"Fearful Decision" is a 1954 episode of the TV series ''

The United States Steel Hour ''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation (U.S. ...

'' starring

Ralph Bellamy Ralph Rexford Bellamy (June 17, 1904 – November 29, 1991) was an American actor whose career spanned 65 years on stage, film, and television. During his career, he played leading roles as well as supporting roles, garnering acclaim and award ...

as David Durfee, the father,

Sam Levene Sam Levene (born Scholem Lewin; August 28, 1905 – December 28, 1980) was an American Broadway theatre, Broadway, films, radio, and television actor and Television director, director. In a career spanning over five decades, he appeared in over ...

as McArdle, a crime reporter,

Meg Mundy Margaret Anne Mary Mundy (January 4, 1915 – January 12, 2016) was an English-born American actress and model. She was born in London, and in 1921, at the age of six, emigrated to the United States with her family. Personal life Mundy was born ...

as Edith,

Joey Fallon Joey Fallon (born Joseph A. Fallon; December 24, 1941 – November 17, 1993), sometimes billed as Joseph Fallon, was an American child actor in television, theater, radio, and film, and—at various times—an attorney, a Democratic district lead ...

as son Davie and George Mitchell as the police chief. It was later adapted into the feature films ''

Ransom! ''Ransom!'' is a 1956 American crime drama film about the kidnapping of the son of a wealthy couple. Written by Richard Maibaum and Cyril Hume, the film is based on a popular 1954 episode of ''The United States Steel Hour'' titled " Fearful Dec ...

'' (1956) and ''

Ransom Ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release. It also refers to the sum of money paid by the other party to secure a captive's freedom. When ransom means "payment", the word ...

'' (1996). "Fearful Decision" was co-authored by

Richard Maibaum Richard Maibaum (May 26, 1909 – January 4, 1991) was an American screenwriter, film producer, and playwright, best known for his work on the James Bond films. He wrote 13 of the 16 Eon Productions Bond films produced between 1962 and 1989, be ...

, an American film producer, playwright and screenwriter in the United States best known for his screenplay adaptations of

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

novels.

Reception

The ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' praised Ralph Bellamy's "magnificent performance" but thought the story lacked "fundamental credibility." Produced by The Theatre Guild, the script and Ralph Bellamy's performance were both nominated for Emmys. In May 1955 it was announced

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

had bought the film rights.

References

External links

* 1954 television episodes {{US-tv-prog-stub