"The Defenders" (1961) TV series 1961-1965

Creator:

Reginald Rose

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

16 September 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A Father-Son lawyer duo take a variety of cases that often deal with the important issues of the day.

Plot Keywords:

Law | Courtroom | Courtroom Drama

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 13 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

E.G. Marshall	...	Lawrence Preston (132 episodes, 1961-1965)
Robert Reed	...	Kenneth Preston (132 episodes, 1961-1965)

Runtime:

60 min (132 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Filmways Studios - 246 East 127th Street, East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Trivia:

The characters first appeared in an episode of "Studio One" (1948), when the were played by Ralph Bellamy an William Shatner.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "My Mother the Car: The De-Fenders (#1.2)" (1965)

Atty. Preston argues for principles against strict interpretation of the law.

My elder brother (who is now a Metropolitan Trial Court judge) and I used to watch this every week back in the early '60s. I don't remember much of the episodes except I know I enjoyed most of them. It has a very inspiring trumpet led theme music as the camera took a long bird's eye view panning shot of a majestic courthouse with Greco-Roman architecture.

I do remember Atty. Preston, the elder, (E.G. Marshall) often arguing on the basis of principles over strict or often shystery interpretation of the law used by his court opponents.

One episode I distinctly remember is the one that involves a leader of an American neo-Nazi organization who organized a counter-demonstration to a Jewish rally or parade. Dressed in what looked like approximations of Sturmabteilung ("shock troops" or SA)uniforms, they peacefully stood on the sidewalks and shouted "Hitler had the right idea" repeatedly. They got arrested and charged with something in court. The Preston father and son lawyer team had the rather unpleasant but legally correct task of defending the neo-Nazi leader on the grounds of freedom of speech.