"Burden of Guilt" is a very good installment of "Studio One", a long-running television program that brought mostly original plays to the TV audience...LIVE each episode! Sadly, most episodes of this series appear to be lost, though "Burden of Guilt" is one of a few dozen which remain.
The story begins with a town being racked with problems due to organized crime. The small police force is in over their heads dealing with the various gangs vying for territory, so in desperation, Chief McClary makes a bargain with the Devil, so to speak. He agrees to allow one of the gang leaders to have three gambling houses in town IF the gang leader gets rid of all the other gang leaders and suspends other operations.
Eighteen years pass and the city has been relatively peaceful and crime-free since then,...that is crime free except for the three gambling houses. But the new District Attorney is a man who the Chief took under his wings long ago when the gang wars were raging...and the D.A. vows to clean up things...including the three gambling houses. But what about the Chief and his agreement?
This is a very interesting episode with equally interesting characters. It's the sort of story that you can't help but like...especially since it is so original. Well worth seeing.
The story begins with a town being racked with problems due to organized crime. The small police force is in over their heads dealing with the various gangs vying for territory, so in desperation, Chief McClary makes a bargain with the Devil, so to speak. He agrees to allow one of the gang leaders to have three gambling houses in town IF the gang leader gets rid of all the other gang leaders and suspends other operations.
Eighteen years pass and the city has been relatively peaceful and crime-free since then,...that is crime free except for the three gambling houses. But the new District Attorney is a man who the Chief took under his wings long ago when the gang wars were raging...and the D.A. vows to clean up things...including the three gambling houses. But what about the Chief and his agreement?
This is a very interesting episode with equally interesting characters. It's the sort of story that you can't help but like...especially since it is so original. Well worth seeing.