A curio from the McCarthy era, this episode of "Fireside Theatre" is rather blatant anti-communist propaganda, laid on with a trowel. Screenplay is credited to Wells Root, a prolific TV and movie hack who contributed to a few decent films, but tarnishes his name with this stinker.
No-name cast stars Walter Coy as Judge Robert Galt, doing his best to honestly try a guy for murder in a controversial case. The defendant is an American communist, and the murdered man had written an expose of the party, now missing and constituting the accused's motive -to squelch the evidence researched in the expose.
The judge's brother (Ross Elliott as Steve Galt) shows up, along with the man who raised the two when they were orphans. That man is Simon Thor (played as an ultra-bad guy by Tom Powers). Both Steve and Thor put on the pressure for the judge to alter his jury instructions to favor the defendant, and even threaten to take away from the judge the two young boys (fathered by Steve) who he has raised.
This melodramatic story has several twists and turns, but is dominated by dialogue and actions that paint these American communists, especially Thor as corrupt, evil, murderous, and even mistreating the two young boys. It's pure propaganda, its brainwashing effect probably working well when broadcast in 1954.
Oddest element for me is naming the adult brothers, both who turn out to be good guys, Galt, that name (as John Galt) immortalized by Ayn Rand three years later in "Atlas Shrugged" -could she have been watching "Fireside Theatre"?
No-name cast stars Walter Coy as Judge Robert Galt, doing his best to honestly try a guy for murder in a controversial case. The defendant is an American communist, and the murdered man had written an expose of the party, now missing and constituting the accused's motive -to squelch the evidence researched in the expose.
The judge's brother (Ross Elliott as Steve Galt) shows up, along with the man who raised the two when they were orphans. That man is Simon Thor (played as an ultra-bad guy by Tom Powers). Both Steve and Thor put on the pressure for the judge to alter his jury instructions to favor the defendant, and even threaten to take away from the judge the two young boys (fathered by Steve) who he has raised.
This melodramatic story has several twists and turns, but is dominated by dialogue and actions that paint these American communists, especially Thor as corrupt, evil, murderous, and even mistreating the two young boys. It's pure propaganda, its brainwashing effect probably working well when broadcast in 1954.
Oddest element for me is naming the adult brothers, both who turn out to be good guys, Galt, that name (as John Galt) immortalized by Ayn Rand three years later in "Atlas Shrugged" -could she have been watching "Fireside Theatre"?