Episodes

Seasons

Years

4 3 2 1

1965 1964 1963 1962 1961

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 14 wins & 19 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete series cast summary:
	E.G. Marshall	...	Lawrence Preston 132 episodes, 1961-1965

	Robert Reed	...	Kenneth Preston 132 episodes, 1961-1965

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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. Written by Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>

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Tense drama in and out of court in the noted series with E.G. Marshall and Robert Reed.

Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The pilot has mostly the same plot as Season 1, Episode 3, episode three, "Death Across the Counter", but Lawrence is married to Frances (Meg Mundy) instead of being a widower. See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Dick Van Dyke Show: One Angry Man (1962) See more »

User Reviews

Was this the best dramatic TV series ever?

29 April 2001 | by west-1 – See all my reviews

Can this series really have been as inspiring as I thought it was at the time? If so, it must have had enormous effect on American society.

Certainly it dealt more courageously than any other show of the period with issues such as civil rights, religious and political oppression, faults in existing laws on divorce, narcotics and legal sanity, and the ethical problems of priests, doctors and lawyers.

And, as I remember, although E.G.Marshall (as Lawrence Preston) demanded our sympathy for his stand on these issues, there was always argument and challenge from Robert Reed (as his son, Kenneth), and humor prevented solemnity or sentimentality.

Actors such as Sylvia Sidney, Sam Wanamaker, Ruth Roman, Akim Tamiroff, Teresa Wright, and Jack Klugman played leading roles, but minor characters also came across as people of dignity and importance.

What impressed me most perhaps was Lawrence Preston's respect for THE LAW.

Won't some kind person allow us to see it again?

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