(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“When Fred Staples is recruited onto the board of a high-powered New York corporation, he finds his ethics and ambition at odds.”
If I’m being perfectly honest, then I’d have to admit that Patterns (1955) is not the usual fare I cover on SciFiHistory.Net.
You see, Patterns is what’s pretty commonly referred to as a ‘Boardroom Drama,’ a kind of staged exploration of what’s said and/or thought to go on behind closed doors of the big American capitalist experience. From what I’ve read, I’ve come to know that it was not a theatrical release but a positively received telefilm that was aired as part of the Kraft Television Theater, a drama anthology that aired from 1947 through 1958. And without spoiling one key element – which I will spoil momentarily – Patterns is the kind of thing that, normally, might only attract me as a casual viewer and under normal circumstances wouldn’t be something I’d give all that much of a passing thought, much less a critical examination.
But Patterns – for those of you who don’t know this – remains one of Rod Serling’s earliest successes … and being a fan of the creator of such timeless programs as The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery … well, that just means I’d have to eventually give this one a look out of sheer, unadulterated curiosity. While it certainly bears little resemblance to what I think many believe are the man’s signature works, Patterns is still of some merit because it gave homegrown audiences a look into corporate dynamics they’d never seen before, a television broadcast so popular viewers that it was re-aired for consumption not even one month later.
So, on one level, it is a bit difficult to react to Patterns in an unbiased way. Undoubtedly, it looks and sounds very little like so much of Serling’s output, which is not to suggest it’s deficient in any way. Imagine that one of your favorite writers dabbled outside of his or her mainstay, and you understand my predicament. While there are certain signs structurally of how Serling’s genius worked – it all revolves around the ending, which isn’t a twist except that a main character may act in a way unexpected – it’s far more an effort that stands on its own outside the storyteller’s wider legacy. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Lured away from his smaller town upbringing and work life, Fred Staples (played by Van Heflin) still manages to learn very quickly his way around Ramsey & Sons, a New York conglomerate lorded over by the somewhat oppressive Walter Ramsey (Everett Sloane). Once relocated to the big city, Fred is paired up in the executive suite with the affable Bill Briggs (Ed Begley), a moralistic corporate crusader who – after several decades – is finding the usual boardroom dynamic a bit hard-to-stomach (pun intended, and that’ll make sense once you see this). Little did Fred know that he was actually lured to the company as a plot to reduce Briggs’ service and eventually replace the aging director; but when he finds himself forced to play office politics against his better instincts, Staples begins resisting, a position that’ll lead him in no small way to a showdown of wits and wills with the chief executive.
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“When Fred Staples is recruited onto the board of a high-powered New York corporation, he finds his ethics and ambition at odds.”
If I’m being perfectly honest, then I’d have to admit that Patterns (1955) is not the usual fare I cover on SciFiHistory.Net.
You see, Patterns is what’s pretty commonly referred to as a ‘Boardroom Drama,’ a kind of staged exploration of what’s said and/or thought to go on behind closed doors of the big American capitalist experience. From what I’ve read, I’ve come to know that it was not a theatrical release but a positively received telefilm that was aired as part of the Kraft Television Theater, a drama anthology that aired from 1947 through 1958. And without spoiling one key element – which I will spoil momentarily – Patterns is the kind of thing that, normally, might only attract me as a casual viewer and under normal circumstances wouldn’t be something I’d give all that much of a passing thought, much less a critical examination.
But Patterns – for those of you who don’t know this – remains one of Rod Serling’s earliest successes … and being a fan of the creator of such timeless programs as The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery … well, that just means I’d have to eventually give this one a look out of sheer, unadulterated curiosity. While it certainly bears little resemblance to what I think many believe are the man’s signature works, Patterns is still of some merit because it gave homegrown audiences a look into corporate dynamics they’d never seen before, a television broadcast so popular viewers that it was re-aired for consumption not even one month later.
So, on one level, it is a bit difficult to react to Patterns in an unbiased way. Undoubtedly, it looks and sounds very little like so much of Serling’s output, which is not to suggest it’s deficient in any way. Imagine that one of your favorite writers dabbled outside of his or her mainstay, and you understand my predicament. While there are certain signs structurally of how Serling’s genius worked – it all revolves around the ending, which isn’t a twist except that a main character may act in a way unexpected – it’s far more an effort that stands on its own outside the storyteller’s wider legacy. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Lured away from his smaller town upbringing and work life, Fred Staples (played by Van Heflin) still manages to learn very quickly his way around Ramsey & Sons, a New York conglomerate lorded over by the somewhat oppressive Walter Ramsey (Everett Sloane). Once relocated to the big city, Fred is paired up in the executive suite with the affable Bill Briggs (Ed Begley), a moralistic corporate crusader who – after several decades – is finding the usual boardroom dynamic a bit hard-to-stomach (pun intended, and that’ll make sense once you see this). Little did Fred know that he was actually lured to the company as a plot to reduce Briggs’ service and eventually replace the aging director; but when he finds himself forced to play office politics against his better instincts, Staples begins resisting, a position that’ll lead him in no small way to a showdown of wits and wills with the chief executive.
