"The Rack" is an episode of the "U. S. Steel Hour", an anthology series that brought many original one-hour plays to television. This particular episode is a standout for two reasons. First, it is a story written by Rod Serling. Second, it was good enough for Hollywood to remake it as a full-length film only a year later.
Captain Hall has just returned from three years in a North Korean POW camp during the Korean War. His joyous homecoming is brief, as soon after his arrival, he's placed under arrest and is being court martialed for collaborating with the enemy. The Captain admits he did...but his lawyer is determined to give him a good defense and explain the Captain's behaviors.
Many soldiers in the POW camps were subjected to torture and mind control tactics, so this film is bases on the many accounts of American soldiers subjected to this. And, I am sure, many folks were ashamed that many of these men did sign confessions or make recordings for the North Koreans extolling the North. This film seeks to explain this situation and I think it helped that Serling himself was a war veteran, though he fought in WWII instead of Korea.
This was a pretty brave and unique film. It questioned conventional wisdom that these 'collaborators' were evil or unpatriotic...which must have been a bit unpopular at the time. It also contained a few expletives...something VERY rarely allowed on TV in 1955. Overall, an exceptional teleplay...one which really hits you.
Captain Hall has just returned from three years in a North Korean POW camp during the Korean War. His joyous homecoming is brief, as soon after his arrival, he's placed under arrest and is being court martialed for collaborating with the enemy. The Captain admits he did...but his lawyer is determined to give him a good defense and explain the Captain's behaviors.
Many soldiers in the POW camps were subjected to torture and mind control tactics, so this film is bases on the many accounts of American soldiers subjected to this. And, I am sure, many folks were ashamed that many of these men did sign confessions or make recordings for the North Koreans extolling the North. This film seeks to explain this situation and I think it helped that Serling himself was a war veteran, though he fought in WWII instead of Korea.
This was a pretty brave and unique film. It questioned conventional wisdom that these 'collaborators' were evil or unpatriotic...which must have been a bit unpopular at the time. It also contained a few expletives...something VERY rarely allowed on TV in 1955. Overall, an exceptional teleplay...one which really hits you.
