McGraw Hill Films presents “Portrait of the Inner City” (:07), a film displaying the life of an African American boy named Tommy who lives in an inner city in Illinois, most likely Chicago. Factors which affect Tommy’s life in the ghetto are discussed. The viewer is able to visibly see the realities of life experienced in a degrading and impoverished environment. It also shows how school, for disadvantaged youth, can either be a place of confinement and failure or a place for the child to grow. It opens with snowy shots of the inner city (:12). The camera pans over a wet playground (:27). Black students march from class as the school day ends (:35). Tommy pauses and stands in front as rain streams down (:58). He takes off running passing a Pabst Blue Ribbon delivery truck (1:26). He passes a man walking a dog as well as a boarded up building (2:21). Cracks riddle the sidewalks (2:23). Tommy meets friends in an alley way (2:36). A dog barks behind a chain fence (2:40). A sign advertises 7up (2:52) outside a small convince store. A man sits slumped up against a local Musical Bar (2:54). A man sparks up a cigarette on the sidewalk of skid row (3:03); shops and bars visible behind him. A woman carts groceries in a brown paper bag (3:07). A young child buttons up against the cold (3:09). A man pushes a wooden cart (3:10) up to the back entrance of a shop. Glass booze bottles are hammered and smashed in a bucket (3:16). A shoe shine (3:19). Youth skip up and down on the sidewalk (3:27). Girls play hopscotch (3:40). The narrator mentions the difficulty of life for disadvantaged youth (3:48). Families tend to move frequently. A girl watches a family move onto the block (3:53). Two girls meet on the sidewalk (4:08) and form a friendship. One of the girls clutches at her books while talking with her mother (4:23). She appears anxious about first day at class at the new school (4:31). Her mother drags her up the stone steps (4:37). Chairs and mattress springs litter a filthy alley way (4:58). A man checks a rickety railing (5:11). The weight of living in impoverished areas is discussed (5:11). A man informs a landlord of the issues with the property (5:27). The landlord brushes off complaints of the tenants (5:33). He mentions ‘fixing’ the electrical inspector as well as the town committee (5:47). Tommy listens (5:55). His face churns and his spins away up the stairs dismayed (6:28). Pedestrians move by a convenience store and shoe store (6:33). He walks with his younger brother (6:46); a city bus runs behind him. The narrator mentions the often unexpected strong sense of community in impoverished areas (7:00). A theater advertises the 1964 release, “The Devil-Ship Pirates” behind the boys (7:05). A Cohen’s Coddies delivery truck appears (7:16). A local business owner of a clothing store (7:25) addresses timeliness to a new employee. Another employee; Tommy’s brother named Douglas, shows a customer specific sizing of a garment (7:42). Students rehearse a play at the community center (9:08). The play delivers the message of a need for a cleanup project (9:15) serving as a tool of unification and progress in the community. The students collect waste around their city (10:26) transforming creativity into action. The Riviera Theater appears in the night (10:40). Neon lights flash (10:47) enticing city dwellers for night festivities. Headlights zoom by (10:59). Two police officers stand by a cluster of young men (11:01). Parents listen intently to a speaker at a PTA meeting (11:27). The principal addresses the group (11:29) informing the parents the need for reading material in the home. Discusses benefits of youth taking trips with their family (12:39). Tommy passes the same man slumped against the liquor store brick wall (13:34) on his way home. The narrator says: environment directly affects his learning (13:48). Produced by Vision Associates Inc. (14:21). Credits (14:40).

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