Steel (4 Oct. 1963)
"The Twilight Zone" Steel (original title)

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.

Director:

Don Weis

Writers:

Richard Matheson, Rod Serling (creator)

Stars:

Lee Marvin, Joe Mantell, Chuck Hicks

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Lee Marvin	...	Sam 'Steel' Kelly
Joe Mantell	...	Pole
Chuck Hicks	...	Maynard Flash
Merritt Bohn	...	Nolan
Frank London	...	Maxwell

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

boxing | robot | based on short story | debt

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 1963 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cayuga Productions, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reportedly Richard Matheson's favorite Twilight Zone episode.

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Quotes

Narrator: [Opening Narration] Sports item, circa 1974: Battling Maxo, B2, heavyweight, accompanied by his manager and handler, arrives in Maynard, Kansas, for a scheduled six-round bout. Battling Maxo is a robot, or, to be exact, an android, definition: permitted in the ring since prizefighting was legally abolished in 1968. This is the story of that scheduled six-round bout, more specifically the story of two men shortly to face that remorseless truth: that no law can be passed which will abolish cruelty...

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Connections

Spoofed in The Simpsons: I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot (2004)

User Reviews

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.