Up the Down Staircase (1967)

TOMATOMETER

80%

——

Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.

AUDIENCE SCORE

68%

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Movie Info

Based on a novel by Bel Kaufman, this is the story of a new teacher in the New York public school system who wants to make a difference in her students' lives. Sandy Dennis' portrayal of the flighty, slightly mad young woman of Kaufman's book was excellent, but the frenetic energy of the book was not duplicated by the movie.
  • Rating:
    NR
  • Genre:
    Classics, Drama
  • Directed By:
    Robert Mulligan
  • Written By:
    Tad Mosel
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    WARNER BROTHERS PICTURES

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Cast

Sandy Dennis
as Sylvia Barrett
Patrick Bedford
as Paul Barringer
Eileen Heckart
as Henrietta Pastorfield
Roy Poole
as McHabe
Jeff Howard
as Joe
Ellen O'Mara
as Alice
José Rodríguez
as Jose
Ruth White
as Miss Schracter
Jean Stapleton
as Miss Finch
Sorrell Booke
as Bester
Florence Stanley
as Ella Friedenberg
Vinette Carroll
as Mother
Salvatore Rasa
as Harry A. Kagan
John Fantauzzi
as Ed Williams
María Landa
as Carole Blanca
Lewis Wallach
as Lou Martin
Loretta Leversee
as Social Studies Teacher
José Rodríguez
as José
Robert Levine
as Mr. Osborne
Vinnette Carrol
as The Mother
Elena Karam
as Nurse Eagen
Frances Sternhagen
as Charlotte Wolf
Candace Culkin
as Linda Rosen
Janice Mars
as Miss Gordon
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Critic Reviews for Up the Down Staircase

All Critics (5) | Top Critics (1)

We need more American films like Up the Down Staircase. We need more films that might be concerned, even remotely, with real experiences that might once have happened to real people.

Oct 23, 2004 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic

Humorless version of Kaufman's novel doesn't show Mulligan's personal touch.

Aug 16, 2012 | Full Review…
Classic Film and Television

Picks up where Blackboard Jungle (1955) left off.

Jan 8, 2010 | Rating: B- | Full Review…
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

One of Hollywood's earnest efforts about highschool education, sort of a female version of Blackboard Jungle and To Sir With Love, with Sandy Dennis in the lead.

Feb 8, 2009 | Rating: B- | Full Review…
EmanuelLevy.Com
View All Critic Reviews (5)

Audience Reviews for Up the Down Staircase

Well made, well acted drama of a young teacher's struggle to adapt to a tough inner city school. Some of the sheen has worn off the topicality of the issue since there have been many versions of it but this is a fine rendering of the tale. Sandy Dennis is perfectly cast in the lead.

jay nixon
jay nixon

Super Reviewer

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Up the Down Staircase Quotes

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