Own the rights?
This is a great little story about James Otis and his involvement in in the "Writs of Assistance" controversy of the 1760's. In 1760, Otis received an appointment as Advocate General of the Admiralty Court. He faces a dilemma when his office is sworn to defend the Writs, which he had come to regard as odious. The writs would enable British authorities to enter any colonist's home with no advance notice, no probable cause, and no reason. Heston plays a conflicted James Otis who is torn between defending freedom and disrupting his quiet and comfortable family life. The show takes some liberties with the true story, but nevertheless, it captures the core of James Otis' legacy. The original Westinghouse Studio One show has a short exchange at the end where an American Legion executive thanks a Westinghouse executive for their contribution to furthering the American way of life. I wish more such American history were available now on TV. The Studio One series would be quite novel today, as nothing like it is on network TV.
You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.
