A Bolt of Lightning
"A Bolt of Lightning" was an American television play broadcast on November 12, 1951, as part of the CBS television series, Studio One. It was a historical drama portraying James Otis Jr. (1725–1783) and his 1761 prosecution of the Paxton's case, contesting Britain's use of writs of assistance to conduct warrantless searches of the colonists' property. Charlton Heston, at age 28, starred as Otis. The running time was 60 minutes including breaks hosted by Betty Furness, promoting Westinghouse refrigerators, electric roaster ovens, food crafters, and "odor-out" bulbs. Plot Part 1 In the opening scene, Otis leaves his law office in the evening. He passes Robinson, the crown's customs collector. Robinson and two others enter the home of John Emory. Robinson searches Emory's house for papers concerning contraband cargo of molasses and rum allegedly transported by ship to Boston. The search is conducted without a search warrant but rather on the basis of a writ of assistance, a legal process that had been declared illegal by the English courts. Robinson's men proceed to ransack Emory's house. At a public house, Samuel Adams recounts the colonists' grievances against the crown. Emory arrives and tells Adams what has happened at his house. Adams