Platinum High School

Platinum High School
Platinum High School
Directed by	Charles Haas
Screenplay by	Robert Smith
Based on	Irving Shulman
Produced by	Albert Zugsmith
Starring	Mickey Rooney; Terry Moore; Dan Duryea
Cinematography	Russell Metty
Edited by	Gene Ruggiero
Music by	Van Alexander
Color process	Black and white
Production; company	Zugsmith-Fryman
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates	May 13, 1960 (United States); May 25, 1960 (New York City);
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$627,000
Box office	$570,000

Platinum High School is a 1960 American crime drama romance film directed by Charles Haas and starring Mickey Rooney, Terry Moore and Dan Duryea. It was based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Irving Shulman.

Plot

Sailing to a coastal California island, Steven Conway sets out to find out what caused the mysterious death of his son. Denied food and lodging at his first two stops, Conway goes to a remote and elite military school on Sabre Island. The school is run by Major Redfern Kelly, whose secretary Jennifer Evans wonders why it took Conway four months to come inquire about his son.

Conway explains that he had been in Pakistan the past few months on a business project and only recently found out that the boy's mother, now deceased, had sent him to this exclusive academy with the $10,000 tuition. He asks to see his son's records and to speak to a student, Crip Hastings, who might have witnessed the boy's death.

Jennifer is having an affair with the married Kelly and warns the major not to let Conway speak to the Hastings boy. Three cadets begin to harass Conway, attempting to provoke him into a fight. They taunt Crip as well, warning him to say nothing.

Conway learns that his son was accidentally killed by the cadets in a brutal initiation rite. On the boat home, Jennifer pretends to help, but has arranged an ambush. It backfires as she falls into shark-infested waters while Conway sets the boat ablaze with Kelly aboard. He makes his way back to shore safely when Joe Nibley shoots at the sharks in the water.

Cast

Mickey Rooney as Steven Conway
Terry Moore as Jennifer Evens
Dan Duryea as Maj. Redfern Kelly
Conway Twitty as Billy Jack Barnes
Warren Berlinger as 'Crip' Hastings
Yvette Mimieux as Lorinda Nibley
Jimmy Boyd as Bud Starkweather
Richard Jaeckel as Hack Marlow
Elisha Cook Jr. as Harry Nesbit
Jack Carr as Joe Nibley
Christopher Dark as Vince Perley
Harold Lloyd Jr. as Charlie-Boy Cable

Production

The film was the last made in a six-film deal between producer Albert Zugsmith and MGM.^[2]

Reception

According to MGM records the film earned $175,000 in the US and Canada and $150,000 elsewhere, making a loss to the studio of $270,000.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
^ Scheuer, Philip K. (June 5, 1959). "Rooney to Rejoin Albert Zugsmith: 'Platinum High School' Vehicle; Trade Paper Raps High Prices". Los Angeles Times. p. A9.

External links

Platinum High School at IMDb
Platinum High School at the TCM Movie Database

[Mannix-1] The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[2] Scheuer, Philip K. (June 5, 1959). "Rooney to Rejoin Albert Zugsmith: 'Platinum High School' Vehicle; Trade Paper Raps High Prices". Los Angeles Times. p. A9.

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