Sponsored Films

Boy with a Knife (1955)
Sponsor: Los Angeles Community Chest. Production Co.: Dudley Pictures Corp. Director: Laslo Benedek. Narrator: Richard Widmark. Cast: Chuck Connors. Transfer Note: Scanned from a 16mm print held by the Library of Congress. Running Time: 20 minutes.

Drama arguing for more sympathetic treatment of troubled adolescents. A social worker reaches out to Jerry, a disturbed youngster in an unhappy home dominated by an uncaring stepmother. During a melodramatic confrontation, Jerry takes out his anger by attacking sofa cushions with a switchblade. Shot like a low-budget Hollywood feature, the film mirrors the period’s growing concern with juvenile delinquency.

Note: Boy with a Knife was made as a fund-raiser for the Los Angeles Community Chest and distributed widely.