Review of The Legend

An intriguing episode for many reasons. First and foremost, the fact that World War II and the horrors of the Nazi regime were still very fresh in the minds of many Americans. The very idea of their return was very much a nightmare to many. Second, the show references the infamous Martin Bormann, one of Hitler's top henchmen, likely for credibility and also intrigue: at the time of this episode's original airing, the real Bormann had not been seen since the Allies took Berlin. He was tried at Nuremberg in absentia and sentenced to death. It wasn't until 1972 (5 years after this episode) that his body was discovered in a West Berlin construction site. Third, and finally, was the cast of this episode. Steven Hill (who's adherence of Orthodox Judaism cost him his role on the show), Barbara Bain and Martin Landau were all Jewish. Having to portray Germans who supported the return of Nazism (The "Fourth" Reich), especially Landau's (Rollin Hand's) role as Bormann, was a true tour de force.