James Whitmore gives a potent performance in this Kraft Suspense Theatre episode portraying a Korean War vet. I've been watching many, many TV episodes lately dating back 30 years or so, a time when I was growing up and watching way too much television, and while much of this material has become hopelessly dated and quaint, sometimes its relevance today comes as a shock, as in the case of this Jack Smight-directed drama.
Right from the bold, in-your-face opening scene, you know you're in for a stark morality tale. Whitmore, "call me Major", is obsessed with the decay of the America he returned to after Korea, and is showing around the young town sheriff (Ron Hayes) the elaborate obstacle course he's erected to toughen up the local youth. He explains how the Hitler Youth were dedicated to the Fatherland, and today's American young men need a similar type of loyalty and motivation to our great country.
When a bunch of kids in speedboats come by and interrupt him, he comes on way too strong, interrogating the boys (ignoring their girlfriends who came with them) and belittling the ones with Italian or Eastern European names. In a scene with the sheriff he complains that "the town has become infested with certain undesirable elements and it's up to us to eliminate them".
This is right on the nose with current statements by Trump about "vermin" and his own echoing of Nazi propaganda. Whitmore's major rails against Communists and Socialists infiltrating his town, and it's clear how little has changed in 30 years. Capping it off, He's even formed a United States Vigilance Committee locally, declaring "we're already at war".
Typical of the times, we're treated to a generation gap subplot with popstar Tommy Sands as Whitmore's main enemy, along with the youngsters he hangs out with, including in a tiny role Mimsy Farmer, my favorite actress to emerge from this era. Climax occurs at Halloween, when playful vandalism by Sands and his buddies almost brings back Korean War violence in Whitmore's mentally ill world.
This is strong stuff, made vivid by the star's unrelenting performance, among his best. The writing is fine, especially in depicting the policeman played by Hayes as an extremely positive character: former star school quarterback, now coaching kids at football in his spare time, and instantly standing up to Whitmore's extremism.