The Court of Last Resort (1957–1958)

The Court of Last Resort was founded by Erle Stanley Gardner in the 1950s. The team sought to reveal whether someone already found guilty might really be innocent. The show dramatized the ... See full summary »

Stars:

Lyle Bettger, Carleton Young, Robert Anderson

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Lyle Bettger	...	Sam Larsen (26 episodes, 1957-1958)
Carleton Young	...	Harry Steeger (23 episodes, 1957-1958)
Robert Anderson	...	Park Street Jr (23 episodes, 1957-1958)
Charles Meredith	...	Dr. LeMoyne Snyder (23 episodes, 1957-1958)
Robert H. Harris	...	Raymond Schindler (22 episodes, 1957-1958)
S. John Launer	...	Marshall Houts (22 episodes, 1957-1958)
John Maxwell	...	Alex Gregory (22 episodes, 1957-1958)
Paul Birch	...	Erle Stanley Gardner (22 episodes, 1957-1958)

Storyline

The Court of Last Resort was founded by Erle Stanley Gardner in the 1950s. The team sought to reveal whether someone already found guilty might really be innocent. The show dramatized the original crime then followed the investigation. Actual cases were used.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 1957 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paisano Productions, Walden Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (26 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

A precursor to The Innocence Project

I had read about this show in TV history books but also saw this program for the first time as part of Mill Creek Entertainment's "Best of TV Detectives" DVD box set. This collection features a lot of obscure and a few well-known TV detective shows, and is highly recommended for lovers of classic TV.

Court of Last Resort was very entertaining and compacted a lot of action and plot development into a half hour. Perhaps the idea of freeing the wrongly accused is where Barry Scheck & Co. got their idea for their Innocence Project? (Even though DNA testing didn't come into its own until the last 10 years.) Too bad Court of Last Resort didn't last very long, despite the cachet of creator Erle Stanley Gardner, whose more successful Perry Mason was on the air the same time. A good way to spend a half-hour.