Decision in the Ring 

Richard Kimble helps a black boxer realize that he may have a brain injury that will kill him if he continues to box. Meanwhile, an undercover police Sgt. closes in on Kimble.

Director:

Robert Ellis Miller

Writers:

Arthur Weiss, Roy Huggins (created by)

Stars:

David Janssen, James Edwards, Ruby Dee

Cast

Episode cast overview:
David Janssen	...	Dr. Richard Kimble / Ray Miller
James Edwards	...	Joe Smith
Ruby Dee	...	Laura Smith
James Dunn	...	Lou Bragan
Barry Morse	...	Lt. Philip Gerard (credit only)
Robert F. Simon	...	Murphy
Ed Kemmer	...	Harry Stone
Harry Swoger	...	Wally Wilson
Hari Rhodes	...	Dan Digby

Storyline

While working at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena as part of the janitorial staff, Dr. Kimble helps boxer Joe Smith stop the bleeding from a bad cut on his forehead after a fight. The next day, Joe's manager Lou hires Kimble to be his new cut man. Kimble goes to training camp with Joe and his wife, Lou, and others. Joe's wife Laura tells Kimble about some memory loss that Joe had experienced. Kimble fears the onset of brain damage and Joe fears it too because Joe once attended medical school and knows the symptoms. Meanwhile, Lou is being investigated by the boxing commission and because of that, everyone around Lou is also being checked out, including Kimble.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to the korean war | undercover policeman | african american couple | concussion | boxing | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 October 1963 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Quinn Martin Productions (QM),United Artists Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

51 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

About a year before this, David Janssen himself played a boxer in Follow the Sun: A Choice of Weapons (1962).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lou Bragan: [to the cutman] Come on, come on. You're working too slow!

User Reviews

Plot summary

Richard Kimble is working in a menial position at a sports arena when a boxer's manager fires the cut man and replaces him with Kimble. Actor James Edwards, as boxer Joe Smith, gives an intense performance as a man who once dreamed of being a doctor, but decided that boxing would give him a better chance at a decent life as a black man living in a white man's world.

An assistant, Dan Digby (actor Hari Rhodes) is against Kimble from the start, because he replaced his friend as cut man, and because Kimble seems to be moving into a position of confidence with Smith.

Smith's wife Laura (actress Ruby Dee) wants her husband to quit boxing and become a doctor, fearing he will be injured or killed in the ring, but this is strongly opposed by Smith's manager Bragan (actor James Dunn), and by Dan. Smith is suffering from the results of past beatings in the ring, making it unwise for him to continue boxing, something quickly picked up by Kimble. Kimble is caught between Smith, Laura, Dan, Bragan, and a policeman posing as a sports reporter, investigating everyone in Smith's camp.