is Beyond the Blackboard and it is based on the experiences of Stacey Bess, a first time teacher in Utah. Her efforts on behalf of homeless students make for an inspirational and emotional TV movie, and this film shows the power of one person making a difference.
She has a husband and two children but she is called to teach. When she meets the school administrator (Timothy Busfield ) in her area, he is quite adamant that she commit to filling out the school term in the class where she is assigned. He also stresses that she must be able to teach grades one through six.
Louise Halloran, The Meek Teacher (Barbara Fritchie) – A beautiful young music teacher who has been looking nervous and toting a gun around during school hours. She’s afraid of someone, but who? When Hildegarde Withers discovers her body, it would seem that that gun wasn’t enough.
Jane Davis, The Bitter Roommate (Gertrude Michael) – Louise’s roommate and friend, but once it’s uncovered that Louise won $300,000 in a sweepstakes using Jane’s money, how likely is it that Jane offed Louise to claim her full share of the riches?