In most ways, Patterns works as a kinda/sorta exposé into the life and times of capitalism’s most favored. While I’ve found nothing online or in research to suggest in any way that Serling had an axe to grind with corporate America, there’s an undeniable sense that – as a writer – he was commenting on the propensity for personality clashes in the workplace to grow to untenable dimensions if left unchecked by forces that might have … erm … mankind’s best interests at heart. Having spent more than a few years in corporate America, I can say that I’ve certainly met (and been fired by!) more than my share of Walter Ramsey’s than I’d like, so I can appreciate what the screenwriter may’ve been trying to do by shining a bit of unwelcome light into the lifestyles of the rich and ruthless.
Still …
Where I do have a bit of separation from what was attempted here is that – in the final reel – Staples chooses to remain part of the toxic environment while under what I perceive as his own personal delusion that he can make such a place as Ramsey & Sons any better. Granted, some of this is owed to my own experience in knowing that folks like the bitter dictator of a corporate boss is more often rewarded than he’s ever pushed to change; but I think more of my critical chagrin is grounded in the fact that this didn’t quite seem to be a character’s choice reflecting what his words were. Sure, I give him kudos for eventually choosing to stay gainfully employed at a place that grinds souls into soulless meat: however, he kinda/sorta sold out the crusader-in-him he’d led the audience to believe he was with that decision. In fact, he personally enriched himself and his family in the process; and is that the kind of culture warrior the average working man needs as a centerpiece?
I’m not so sure.
Patterns (1955) was produced by Jed Harris and Michael Myerberg while actively distributed through United Artists. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Film Masters. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can assure readers that the provided sights-and-sounds are very solid from start-to-finish. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? Alas, you’ll have to look elsewhere as the disc boasts not a single one. A disappointment.
Recommended.
A somewhat dated look behind the curtains of big business, Patterns (1955) might have one questioning his or her life choices – if they’ve found themselves at such a crossroads – but cheering one man’s attempt to make the boss behave better. While I personally wouldn’t hold out any hope for a lasting paradigm shift on the part of Mr. Ramsey, there’s still some enjoyment in seeing someone finally stand up to a workplace bully and not get tossed out on his ass. Reality being what it is, Serling still chucked the studio tendency for a purely happy ending by leaving this one on a note wherein those watching might question what was really gained in the process. The telefilm remains a wonderful glimpse into the way one of the medium’s best storytellers worked; and – on that level – it’s definitely worth a view.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to the disclose that the fine folks at Film Masters (via Allied Vaughn) provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Patterns (1956) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Still …
Where I do have a bit of separation from what was attempted here is that – in the final reel – Staples chooses to remain part of the toxic environment while under what I perceive as his own personal delusion that he can make such a place as Ramsey & Sons any better. Granted, some of this is owed to my own experience in knowing that folks like the bitter dictator of a corporate boss is more often rewarded than he’s ever pushed to change; but I think more of my critical chagrin is grounded in the fact that this didn’t quite seem to be a character’s choice reflecting what his words were. Sure, I give him kudos for eventually choosing to stay gainfully employed at a place that grinds souls into soulless meat: however, he kinda/sorta sold out the crusader-in-him he’d led the audience to believe he was with that decision. In fact, he personally enriched himself and his family in the process; and is that the kind of culture warrior the average working man needs as a centerpiece?
I’m not so sure.
Patterns (1955) was produced by Jed Harris and Michael Myerberg while actively distributed through United Artists. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Film Masters. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can assure readers that the provided sights-and-sounds are very solid from start-to-finish. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? Alas, you’ll have to look elsewhere as the disc boasts not a single one. A disappointment.
Recommended.
A somewhat dated look behind the curtains of big business, Patterns (1955) might have one questioning his or her life choices – if they’ve found themselves at such a crossroads – but cheering one man’s attempt to make the boss behave better. While I personally wouldn’t hold out any hope for a lasting paradigm shift on the part of Mr. Ramsey, there’s still some enjoyment in seeing someone finally stand up to a workplace bully and not get tossed out on his ass. Reality being what it is, Serling still chucked the studio tendency for a purely happy ending by leaving this one on a note wherein those watching might question what was really gained in the process. The telefilm remains a wonderful glimpse into the way one of the medium’s best storytellers worked; and – on that level – it’s definitely worth a view.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to the disclose that the fine folks at Film Masters (via Allied Vaughn) provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Patterns (1956) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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