Episode 12.3: The Most Dangerous Man

This is the third episode of a special four-part miniseries on Imagine Air Theater.

World War One was called the Great War... the war to end all wars. The United States was reluctant at first to join the conflict in Europe. But by 1918, American doughboys were fighting... and dying... in the trenches over there. Nevertheless, some folks back home still harbored anti-war sentiments. They faced grave legal jeopardy for speaking out in opposition. Among them was labor leader Eugene V. Debs.

In our last episode, Debs was invited to speak at an anti-war rally in Canton, Ohio. That speech might have violated the 1917 Espionage Act forbidding all public interference with the war effort. If found guilty, Debs could go to prison. Will prosecutors order the arrest of this popular political figure? Or will they err on the side of caution? Let’s find out.

The series features Paul Rogan as Eugene Debs and Louis Brandeis, Tim McCaffrey as Clyde Miller, Stella Valente as Kate Debs, Hayes Dunlap as Edwin Wertz, Collin Hughes as Francis Kavanagh, Teg Gray as Seymore Stedman, the Bailiff and the Jailer, David Pinion as Oliver Wendell Holmes, Pilar Uribe as Janet and the Emcee, with William Jones as Judge D.C. Westenhaver.

Script consultant: Mark Boyce

Casting director: Stella Valente