First-time teacher Jane Richards (Dorothy Dandridge) is troubled to learn that one of her students, C.T. Young (Philip Hepburn), has a history of taking two years to complete each grade. Although everyone else has given up on him, Jane resolves to get him through the fourth grade on a normal schedule.

Historical context:

As Donald Bogle explains in Hollywood Black, MGM wanted Dorothy Dandridge to sign an oath promising that she was not a Communist before they would cast her in Bright Road. Though she refused, she was made to explain some of her political activities in a letter. MGM accepted this and gave her the glamorous star treatment during her entrance in the film.

Bright Road

Adapted from: “See How They Run” by Mary Elizabeth Vroman (1951)

Director: Gerald Mayer

Year: 1953

Studio: MGM

Genre: Drama