Target: The Corruptors (TV Series) Touch of Evil (1961) User Reviews

A terrific episode, with a great storyline.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 25 February 2023]

College basketball player, poster boy Ollie Oliver takes his own life after his side narrowly won a game they should have won comfortably, Marino investigates the scourge of corrupt betting.

Such a good episode, there is something so awful about corruption in sport, it goes against everything anyone who's ever played sport with integrity.

I think this may actually be my favourite episode so far, I just loved the originality of it, it's so very different to all of the previous episodes. I really liked the way Marino was conflicted, so far he's been so resolute, with a clear sense of black and white, here he's questioning, it's so interesting.

Foolishly I've always associated fixing with modern day sport, there isn't a week that goes by where some professional has been caught, but of course when there's money involved, there are people on the make.

A story that could easily be rehashed, and retold today, it would work well.

Great performances from two of the cast in particular, Lee Kinsolving deserves credit for making Corny so believable, and how good was Day Walston as O'Sullivan, absolutely terrific as the devious, but convincing conman.

9/10.

Sports illustrated

[searchanddestroy-1 · 24 June 2015]

This way, our lead journalist Stephen Mc Nally investigates in sport and all illegal betting business that exists around the game, whatever the sport; football, basketball,baseball...This begins with the suicide of a team leader after a victory of his own. Maybe remorse. As usual in this TV series, the screen plays emphasizes on supporting characters, even the evil ones, and doesn't only focus on the lead hero, and I love this. Here for instance we see a rotten official who asks a poor honest trainer for youngsters to help him for "contaminating" some promising young athletes to make more and more money. By fixing the plays in advance, for instance. The final goal, beat the bookies at any cost, where the justify the means. All the means. One more time, you have here a solid piece of work, brought by a already proved director Irving Lerner, who had already gave us MURDER BY CONTRACT, CITY OF FEAR.

Touch of Evil

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 10 September 2020]

Ray Walston plays O'Sullivan who acts for betting syndicates by preying on college basketball players.

O'Sullivan's job is to procure these young men th throw games or shave points. He is charming and cunning knowing that the lads are vulnerable. O'Sullivan himself is under pressure to deliver as there is a lot of money riding on this.

After a suicide of a college basketball player Marino and Flood investigate. They believe a college basketball team has unusual betting activity and is being targeted.

This would had been an enlightening episode in a less cynical early 1960s. Sports corruption would had come as a complete shock to many.

Lee Kinsolving is rather good as Linsky the poor young man who is being reeled in by O'Sullivan, knowing he will be soon over his head.

Unsurprisingly as the decades have wore on, these betting syndicates have become even more active.