Patterns

Fred Staples (Van Heflin) is plucked out of a conglomerate's subsidiary and put into the executive suite at the company's headquarters. He's relocated his family to New York City and at first feels out of place. He strikes a friendship with William Briggs (Ed Begley), the Vice President to whom he nominally reports. Staples is good at his job and the company's hard-nosed president, Walter Ramsey (Everett Sloane), is pleased with his choice. When Ramsey tells Staples that he's been recruited to replace Briggs, someone who has devoted his entire life to the company at the expense of his family life, he has a crisis in confidence and must choose between his new friend or his successful career.