Steel (The Twilight Zone)

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“Steel”
The Twilight Zone episode

Scene from "Steel"
Episode no. Season 5
Episode 122
Written by Richard Matheson
(Based on his story, first published in the May 1956 edition of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science-Fiction.)
Directed by Don Weis
Guest stars Lee Marvin : Steel Kelly
Joe Mantell : Pole
Chuck Hicks : Maynard Flash
Featured music Nathan Van Cleave
Production no. 2602
Original airdate October 4, 1963
Episode chronology
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"In Praise of Pip" "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"
List of Twilight Zone episodes

"Steel" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.

Contents

[edit] 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: 'an automaton resembling a human being.' Only these automatons have been 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 or desperate need - nor, for that matter, blind animal courage. Location for the facing of said truth: a small, smoke-filled arena just this side of the Twilight Zone." ”

[edit] Synopsis

In a future where any boxing involving human fighters has been criminalized, the sport is now dominated by fighting robots. Former boxer Steel Kelly manages a B2-model robot called "Battling Maxo." Maxo is an older fighting robot and we learn that due to his age, he's not in demand. Kelly and his partner have used the last of their money to get to the fight venue. He is being given this chance due to the fact that one of the scheduled fighters was damaged in transport. Kelly has to assure the fight promoter that Maxo will be able to fight. After the fight promoter leaves Kelly and his partner and mechanic, Pole, argue about Maxo's condition and that he needs new parts. Kelly feels that Maxo should be able to go through with the fight despite Maxo's age and condition. While Pole tests Maxo's functions, an arm spring lets go and they don't have the parts or the money to fix him. Kelly decides that since they are from out of town, he would disguise himself as Maxo in order to collect the money necessary for repairs. Steel enters the fight disguised as Maxo. However, he is almost killed in the ring by the B7 robot he is fighting. The crowd jeer Maxo's performance, not knowing that it's a human doing the fighting. Afterwards, the fight promoter will only give them half the prize money because of "Maxo's" poor performance. The episode ends with Kelly telling Pole that with the money they'll get the parts to fix Maxo.

[edit] Closing Narration

“ "Portrait of a losing side, proof positive that you can't outpunch machinery. Proof also of something else: that no matter what the future brings, man's capacity to rise to the occasion will remain unaltered. His potential for tenacity and optimism continues, as always, to outfight, outpoint and outlive any and all changes made by his society, for which three cheers and a unanimous decision rendered from the Twlight Zone." ”

[edit] References

  • Zicree, Marc Scott: The Twilight Zone Companion. Sillman-James Press, 1982 (second edition)

[edit] External links

[edit] Twilight Zone links

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