The Ring with the Red Velvet Ropes

Gary Lockwood plays newly crowned heavy-weight champion Jim Figg, who has just taken a shower in his hotel room only to emerge in a different location, which turns out to be a suite of some kind. He is informed by a valet that he is now the guest of Roderick & Sandra Blanco(played by Chuck Connors & Joan Van Ark). Roderick wants a private match with Jim, and promises to make it worth his while, but Sandra tells him to throw the fight, not because she fears for his safety, but because the price of victory will be too high... Mediocre tale will fool no one who has seen "The Twilight Zone", but interesting cast and direction give it a bit of distinction.

Gary Lockwood got it right the first time. He has been kidnapped. He finds himself in a mansion built along a seaside cliff. There is no exit or outside contact. He has just won the world heavyweight championship and is on cloud nine, until he takes a shower and emerges in this nightmare. What is missing from the scenario is a "why?" Apparently, the chisel faced Chuck Conners has been fighting great opponents going back to the early days of boxing. Why? Why is he trapped where he is? Lockwood has no options, so it makes his character rather hopeless. If your protagonist is simply a pawn in a game and has not hope there is really no story. Of course, we are taken along for the ride as he puzzles through things, including Mrs. Blanco's efforts to get him to throw a fight so he can go about his business. If he loses he is not really the World Champion. At least in the silent world he now frequents. Hence, winning becomes more important than the loss of his very being. Anyway, Connors is a good villain but when all is said and done, there is that same question.

This interesting little ditty has Gary Lockwood and Chuck Connors about to fight in a fiery boxing ring, although James(Lockwood)isn't sure exactly why he's supposed to box Blanco(Connors), and why he wakes up in this strange hotel just hours after winning the title against another fighter the night before. After winning the big match against Big Dan Anger(Ji-Tu Cumbuka), his manager instructs him to take a shower; soon after, he emerges in a strange hotel room, and a strange host is in the room with him. For a man who doesn't understand where he is or why he's there, I thought Lockwood gave a fairly wooden performance when a rational man should be very alarmed. This is one of those goofy Night Gallery questions that never get answered; this occurs in many other episodes as well. Joan Van Arc, of all people, also makes a guest appearance as Blanco's wife, Sondra, and she warns James that her husband is a great boxer, and begs James to lose the fight for a reason that's not explained very well. Connors does a fine job portraying the mysterious boxer, and explains the he's been fighting champions for several years, and has beaten them all, although no one is aware of him or the fights with the other boxers. The ending was slightly unexpected, but overall, I did enjoy the episode for the most part.

As a fan of the Twilight Zone, this one didn't have that ironic twist of ate and or moral to the story.