Ring of Fear (A Dangerous Assignment)

"Ring of Fear
(A Dangerous Assignment)
"
Police Squad! episode

One of the many headlines
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 2
Directed by Joe Dante[1]
Written by Tino Insana[1]
Robert Wuhl[1]
Original air date March 11, 1982 (1982-March-11)[2]
Guest stars

George Stanford Brown (special guest star)
Rudy Solari as Montague Martin
Patrick St. Esprit as Buddy Briggs
Tessa Richarde as Mary
Floyd Levine as Saul Cooper
Irwin Keyes as Luca Burnett
Grand L. Bush as The Champ

Episode chronology
← Previous
"A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise)"
Next →
"The Butler Did It (A Bird in the Hand)"

Ring of Fear (A Dangerous Assignment) is the second episode of the TV series Police Squad!, it was directed by Joe Dante and written by Tino Insana and Robert Wuhl[1]. It was produced by Robert K. Weiss.

Contents

Plot

The episode starts with a boxing match, which is won by a boxer who we later meet as Mike Schultz, he was supposed to lose the game, but he won. So Mr. Martin (the big boss) sends a killer to kill Mike. Frank decides to go undercover and find a good boxer, and straighten him up. At the local gym (Jim's gym) Frank meets Buddy Brigs, the boxer who was supposed to win the fight the night of the murder. Frank wants to manage Buddy, but he's going to need Buddy's contract for that, so he goes and play poker with Buddy's manager Saul Cooper (who was also Mike Schultz's manager). He introduces himself as Bob Kelly. It doesn't take long before Frank (or Bob) wins (with a full house), and gets Buddy Brigs contract.

Act II: Bruté?

When at the lab, Ted shows Frank and Hocken the facial hair that was found on the crime scene, it belongs to Luca Burneth, the man who killed Mike Schultz. Frank's next step is to train Buddy Brigs. At Buddy's place we meet Buddy's girlfriend, Mary, Buddy and Mary's relationship is going downwards, Mary calls Buddy a bum who could have been a contender (a spoof to the famous quote from On the Waterfront.) Buddy and Frank decide to meet at Morey's Bar in the evening, to arrange a fight with "The Champ". When in the bar Frank meets Mr. Martin (the man who had sent Luca to kill Mike). Frank tries to offend "The Champ" but this doesn't work, but when Buddy says: "forget it", "The Champ" gets pissed off and Buddy knocks him down, the fight is on. The evening of the fight, Mr. Martin walks into Buddy's dressing room and tells him that he has kidnapped Mary. He shows him Mary's toaster to prove he's not bluffing. Frank needs to find Mary before the fight is over, Frank needs answers, and he knows where he can get them, Johnny the Snitch. Johnny tells Frank that Mary is being held hostage by Luca Berneth at Jim's Gym. When Frank arrives here Mary has just untied the rope that was tied to her arms, and tries to escape, but Luca wakes up and takes her into the steam room. A big fight of which we can't see anything starts. When we see Frank and Mary driving in a car later it's clear that they have won the fight. They arrive just in time.

During the boxing match in a continuation of the gag where Martin shows Buddy things belonging to Mary to prove he has her, Martin hold's up Mary's washing machine. Buddy defeats "The Champ". Just when Mr. Martin tries to leave the arena Ed and Frank arrive and arrest him. The final scene is at the station. Frank and Ed discuss the case and when the credits roll Martin realises what is happening and attempts to escape as Ed and Frank are frozen. Martin finds the door is blocked and with no other way out he ultimately tries to make his way through the camera lens towards the viewer but cannot make his way past the glass barrier.

References

External links