The Public Defender (Tv Series)

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Reed Hadley starred in the 69-episode television series, The Public Defender.

The Public Defender is a half-hour 69-episode television dramatic series starring Reed Hadley as Bart Matthews, an attorney who represents indigent clients.[1] The series aired on CBS from March 11, 1954, to June 23, 1955, a season and a half.[2]

The series was sponsored by Philip Morris cigarettes; by the middle of its second season, Revlon cosmetics became an alternate sponsor.

Premise[edit]

When this series was created by Mort R. Lewis (1897-1991) and Sam Shayon, the concept of the public defender was little known in the United States except in capital cases.[3] A 1932 United States Supreme Court opinion, Powell v. Alabama, clarified the need for public defenders for suspects accused of crimes which if convicted might lead to execution. The use of public defenders was broadened in 1962 in another high court case, Gideon v. Wainwright to include public defenders for all suspects charged with any level of felony, a broadening of the Powell ruling.[4]

The Public Defender purportedly based each episode on true cases,[5] and each segment closes with a tribute to a public defender. Hadley's Bart Matthews is depicted as a stoic but driven public defender whose clients cannot otherwise afford legal representation.[3]

Guest stars[edit]

John Close (1921-1963) appeared in seven episodes as a detective. Jeri Lou James appeared five times as Julie Saunders. Ann Doran (1911-2000) and Hugh Beaumont (1909-1982) appeared three times each as Bonnie Landis and Ed McGrath, prior to their casting on National Velvet and Leave It to Beaver, respectively. The McGrath character is also portrayed in two episodes by Dick Foran. Russ Conway appeared three times as Chief Paul Carter. Frances Rafferty (1922-2004), also appearing with Spring Byington (1886-1971) on the CBS sitcom December Bride, was cast in two segments as Barbara Norton. Character actor Denver Pyle (1920-1997) appeared twice in the role of George Hansen.[6]​[7]

In the premiere episode entitled "The Case of the Parolee," Bart Matthews defends an ex-convict suspected of robbing his boss. In the second season premiere in the episode entitled "Return of the Dead," Natalie Wood (1938-1981) portrays the character Rene Marchand, with Robert Bice as Lieutenant Davis and Gladys Holland as Collette Marchand. Bice appeared twice on the program; Holland, three times.[6] In the episode entitled "The Ring," Matthews defends a carnival worker charged with grand theft. In "Love and Conscience," Matthews attempts to prove the innocence of a truck driver wrongly implicated in a hijacking.[3]

Other guest stars included the following: Merry Anders, Paul Brinegar, Robert Bray, Steve Brodie, Charles Bronson, Sally Brophy, George Chandler, Walter Coy, Richard Deacon, Mason Alan Dinehart, William Fawcett, Douglas Fowley, James Gleason, Don Haggerty, Peter Hansen, Richard Jaeckel, Douglas Kennedy, Brett King, Nan Leslie, Robert Knapp, Burt Mustin, John M. Pickard, Bing Russell, Lyle Talbot, Marshall Thompson, Kenneth Tobey, Peter Whitney, Marie Windsor, and Will Wright.[6]​

Production[edit]

The series was filmed by Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, California.[6]The Public Defender aired at 10 pm ET on Thursdays from March to June 1954, having preceded the quiz show Place the Face, hosted by Jack Bailey and then Bill Cullen. From September 1954 to June 1955, The Public Defender ran opposite The Kraft Television Theater, then on ABC, and Lux Video Theatre on NBC. The police drama The Telltale Clue aired on CBS in the Thursday 10 p.m. time slot from July 18 to September 23, 1954.[8] From July to September 1954, it aired at 9 p.m. Mondays.[5]​

In the 1951-1953 seasons, Hadley had starred as the fictional Captain John Braddock of San Francisco, California, in Racket Squad,[1][3] which was narrated by Hugh Beaumont. Similar to The Public Defender is the 1954-1956 NBC legal drama Justice, starring Dane Clark and Gary Merrill.

Home video[edit]

​ Selected episodes of The Public Defender have been available on DVD since 2005.[3]​

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alex McLeod, "The Public Defender", Total Television, p. 677.
  2. ↑ The Public Defender on TV.com. tv.com. Retrieved on December 20, 2019.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 The Public Defender: Editorial Reviews. Amazon.com. Retrieved on February 12, 2011.
  4. ↑ Gideon v. Wainwright. Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. Retrieved on February 12, 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tim Brooks and Earle F. Marsh. The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable Television Shows, 1946-Present. New York City: Random House. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 The Public Defender. Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved on December 20, 2019.
  7. ↑ The Public Defender. Ctva.biz. Retrieved on December 20,2019.
  8. ↑ Alex McLeod, Total Television, appendix, network television schedule.
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Categories: [Television] [Television Shows] [Drama] [1950s]

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