An over-the-hill heavyweight boxing champion who suffers from the ravages of years of head trauma is exploited by his manager, despite the efforts of a compassionate young woman who tries to help him recover his self-respect.
Acting
Palance's physical deterioration is genuinely unsettling.
Writing
Serling's debut teleplay — every line could be a eulogy.
Direction
Nelson makes a TV studio feel like a funeral parlor.
Director
Ralph Nelson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot live for Playhouse 90 — Palance's slurred speech in the final scenes was partly genuine exhaustion from the relentless schedule.
Rod Serling expanded this into a 1962 feature film, but this original version with Palance remains the definitive take.
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