In a day when the Ku Klux Klan is thought of as a radical fringe group, comprised largely of ignorant rednecks who are probably the result of too many sibling marriages in rural America, it is sometimes difficult to relate to an era when the Klan had real power.
But there was such a time.It was in the 1920s when America, still recovering from the wounds of World War I, gave serious consideration to the KKK's self-proclaimed mission of weeding out the country's "undesirables." Headed by intelligent and charismatic leaders like David Curtis ("Just call me Steve") Stephenson of Indiana, Klan membership nationwide swelled to more than 6 million. The fire of fanaticism burned to such a degree that in 1923, a Fourth of July rally sponsored by the Klan in Kokomo, Ind., attracted some 200,000 people.
It probably isn't coincidental that America's flirtation with demagoguery came at about the same time a wave of totalitarianism was sweeping across Europe. But it is interesting to wonder why the movement ultimately failed here, while Europe had to pay such a horrible price for having been taken in by such political spellbinders as Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin.
Cross of Fire, a two-part, four-hour NBC miniseries that airs Sunday and Monday at 8 p.m. on Ch. 2, attempts to examine the KKK's sudden fall from respectability by holding a microscope up to Stephenson's self-destruction. And while it might fairly be accused of asking its audience to read more historical significance into an isolated incident than it justifiably warrants, it nonetheless presents an intriguing "what if?" premise that is difficult for the thoughtful viewer to resist.
As portrayed by John Heard, Stephenson is a dynamic Klansman who has worked his way to the top of the Invisible Empire. He expertly tempers the KKK's real intent with the kind of rhetoric that will appeal to a mass audience. He even begins to work his magic on a progressive teacher, Madge Oberholtzer (played by Mel Harris), who falls in love with him despite her reservations about his ties to the Klan.
But just when people are starting to talk about Stephenson as a possible vice presidential candidate, Madge discovers the dark side of the Klan - and Stephenson - in a brutal confrontation that ultimately leads to a highly publicized trial pitting one of Indiana's most brilliant defense attornies (Lloyd Bridges) against an inexperienced-but-passionate local lawyer (David Morse).
I'm not ruining anything to tell you that Stephenson eventually loses public favor and the Klan subsequently tumbles from prominence. But the "what ifs?" remain: What if Stephenson hadn't attacked Madge? What if he had continued his rise all the way to the vice presidency - and beyond?
It's a chilling thought - one that makes "Cross of Fire" worth watching. And thinking about.