DUPONT SHOW OF THE WEEK, THE: RIDE WITH TERROR (TV)
Summary
One in this series of dramas presented by DuPont. In this drama, at 2:00 AM in the Bronx, two hoodlums, Artie and Joe, rob a defenseless man at knifepoint, possibly killing him. Elsewhere, Helen and Bill Wilks board the train with their young daughter, arguing about their strained finances and their uncertainty about having another child. Tony Goya tries to persuade his shy date Alice Keenan to take him back to her home – or elsewhere – for an intimate moment together, and they soon board the same train. Sam Beckerman complains furiously to his wife Bertha about their adult son's refusal to lend him $500 for a much-needed trip to the dentist, feeling that he is ungrateful, and Private First Class Felix Tefflinger, who has a broken arm, talks with his colleague Philip Carmatti about their dreams for their lives after the Army. Harry Purvis argues bitterly with his wife Muriel, sure that she will never be content with a humble "haberdashery man," and Douglas McCann eagerly arranges a business meeting for the following morning, promising his associate that he is now sober and intends to win his family back.
Joe and Artie join all of the others in the same train car, and Douglas speaks up first when the two young men begin harassing a passed-out drunk. They belligerently confront him before turning their attention to a quiet man, Kenneth Otis, speculating nastily about his sexuality. Sam angrily threatens to call the cops on the two hoods, though they laugh off his threat and Joe flirts aggressively with Alice, lewdly questioning Tony about her romantic prowess. Douglas uncomfortably refuses Joe's offer of a drink, and Felix finally tells the boys to "stop rocking the boat," though they are unmoved and instead challenge him to use his Army training against them. Fed up, the Beckermans attempt to leave the car, though they quickly find that Joe and Artie have locked the doors. The other passengers begin to panic as they realize that they are trapped on the moving train with no cops or conductor in sight, and Muriel stands up to Joe and Artie and furiously orders them to open the door, declaring that she will report them by name to the police. She slaps Harry when he frantically condemns her "stupid" actions, and the Wilks are outraged when Joe and Artie begin hovering over their sleeping daughter.
Felix finally declares that he will "put them down" if they do not behave, and despite being one-handed and outnumbered, he quickly defeats both hoodlums in a scuffle with switchblades. He pointedly thanks a stunned Philip for his "help," and when the train arrives in the station, the police finally board the car and quickly haul the semi-conscious Joe and Artie away. Felix demands to know "what kind of people they are" as he departs, and the other passengers, shamed into silence, exit the train, stepping over the drunken man on the floor. Includes commercials for DuPont products.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: December 1, 1963 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:58:46
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:05886
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Crime and criminals; Subways
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1961-1964
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Arrow Dacron men's shirts
- TV - Commercials - DuPont chemical products
- TV - Commercials - Lycra Spandex fiber
- TV - Commercials - Nylon products
- TV - Commercials - Orlon acrylic sweaters
CREDITS
- David Susskind … Executive Producer
- Daniel Melnick … Executive Producer
- Jacqueline Babbin … Producer
- Fred Wardenburg … Associate Producer
- Ron Winston … Director
- Nicholas E. Baehr … Writer
- Frieda Altman … Cast, Bertha Beckerman
- John Connell … Cast, Harry Purvis
- Kathy Dunn … Cast, Alice Keenan
- Vincent Gardenia … Cast, Sam Beckerman
- Gene Hackman … Cast, Douglas McCann
- Mart Hulswit … Cast, PFC Felix Tefflinger
- Ron Leibman … Cast, PFC Philip Carmatti
- Loretta Leversee … Cast, Helen Wilks
- John McMartin … Cast, Bill Wilks
- Tony Musante … Cast, Joe Ferrone
- Sherman Raskin … Cast, Kenneth Otis
- Gregory Rozakis … Cast, Artie Connors
- James Scheller … Cast, Tony Goya
- Louise Troy … Cast, Muriel Purvis