The Defenders (1961–1965)

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

Creator:

Reginald Rose

Stars:

E.G. Marshall, Robert Reed, Ossie Davis

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 14 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
E.G. Marshall	...	Lawrence Preston (132 episodes, 1961-1965)
Robert Reed	...	Kenneth Preston (132 episodes, 1961-1965)

Storyline

Recent law school graduate (Robert Reed) joins his father (E.G. Marshall) as the pair tackle challenging legal cases, often involving issues which were highly touchy for the times (abortion, euthanasia, "un-American" activities, movie censorship). In most the freshly minted lawyer has much to learn from his father's extensive legal experience.

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Plot Keywords:

law | courtroom

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 September 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los defensores

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), Plautus Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (132 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The characters first appeared in an episode of Studio One in Hollywood, when they were played by Ralph Bellamy and William Shatner.

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Connections

Spin-off The Defenders: Taking the First (1998)

User Reviews

Realistic, topical, sixties, court room drama

"The Defenders" realistically portrayed issues of the day, often in a court room setting. They produced the show in New York City with, if memory serves, location exteriors. The court room scenes were well written and directed, usually the high point of each program.

At its best, the acting could be very good indeed. E.G. Marshall and Robert Reed worked well together as father and son attorneys. Their roles in this series provided them with career high points. The guest stars added further strength to the show.

As a teenager then, I thought it was a cutting edge show. It would probably be dated if viewed today, since it was filmed mostly in black and white (though the last season might have been color), and production values were different then. One of the best shows of its era, it should be released on DVD, but probably won't be because of onerous residuals obligations.