User reviews

I saw this as a teenager, when programs like "Playhouse 90" offered thoughtful entertainment that would go over the heads of the majority of the dolts who make up today's commercial TV audience.

The excellent cast -- and P-90 attracted some of the best actors in the industry -- was well-chosen.

The story of Stalin's death has long been the subject of much speculation. But it's widely believed that in 1953 Stalin was knocked out by a blackjack wielded by Beria, the head of the secret police and, through neglect,was allowed to die from a "stroke." Others believe that he suffered a stroke and was left to die without medical attention. The Red Butcher died just as he was about to purge Jewish doctors (the so-called doctors plot). Beria himself was executed later in 1953.

If my memory serves me, the Soviet government was outraged by the program that it either took or threatened revenge on the network that broadcast the it.

Perhaps someday, we'll see a release of the best of "Playhouse 90." Sadly, teenagers and people in their 30s are too ignorant to know and care about history.

This is one of the weirder episodes I've seen of "Playhouse 90". That's because it was most likely meant as anti-Soviet propaganda AND it's essentially true. Being a retired history teacher, I realized that the details of what occurred may not have been exactly correct (some simply is conjecture because it wasn't like the Soviets at the time wanted to talk about the incident), the overall film was essentially true. It shows Stalin as a paranoid genius who was completely without scruples--which is absolutely true. The guy was responsible for the deaths (directly and indirectly) of millions and the term 'monster' doesn't seem to be overstating it. In fact, the film could have been MUCH worse in discussing his atrocities. Instead, it focused exclusively on his paranoia and purges just within the upper ranks in the USSR. As for the other characters, they, too, were pretty close to who they really were. And, yes, doctors were afraid to treat Stalin after his stroke and the way they showed this portion of the film was pretty close.

As for the dramatic qualities of "The Plot to Kill Stalin", it was exceptional due to good writing and an amazing group of character actors including Melvyn Douglas, Eli Wallach, Thomas Gomez, E.G. Marshall, Oskar Homolka and Luther Adler. While many of these names might not be familiar, they were among the best in their craft and the only teleplay from the era with a more impressive cast that I can recall is the original TV version of "12 Angry Men". Well worth seeing, tense and exciting.