The Public Defender (TV series)
| The Public Defender | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Legal drama |
| Created by | Mort R. Lewis Sam Shayon |
| Written by | Howard J. Green John Tucker Battle Mort R. Lewis David Dortort |
| Directed by | Erle C. Kenton Budd Boetticher Paul Guilfoyle Harve Foster |
| Starring |
Reed Hadley John Close Jeri Lou James Hugh Beaumont |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1.5 |
| No. of episodes | 69 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
Hal Roach, Jr. Carroll Case (1954) |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | H-R Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | March 11, 1954 – June 23, 1955 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Four Star Playhouse (9:30 EST Thursdays, 1954-1955) |
| Followed by | Name That Tune (10:30 EST Thursdays, 1954-1955) |
The Public Defender is a half-hour 69-episode television dramatic series starring Reed Hadley (1911-1974) as Bart Matthews, an attorney for the indigent. The series aired on CBS from March 11, 1954 to June 23, 1955, a season and a half. The series was sponsored by Philip Morris cigarettes; by the middle of its second season, Revlon cosmetics became an alternate sponsor.
When this series was created by Mort R. Lewis and Sam Shayon, the concept of the public defender was little known in the United States except in capital cases. A 1932 United States Supreme Court decision 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.The Public Defender purportedly based each episode on true cases, and each segment closes with a tribute to a public defender. Hadley portrays the stoic but driven public defender Bart Matthews, whose clients cannot otherwise afford expensive legal representation.
John Close appeared in seven episodes as a detective. Jeri Lou James appeared five times as Julie Saunders. Ann Doran and Hugh Beaumont 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, also appearing with Spring Byington on the CBS sitcom December Bride, was cast in two segments as Barbara Norton. Character actor Denver Pyle appeared twice in the role of George Hansen.
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