A remarkable tale of lost New York, a bygone television era and, most importantly, human loss and heartache, “Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story” (8 p.m., USA) was one of the most talked-about films of this winter’s Sundance Film Festival. USA will present “Fire” without commercial interruption. It’s a fine film, deserving of this special treatment.

Born in the Virgin Islands, Emile Griffith arrived in New York City in the 1950s. Like many immigrants, he took to the boxing ring as way of moving up. A natural fighter, Griffith was also a sensitive man; he was a hat designer at the time he was discovered by boxing promoters. He also happened to be gay.

He advanced easily through the welterweight category and became a regular on the popular TV program “Friday Night Fights.” By 1962, his chief rival was Benny “Kid” Paret. During a weigh-in, Paret taunted Griffith with a Spanish slang word that was a crude term for homosexual. Interviewed here, journalists of the time, including Pete Hamill and Jimmy Breslin, try to convey the seriousness of this charge. At the time, gay men and women were socially invisible, politically powerless and legally unprotected. Even worse, they were considered a kind of joke. As Breslin observes, in New York in the early 1960s, a group of gay men could be arrested at any time “for walking without a parade permit.” As late as 1969, a New York Daily News headline referred to the now-famous rioters at the Stonewall Bar as “Queen Bees.”

Griffith and Paret fought three televised fights, and in their last bout, Griffith beat Paret so savagely that “the Kid” never recovered; he slipped into a coma and died 10 days later. A year before the JFK assassination and the scene of Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald, this fight shocked the public imagination. Millions of viewers had seen a man beaten to death on live television.

The balance of “Fire” follows the efforts to reform boxing, the cancellation of “Friday Night Fights” and the last years of Griffith’s boxing career. But the film’s real story is that of a haunted man.

As society changed, Griffith lived more openly as a gay man. Yet, in a tragic twist, he would be on the receiving end of a savage beating outside of a gay nightclub. The gay-bashing incident left him with impaired short-term memory.

At its frequent best, “Fire” does a brilliant job of evoking the atmosphere of another era — when New York was still photographed in black and white, and when 11 daily newspapers chased stories and created legends. But, like too many films, “Fire” goes on for too long. An arranged reconciliation between Griffith and Paret’s son is at once moving and a tad too reminiscent of “True Hollywood Story” for this critic. It also raises questions about the ethics of a documentary taking over its subject to manipulate reality and concoct a touching conclusion.

Tonight’s other highlights

• Torrid tales and a wild boar on “Lost” (7 p.m., ABC).
• Dr. Massey looks into the miracle child on “Revelations” (8 p.m., NBC). A repeat of the pilot (7 p.m.) precedes this new episode.
• The votes are tallied on “American Idol” (8 p.m., Fox).
• Sydney teams up with Sloane on “Alias” (8 p.m., ABC).
• A mystery at the altar on “CSI: NY” (9 p.m., CBS).
• Murder upsets the placid world of hip-hop recording stars on “Law & Order” (9 p.m., NBC).
• Harlan takes on a legal heavy on “Eyes” (9 p.m., ABC).

Series notes

Interns out of control on “The Simple Life” (7 p.m., Fox) … Tyra Banks is host on “America’s Next Top Model” (7 p.m., UPN) … Prom night on “Smallville” (7 p.m., WB) … A new hire on “Stacked” (7:30 p.m., Fox).

A not-so-casual shuffle on “King of Queens” (8 p.m., CBS) … Kevin seeks complete custody on “Kevin Hill” (8 p.m., UPN) … Missy is in trouble on “Jack & Bobby” (8 p.m., WB) … Fencing on “Yes, Dear” (8:30 p.m., CBS) … Domestic arrangements on “Life on a Stick” (8:30 p.m., Fox).

Late night

John Travolta, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon appear on “Late Show with David Letterman” (10:35 p.m., CBS) … Jay Leno is host to Ashton Kutcher and Regina Spector on “The Tonight Show” (10:35 p.m., NBC) … Killswitch Engage perform on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:05 p.m., ABC).

Kelsey Grammer, Rosario Dawson and Lee Lindeman are scheduled on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Craig Ferguson is host to Andie MacDowell, Gerard Butler and Kathleen Edwards on “The Late, Late Show” (11:37 p.m., CBS).