The Learning Tree (1969)

As an African-American teen in small-town Kansas in the 1920s, Newt Winger (Kyle Johnson) largely shrugs off the racial prejudice of his time and place. His calm and self-controlled perspective is in direct opposition to that of his quick-tempered friend, Marcus Savage (Alex Clarke). But when Marcus' father, Booker (Richard Ward), murders a man -- and Newt witnesses the crime -- Newt realizes that going to the police could jeopardize both his friendship and his life.