FILM · 1989 · USA
Lean on Me
21 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (21)
- #001
Morgan Freeman spent time with the real-life Joe Clark to capture his mannerisms and speech.
- #002
The real-life Joe Clark resigned as principal of Eastside High School shortly after the film's release. Around the time the film opened, he was suspended for a week by the school board after planning an assembly at which dancers stripped down to their G-strings. Clark said he had not known about this in advance. Ironically, the person who suspended him was Dr. Frank Napier. After leaving Eastside, Clark became an author and motivational speaker. In 1995 he was hired to run a juvenile detention center in Newark, New Jersey, and held that position until he resigned in 2002. During his time there he once again came under fire for his controversial methods.
- #003
Real-life students and teachers from Eastside High School appeared as extras in the film.
- #004
The real Joe Clark died on December 29, 2020.
- #005
In the auditorium scene, when Morgan Freeman's character brings the students onto the stage, a young Michael Imperioli can be seen behind him.
- #006
Although Regina Taylor plays Karen Malina White's mother, in real life she is only five years older than her.
- #007
According to a March 3, 1989 LA Times article, the rights to high school principal Joe Clark's life story were bought by Universal Pictures in 1984, but the project was halted. In 1986 Warner Bros. and producer Norman Twain took over the rights, paying Clark $15,000 and a "small" percentage of the film's gross. Sidney Poitier was Warner Bros.' first choice for the role of Joe Clark, but the actor turned down the offer because he did not agree with Clark's policies. Bill Cosby was approached next, but the producers decided the actor's energy was too low, so Eddie Murphy was considered; however, Murphy's contract with Paramount Pictures prohibited him from appearing in a Warner Bros. production. Danny Glover was also listed as a contender, but the actor was expected to appear in the upcoming Warner Bros. Lethal Weapon sequel. Morgan Freeman, who had recently won an Obie Award for his off-Broadway performance in Driving Miss Daisy, was cast after the others were eliminated, though producer Twain insisted Freeman had always been his first choice. While preparing for the role, Freeman shadowed Clark for several weeks at Eastside High School in Paterson, NJ, where the film was also shot. Eastside students and high schoolers from neighboring New Jersey and New York schools played most of the teenagers in the film; the lead roles were given to first-time actors discovered at open auditions.
- #008
In the auditorium scene where Mr. Clark brings the students onto the stage, a young Taye Diggs can be seen sitting among the audience. He is the one wearing a blue shirt.
- #009
Joe Louis Clark was Morgan Freeman's first leading role in a feature film.
- #010
During the credits, at the graduation ceremony, Thomas Sams joins the rest of the seniors as a joke. In reality, he would graduate as a member of Eastside's Class of 1991.
- #011
Beverly Todd, who plays Assistant Principal Levias in this film, also worked with Morgan Freeman on The Bucket List (2007), playing his character's wife.
- #012
After the film's premiere, Joe Clark (together with author Joe Picard) wrote a book titled Laying Down The Law about his experiences during his time at Eastside High School from 1981 to 1989. He also shared his views on how failing schools can be saved.
- #013
It is one of several films named after a famous title song that plays over the closing title sequence and has no direct connection to the film's actual plot. The trend began in the mid-80s with Stand by Me (1986); other productions include Stand and Deliver (1988), Pretty Woman (1990), My Girl (1991) and There Goes My Baby (1994).
- #014
It was included on the American Film Institute's 2004 list of the 100 best American movie songs, chosen from a list of 400 films, with the song "Lean On Me."
- #015
Lean On Me is a Norman Twain Production. The company had only six films to its name, among them Lean On Me, its only film released in the 80s. In the 90s they released a single made for a TV movie, and a few years later they released another single made for a TV movie. In 2007 they released two feature films, and their last film was released in 2009. Norman Twain died in 2016.
- #016
Robert Guillaume and Ethan Phillips also appeared together in the sitcom Benson (1979). Actress Beverly Todd also appeared in two episodes.
- #017
Mushond Lee and Karen Malina White worked together on The Cosby Show (1984) as Slide and Charmaine.
- #018
The film pays many tributes to PBS children's programs. When Clark is seen as a history teacher, in the 1967 scene Morgan Freeman wore an Afro similar to the Easy Reader character from The Electric Company (1971), in which he also appeared; when he arrives at Eastside High School, on his first day on the job he wears a work outfit similar to the one in The Electric Company's opening sequence. Lynne Thigpen later appeared as the Chief on the PBS series Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (1991).
- #019
It was Karina Arroyave's debut.
- #020
It was Delilah Cotto's debut.
- #021
Morgan Freeman and Alan North appeared in Glory (1989). Ethan Phillips also appeared in Glory.
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