Patterns, also known as Patterns of Power, is a 1956 American "boardroom drama" film starring Van Heflin, Everett Sloane, and Ed Begley; and directed by Fielder Cook. The screenplay was by Rod Serling, who adapted it from his teleplay of the same name, which was originally broadcast January 12, 1955 on the Kraft Television Theatre with Sloane, Begley and Richard Kiley.

Plot

Ruthless Walter Ramsey runs Ramsey & Co., a Manhattan-based industrial empire he inherited from his father. He brings Fred Staples, a youthful industrial engineer whose performance at a company Ramsey has recently acquired has impressed him, in for a top executive job at the headquarters. Though Staples is initially clueless, Ramsey is grooming him to replace the aging Bill Briggs as the second in command at the company. Briggs has been with the firm for forty years, having worked for and admired the company's founder, Ramsey's father. His concern for the employees clashes repeatedly with Ramsey's ruthless methods. Ramsey will not fire Briggs outright but does everything in his power to sabotage and humiliate him into resigning. The old man stubbornly refuses to give in. Staples is torn by the messy situation, his ambition conflicting with his sympathy for Briggs. The stress gets to Briggs, who collapses after a confrontation with Ramsey and later dies. This causes a heated showdown between Ramsey and Staples, in which Staples announces he is quitting. Staples initially went up to kill Ramsey but the fact that his wife refused to go home and 'pack' everything, insisting on waiting for him during his confrontation with Ramsey shows another side of the story--the American woman, just as ambitious as the Corporate Man. Ramsey rebukes him, asserting only men with his talent have what it takes to make a corporation like Ramsey & Company succeed. He offers Briggs' job to Staples at double his present salary, double his stock options and an unlimited expense account. Staples resists and Ramsey increases the fever of his pitch, adding that Staples will never be able to reach his full potential anywhere else. Staples counters that he would have to have more than vice presidency of the company, effectively another 'whipping boy' for Ramsey. He states that he wants equal footing, implying a partnership - adding that he will do all he can to replace him, and as a 'bonus', the right to break Ramsey's jaw if he feels so inclined. Ramsey enthusiastically agrees to all of the conditions with a rider that he reserves the right to reciprocate the final condition.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

Film critic Dennis Schwartz gave the film an A and highly praised it in his 2002 Ozus review: Added Schwartz: In the April 27, 2008, edition of TV Week, the television critic Tom Shales compared the movie unfavorably to the live TV production: