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The Classic TV Archive - US Legal Drama Series
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"The Defenders"
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Starring E.G. Marshall & Robert Reed
Season 4 (CBS) (1964-65)
Episode Guide
compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by:
Rina Fox, Tom Alger, Cindy Rumbold ,
Leonard Rachiele, Michael A. Levin,
Bob Lamm
references:
TV Guide /
Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (https://us.imdb.com)
UCLA Film and Television Archive
################ The Defenders ###############
############## season 4 1964-65 ##############
############### (final season)
###############
CBS Thursdays 10:00 pm Eastern
30 episodes
4.01 [103] The Defenders: THE SEVEN HUNDRED YEAR OLD GANG Pt.1 24Sep64
4.02 [104] The Defenders: THE SEVEN HUNDRED YEAR OLD GANG Pt.2 1Oct64
Written by David Karp (two-part comedy-drama)
Directed by Paul Bogart
Guest Stars:
Jack Gilford (as David Marcus)
Tom Poston (Newhart, Mork & Mindy)
Martin Balsam
David Doyle (Charlie's Angels)
Barbara Barrie
Part 1: The police uncover a bootlegging operation run by elderly David
Marcus (Jack Gilford).
Part 2: The DA, fearing his political future will be ruined if he
prosecutes an elderly winemaker, begs Preston for a postponement of the
trial.
4.03 [105] The Defenders: HERO OF THE
PEOPLE
08Oct64 CBS Thurs
Written by Rod Sylvester and William Woolfolk
Directed by Philip Leacock
Guest Stars:
Edward Asner ............ Harry Obermayer
Ann Wedgeworth .......... Sally Bernard
J.D. Cannon ............. District Attorney
Dorrit Kelton ........... Mother
Carl Low ................ Storch
Paul Larson ............. Hylan
Rick Sommers ............ Gittler
Charles White ........... Dr. McDermott
Stuart Germain .......... Hotchkiss
Wynn Wright ............. Judge
Jack Aller .............. Seidel
Synopsis 1:
Lonely Harry Obermayer glories in his sudden fame when he falsely confesses
to the murder of a narcotics peddler.
Synopsis 2:
Lonely middle-aged Harry Obermayer has always been on the outside looking in,
so when he finds the body of a despised narcotics peddler he decides to confess
to the killing and maybe become famous. [RF]
4.04 [106] The Defenders: GO-BETWEEN
15Oct64
Written by Larry Cohen
Directed by Paul Sylbert
Guest Stars:
Arthur Hill (as Matthew J. Ritter)
Phyllis Thaxter
Addison Powell
John Randolph
When his son is kidnapped, Presidential candidate Matthew J. Ritter
(Arthur Hill) turns to Preston - instead of the police - for help.
4.05 [107] The Defenders: CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
22Oct64
Written by Ellen M. Violett
Directed by Philip Leacock
Guest Stars:
Cloris Leachman (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Phyllis)
Edward Woodward (The Equalizer)
Paul Dooley
Marc Connelly
Representing a British drama critic in a libel suit, the Prestons'
ingenuity is taxed by a clever - and very attractive - opposing attorney
(Cloris Leachman).
4.06 [108] The Defenders: THE MAN WHO
29Oct64
Written by Ernest Kinoy
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg
Guest Stars:
Howard da Silva
Mercedes McCambridge
Patrick O'Neal
Alan Hewitt
That episode told the story of Lawrence Preston running for a political office.
In the end, of course, he loses.
He realizes he lost because he offered no alternative to the other candidate. E.
G. Marshall's final speech to
the winning candidate, said it was a choice between Tweedlee and Tweedledum.
[Michael A. Levin]
4.07 [109] The Defenders: TURNING POINT
5Nov64
Written by James Lee
Directed by Paul Bogart
Guest Stars:
Martin Sheen
Alfred Ryder
Margot Bennett
John Cullum
Nancy Wickwire
Ossie Davis
Hostile silence greets Ken as he investigates a murder for which a young
man has already been executed.
