Ira, You'll Get into Trouble
Cast & Crew
Stephen A. Sbarge
Alan Burke
Mark Rappaport
Stephen A. Sbarge
Stephen A. Sbarge
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
The film focuses on the New York City teachers strike of 1968 as told primarily from the viewpoint of a small group of mostly white male high school students, among them, Ira of the title, who write, print and distribute a radical student newspaper and take part in a television talk show. In between scenes of the students discussing how to "overthrow the oppressive system," the film shows the students frolicking at a beach. Featured is a sequence in which the students are prepared by a professional makeup man to appear on a television talk show hosted by Alan Burke and follows them through the broadcast, as they express sometimes naïve or inarticulate viewpoints and obviously enjoy the attention. After listening to the students' express their opinions on his show, Burke concludes that "the greatest weapon [the students] have is their childishness." One point made by the film is that high school students live at an accelerated pace, experimenting with alcohol, drugs, sex and politics at an earlier age than their counterparts of ten years earlier.
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The title, according to a January 1971 Village Voice review, was taken from a scene in the film in which a Jewish mother admonishes her son "Ira" to stay out of trouble. The film was produced, directed and photographed by thirty-two-year-old Stephen A. Sbarge, who, according to an October 1971 Variety news item, originally had a "nontheatrical deal" with Universal for his feature-length documentary, but ultimately distributed the film himself.
According to the New York Times review, the New York run of the film lasted two weekends at the Film Forum, an alternative screening venue for independent films that had a fifty-seat capacity. Afterward, according to a July 1987 Variety review, the film was largely forgotten until a 1987 re-release by New Line Cinema. The review reported that it was produced between 1968 through 1970.
As noted in the 1987 Variety review, the larger context of the film is the New York City teachers' strike of 1968, which occurred during an era of nationwide unrest over racial discrimination, the Vietnam War and other issues. According to the New York Times review, the story was inspired by the firing of several Jewish teachers in the predominantly African-American neighborhood of Ocean Hill-Brownsville, in an attempt by the local community to gain control of their public school. Issues emerging from the three citywide teachers' strikes launched by the United Federation of Teachers over the next two months included charges of racism, anti-Semitism and union-busting. According to modern sources, the events resulted in a fundamental shift in politics, culture and race relations in the city.
Ira, You'll Get into Trouble documents high school student activism during this time of trouble. The New York Times review described Sbarge's direction as a "fast-flying, candid-camera format," in which he captured the faces and comments of the sparring factions involved in the dispute and noted that the movie was dominated by a group of student union activists. While acknowledging what the reviewer described as the "self-conscious posing" and "half-baked sloganizing of the teenagers," the 1987 Variety review suggests that the students' "faith in reformist politics is naive but touching."
