"The Twilight Zone" Steel (1963)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Don Weis

Writers:

Richard Matheson (writer)
Rod Serling (creator)

TV Series:

"The Twilight Zone" (1959)

Original Air Date:

4 October 1963 (Season 5, Episode 2)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

In the near future boxing has been outlawed and is performed by mechanical robots. To replace his broken client, the manager decides to enter the ring and replace him. |

Plot Keywords:

Boxing | Robot | Based On Short Story | Debt | Anthology

Cast

Lee Marvin	...	Steel Kelly
Joe Mantell	...	Pole
Chuck Hicks	...	Maynard Flash
Merritt Bohn	...	Nolan
Frank London	...	Maxwell

Runtime:

25 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Cayuga Productions

Trivia:

Reportedly Richard Matheson's favorite Twilight Zone episode.

My Fighter Needs a Lube Job

Man vs. robot. Not exactly a new idea in the science fiction repertoire. Here it gets a fresh start as Lee Marvin has to step in the ring against a fearsome B-7, with results that might surprise you. At this stage of his career, Lee Marvin was one of the most interesting actors around. Few could convey the authority or clarity of emotion that he could. Here those qualities are put to good use and it's hard to imagine the half-hour succeeding without him. As it stands, the episode is mildly involving because we're not sure how the unusual premise will play out. Marvin is a fight manager of an obsolete model android during a period in which boxing among humans has been outlawed. There are the usual sleazy types running the bouts that Marvin must deal with, and it's odd to see this model tough guy bowing and scraping so he can get a few bucks from them. Really noteworthy for the fine make-up job turning real people into convincing looking robots. Serling sees the events as a tribute to the human spirit even though the filming plays up the tacky futility of it all. Take your pick.