All You Need Is Love (4 Jan. 1984)

The staff of a Manhattan arraignment court is surprised by the arrival of a maverick young judge named Harry Stone; his first ruling, that a feuding couple should go to dinner with the ... See full summary »

Director:

James Burrows

Writers:

Reinhold Weege, Reinhold Weege (creator),

Stars:

Harry Anderson, Karen Austin, Gail Strickland

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Harry Anderson	...	Judge Harry T. Stone
Karen Austin	...	Lana Wagner
Gail Strickland	...	Sheila Corinth
John Larroquette	...	Dan Fielding
Richard Moll	...	Nostradamus 'Bull' Shannon
Selma Diamond	...	Bailiff Selma Hacker
Joseph V. Perry	...	Phil Kerr (as Joseph Perry)
Peggy McCay	...	Louise Kerr
Rita Taggart	...	Carla B.
Luke Andreas
Andrew Bloch
Matt Landers	...	Hacksaw
Cal Gibson

Storyline

The staff of a Manhattan arraignment court is surprised by the arrival of a maverick young judge named Harry Stone; his first ruling, that a feuding couple should go to dinner with the attorneys, results in a fight breaking out that injures Dan.

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 January 1984 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 9, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Starry Night Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Reinhold Weege on the Season 1 DVD Commentary, the story Harry tells about how he got appointed judge is a true story. According to Weege, the mayor of Los Angeles was so angry that he lost his re-election bid that he decided to hurt the new mayor, whom he personally hated, by filling all of the judicial openings with unqualified or under qualified personnel. At the beginning of the pilot, court clerk Lana Wagner (Karen Austin) even mentions that she doesn't know anything about "Judge Stone" because the mayor filled all the vacancies at the last minute.

---

Quotes

Court Clerk Lana Wagner: So, how is it you were picked?
Court Clerk Lana Wagner: Well, they started at the bottom of a very long list and began calling candidates one at a time.
Court Clerk Lana Wagner: You mean to tell me you were picked...
Court Clerk Lana Wagner: Because I was home.

User Reviews

The Good & Bad Of 'Night Court's' First Episode

In this opening episode of a successful television show, we see the entrance of the new judge, a laid-back, blue-jean-ed young guy that is not what the other employees of a Manhattan arraignment court expected to see: judge Harold T. Stone, played by Harry Anderson.

In fact, when he arrives the court clerk "Lana Wagner" thinks he's just a delivery boy bringing some of the new judge's belongings. "Harry" unveils himself as the kind of guy he is immediately with some rubber snake gag.

When the first trial scene is ready to begin, the judge is a minute late and "District Attorney Dan Fielding" (John Laroquette) when asked what's holding him up, answers "probably a diaper change" which tells you how the others first looked at the boyish judge. Not having seen this show in a number of years, everyone looked pretty young to me, especially the guy who made the wisecrack: Laroquette.

There were tons of one-liners in this show, some of them funny. No judge. obviously, would start his first case by asking everyone, "How the hell is everyone?" That's the irreverence of the show and Anderson's character, a little too Liberal at times for my tastes. The main case is a woman trying to kill her husband after he's caught cheating with a prostitute. Harry takes the ultra-liberal approach which doesn't work but then does better when Harry becomes more of a marital counsel during the trial than a judge.

The canned laughter was overdone with applause also added in a number of times, which is pushing it a little. Karen Austin overacted in her role as "Lana" and God's name was abused five times, which is one reason I haven't watch sitcoms in years.