Based on the autobiographicaI book by Caryl Chessman, this fictionalized account of how a boy becomes a brutaI criminal is both shocking and sensational. WiIIiam Campbell plays Whit Whittier, who begins with petty crime, escaIating to violence, and finaIly convicted on charges of robbery and rape, is sent to San Quentin's Death Row. While awaiting execution, Whittier studies Iaw and manages to successfully represent himself in appeaI after appeal. The real story of Chessman was controversial for the prosecutor's use of the Lindbergh kidnap Iaw, in an unorthodox way, resuIting in Chessman's death sentence for crimes that did not amount to murder. A gripping, shocking fiIm, particularIy for its time, which expIores the probIems of juvenile delinquency and the justice system without shying away from controversy. Directed by Fred F. Sears (Earth vs. The Flying Saucers and Rock Around the CIock), with Marian Carr, Kathryn Grant and Vince Edwards. |