What a wonderful opportunity to see the young Rachel Ames, then known as Judith, seven years before she joined "General Hospital" for a 40-year run as the beloved nurse Audrey March Hardy. She's the girlfriend of prizefighter John Erickson, a promising boxer who discovers that all of his previous fights were all set up for him to win. Ronald Reagan is his trainer, complete with facial scar, hired by manager Rusty Lane to send Erickson further onto notoriety and fame. It's up to Reagan to break the news to Ames of the truth about her boyfriend, as if watching how he changes as the victories increase isn't proof enough. Excellent performances and a terrific poetic script makes this episode of "General Electric Theater" one of the great Anthology TV episodes ever written. Reagan as wonderful as the weather beaten trainer, reminiscing about his own failures, and Ames is absolutely lovely. Fans of the great film noir movies that dealt with the crooked world of prize fighting will find this episode an an absolute delight, as details and wonderful in 30 minutes as "The Setup" (1949) was in 70 minutes.
Review of No Skin Off Me
