'Mr. R.I.N.G.' by L. Ford Neale and John Huff

At the Tyrell Institute, Professor Avery Walker is working on his android creation, Mr. R.I.N.G. (Rovamatic Internalised Nerve Ganglia), but before he can deactivate the automaton it strangles him and escapes; the robot then steals some clothes and a Halloween mask, and sets off to find somewhere to hide. Meanwhile, Kolchak is in trouble for taking an unauthorised day off to go fishing; Vincenzo punishes him by assigning him the task of writing Walker’s obituary. Kolchak talks to Walker’s widow, but she just drunkenly babbles about a ‘ring’. Unaware that he is now being followed by a government agent, Kolchak hears a police report on a shoot-out at a funeral parlour; but when he arrives he witnesses the police allowing the thief to escape with a quantity of undertaker’s putty. When an army officer arrives on the scene, Kolchak follows him back to the Tyrell Institute, but is refused entry by the security guard. Kolchak then visits Walker’s assistant, Leslie Dwyer, but she claims no knowledge of ‘ring’. The Federal Government threatens Vincenzo to get Kolchak taken off the story, but the reporter stubbornly continues his investigation, heading for a library that was recently broken into; here he learns from the librarian that books on philosophy were stolen. Leslie comes home and finds Mr. Ring – now with a new face made of putty – waiting for her. Later, learning that Leslie has now vanished, Kolchak once more visits Mrs. Walker, and listens intently as she reveals the truth behind her husband’s R.I.N.G. project. More research gives Kolchak the address of Leslie’s house on Lake Michigan, but when he arrives there he finds both Leslie and the android. As Karl talks to R.I.N.G. about the philosophical argument of right and wrong, the military arrive outside, armed with weapons – not everyone may get out alive…

Darren McGavin (Carl Kolchak), Simon Oakland (Tony Vincenzo), Jack Grinnage (Ron Updyke), Ruth Mc Devitt (Emily Cowles), Julie Adams (Mrs. Avery Walker), Corinne Michaels (Leslie Dwyer), Bert Freed (Captain Akins), Craig Baxley (Mr. R.I.N.G. ), Harry Beckman (Senator Stephens), Robert Eston (Bernard Carmichael), Don 'Red' Barry (Tyrell Security Guard), Maidie Norman (Librarian), Bruce Powers (Peters), Vince Howard (Policeman), Read Morgan (Man), Gail Bonney (Barham)
Directed by Michael Caffey

TX (US): 10th January, 1975

Notes:
*Featuring Carl Kolchak and Tony Vincenzo