Kraft Suspense Theatre (TV Series) A Lion Amongst Men (1964) User Reviews

The story of a troubled man after the Korean War

[bellino-angelo2014 · 7/10 · 17 August 2017]

James Whitmore it's the star of this ''Kraft Suspense Theatre'' episode, as Will Stanton, a military man that acts like in the army, and has plans to create a new army group with him as the commander. Some teenagers that arrive at Cedar Bay don't care of him and even his wife can't believe of his plans.

One night the teen group comes at the Major's garden for making some pranks and the Major makes Eddie Riccio, one of the teenagers (played by Tommy Sands), prisoner at his home, depriving him of water and trying to make him into a real man like the ones he was with in the Army.

In this part we discover that the major went with his men in Korea, against his men, in a Communist Chinese ambush were all his men were wiped out! So, in the USA, he try to correct his experiences. And it's all revealed when Eddie escapes from him and the police arrives, and notices that Stanton is sick and, in his mind, surrendered. And he needs help to forget his war nightmares.

This is one of the best episodes of Kraft Suspense Theatre, well acted by Tommy Sands (in one of his few roles) as the innocent victim of a war-crazed man; and James Whitmore in the fine performance of a man full of problems and nightmares about his Korean War experiences. Also a young Robert Pine in one of his first roles. It's worth-watching!

A Lion In Winter

[telegonus · 7/10 · 20 July 2010]

James Whitmore's at it again in this Kraft episode, playing a highly decorated military man, this time out of uniform, though he acts like he's still in the army, indeed is planning to build his own army, with himself as chief of staff. Many good citizens of Cedar Bay don't think much of Whitmore, regarded by some, including the local sheriff, as somewhat of a crank. A few admire him, teenagers don't care for him at all, and even his wife has reservations about his para-military activities.

Whitmore gives high school student Tommy Sands a hard time, taunts him for his "insubordination" despite his having insulted the young man on account of his his Italian heritage and the fact that his father is a school janitor. Things come to a head one Halloween night when a series of pranks go wrong and former Major Whitmore starts to imagine himself back in combat in Korea, forces Sands to come along with him so that they can fight the war all over again. By this time Whitmore has lost control of his faculties, as he is clearly out of touch with reality.

A good but not great episode of the Kraft suspense series, A Lion Amongst Men is well acted by all (except for Tommy Sands, who can't act and doesn't have the physique to be the football player he's supposed to be), with Whitmore a standout as a man clearly in trouble, something Sheriff Ron Hayes notices early when he notes that the major strikes him as a man who has bad dreams. A little foreshadowing here, but no matter. It's a decent show overall, liberal (though it soft pedals it) in spirit, it presents its spit and polish main character as a real human being with serious problems, not just a bigot with an attitude.

Attack of the 27 year-old teenagers!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 14 October 2015]

When "A Lion Amongst Men" begins, you see retired Major Stanton (James Whitmore) on maneuvers with some weird paramilitary group he's founded. The guy envisions himself as the next Patton and he lives for this sort of life. At the same time, local high schoolers* make fun of the Major. After all, he is a bit of a blood and guts kook. One of the teens, Riccio (Tommy Sands) really has it out for the Major and he leads a group of his friends in committing some vandalism at the Major's house. However, the firecrackers trigger some serious PTSD in the Major and he takes Riccio prisoner- -and wavers in and out of reality. And, he seems like me might just kill the kid to teach him a lesson!

This is a fair episode. Not bad but also one that propagates the crazy old ex-soldier notion--which can be true but often isn't. Exciting.

*I have no idea why, but in so many TV shows and movies of the day, the teens were actually much older and looked it. Sands is 27 and looks 27--and having him called a teen is a bit silly.

Hell in Korea

[kapelusznik18 · 7/10 · 25 March 2016]

***SPOILERS*** One of the first attempts by Hollywood to explain the affects of war or PTSD-Post turmeric stress disorders-among those returning from a war zone has gong ho but a bit off center Major Will Stanton, James Whitmore, totally flip out when a couple of neighborhood teenagers pull a harmless Halloween stunt on him that has him go completely off the wall. The Major grabbing one of the fleeing teens Eddie Riccio, Tommy Sands, and holds him hostage in his bunker like and concrete reinforced house planning to teach him a lesson in discipline and respecting men like him who gave so much and got so little back for defending their their country in wartime.

The confused Eddie is left completely terrified in what the Major has planed for him who uses all kinds of torture, short of water boarding, to straighten him out and make him into a real man like himself. It's during the torture session that it comes out that the blood & guts Major royally screwed up back in Korea when he lead his unit, against orders from his superiors, into a Communist Chinese ambush where half his men were wiped out!

***SPOILERS*** We as well as Eddie soon begin to realize that the fearless Major has never gotten over his experiences in the Korean War and has been trying to correct them, back here in the US, ever since. It's this guilt trip that the Major is on that can turn him into the kind of person or political system that he was risking his life fighting against in the Korean War-World Communism! It's when Eddie broke away from him and the police showed up that the Major finally realized just how sick is was and meekly surrendered. That in him knowing that he needs help not a second chance to redeem himself, at the expenses of innocent teens like Eddie, to overcome his war related nightmares.

A preview of Trump

[lor_ · 31 December 2023]

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.

Still crazy after all these years

[ctomvelu1 · 7/10 · 7 April 2013]

James Whitmore plays a retired Army major who has nightmares about his time in the Korean War and now plans to establish a militia to guard against America's enemies, which include anyone of ethnic descent. Tommy Sands plays a high schooler who leads a group of raucous high school youths (in reality, all of them well past college age) who run afoul of the shell-shocked major. It eventually comes down to a confrontation between the major and the brash high schooler, and the major is now brandishing a gun. Whitmore is riveting as a deranged man, and Sands is convincing enough as a wise mouthed kid who may end up paying the ultimate price for his misbehavior. The episode was slightly ahead of its time, in that people like the nutty major and his militia would come to be a few years later.

Whitmore

[richard.fuller1 · 9/10 · 25 August 2013]

I don't know if this is the youngest Whitmore, which I don't think it is, from his other appearances on Big Valley and Twilight Zone, but he seems to be giving this crazy performance all its worth. He's not trying to be slick like he did on Big Valley. He's really nailing this one tho.

Maybe because it's after Viet Nam war unpopularity that he is able to give it more than the other portrayals.

Sands is missing it, tho. He's gone into some strange growl when he speaks to Whitmore and any anticipation of conflict between the two has further become lost.

I'm watching this one now and almost over, had Sands realized by agreeing with Whitmore, he could have won him over.

This is all Whitmore's show. Sands tried to bring it home, but had he done so toward the end on his own instead of being joined by the deputy and others, he may have worked it with Whitmore.

Sands is clearly trying too hard to be Sal Mineo. Truthfully, had he been a young guy who admired Whitmore and not necessarily been in the army, instead of an out-and-out rebel, it may have worked better.

Whitmore did it all on his own whereas the program seemed to want to have it a Whitmore-Sands combo.

Whitmore stood alone.