Teddy Infuhr

Teddy Infuhr (November 9, 1936 – May 12, 2007), born Theodore Edward Infuhr, was an American child actor.

Biography

Missouri-born child actor Teddy Infuhr, youngest of four, moved with his family to Los Angeles when he was three and was initially prodded into acting by his mother. A young student at the Rainbow Studios, he was spotted by a talent agent and booked the very first film he went out on with The Tuttles of Tahiti (1942) at the age of five. Throughout the rest of the 1940s he would find steady roles as mean-spirited tykes, trouble-makers or bullying types, never settling down to one specific studio.

A good portion of his work was noticeable yet he also appeared unbilled much of the time. Unable to move into the major child star leagues, he was cast in some of the biggest pictures Hollywood had to offer including A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Spellbound and The Best Years of Our Lives. In the later film, Infuhr played a drugstore brat chided by Dana Andrews' character, Fred Derry. One of his more oddball roles included the role of Gale Sondergaard's fly-catching nephew in The Spider Woman.

Blackboard Jungle

Blackboard Jungle is a 1955 social commentary film about teachers in an inter-racial inner-city school, based on the novel of the same name by Evan Hunter and adapted for the screen and directed by Richard Brooks. It is remembered for its innovative use of rock and roll in its soundtrack and for the unusual breakout role of a black Bahamian-American cast member, future Oscar winner and star Sidney Poitier as a rebellious, yet musically talented student.

Plot

Richard Dadier (Glenn Ford) is a new teacher at North Manual High School, an inner-city school of diverse ethnic backgrounds where many of the pupils, led by student Gregory Miller (Sidney Poitier), frequently engage in anti-social behavior. Dadier makes various attempts to engage the students' interest in education, challenging both the school staff and the pupils. He is subjected to violence as well as duplicitous schemes; he first suspects Miller, but later realizes that Artie West (Vic Morrow) is the perpetrator, and challenges him in a tense classroom showdown involving a switchblade knife.

Blackboard Jungle (TV series)

Blackboard Jungle is an Irish quiz show hosted by Ray D'Arcy that aired for seven series on Network 2 between 1991 and 1997. The show, which aired up to three times a week, featured two teams of three representing two competing secondary schools. A grand final was held at the end of each series.

References