4.08 [110] The Defenders: A TASTE OF ASHES
12Nov64
Written by David Rintels
Directed by David Greene
Guest Stars:
Betty Field (1941 film 'Kings Row' 1956 film 'Bus Stop')
Darren McGavin
Martin Sheen
Frank Martin
Preston defends two men charged with committing murder to save their own
lives.
4.09 [111] The Defenders: COMEBACK
26Nov64
Written by Edward De Blasio
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg
Guest Stars: [TA]
Viveca Lindfors ....... Madeline Flanders
Lonny Chapman ......... DA
Charlotte Rae ......... Mrs. Abeles
(The Facts of Life/Diff'rent Strokes)
Jan Miner ............. Mrs Berger
Larry Haines .......... Dr. Wallace
Barry Weitz
Walter Greaza
A once-famous actress, Madeline Flanders (Viveca Lindfors) making her
comeback is accused of drunken driving and hit and run. Preston, one of
her old fans, defends her. [TA]
4.10 [112] The Defenders: THE SIEGE
3Dec64
Teleplay by Ian McLellan Hunter
Adapted from a Story by Robert Goldman
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg
Guest Stars:
Robert Redford (as Gary Degan)
Jennifer West
Dan Travanty (later Daniel Travanti, Hill Street Blues)
Preston is threatened by gun-wielding Gary Degan (Robert Redford), an
escaped convict who insists he's innocent - and that Preston is responsible
for his conviction.
4.11 [113] The Defenders: WHITEWASH
10Dec64
Written by Roger H. Lewis
Directed by Daniel Petrie
Guest Stars:
Ricardo Montalbán (as Juan Espejo)(Fantasy Island)
Alan Bunce
Lonny Chapman
Michael Gazzo
Charged with extortion, city councilman Juan Espejo (Ricardo Montalban)
insists the indictment is a maneuver to discredit Puerto Ricans in public
office.
4.12 [114] The Defenders: A VOICE LOUD AND CLEAR
17Dec64
Written by Robert Crean
Directed by Paul Bogart
Guest Stars:
Shirley Knight (as Bethany Windell)
Geraldine Fitzgerald
Paul Stevens
Lonny Chapman
On trial for murder, religious visionary Bethany Windell (Shirley Knight)
offers an unusual motive: she killed when ordered to by strange voices.
4.13 [115] The Defenders: KING OF THE HILL
31Dec64
Written by Robert Crean
Directed by Paul Bogart
Guest Stars:
Albert Dekker
Aline MacMahon
Kathryn Hays
Real-estate kingpin Mark Vronis's shady past may prove to be his undoing
when he's charged with smuggling narcotics.
4.14 [116] The Defenders: WHIPPING BOY
7Jan65
Written by Edward De Blasio
Directed by William Ball
Guest Stars:
William Shatner
Madlyn Rhue (as Christine Knox)
Ben Piazza
Philip Bosco
Ken is retained by accused child beater Christine Knox (Madlyn Rhue), a
young divorcee who claims her son fell down a flight of stairs.
4.15 [117] The Defenders: EYEWITNESS
14Jan65
Written by David Karp
Directed by Sam Wanamaker
Guest Stars:
Robert Walker Jr.
Philip Vandervort
Lonny Chapman
Rosemary Murphy
Examination of the public's responsibility in law enforcement. Preston
defends two teenagers charged with beating an elderly man to death -
while 27 witnesses looked on.
4.16 [118] The Defenders: SILENT KILLER
21Jan65
Teleplay by William Woolfolk
Based on a Story by Martin Donaldson
Directed by Daniel Petrie
Guest Stars:
Dane Clark
Norma Crane
John Colicos
Diana Van Der Vlis
Joey Trent
The Prestons' defense of an accused murderer focuses on one question:
is circumstantial evidence enough to justify capital punishment?
4.17 [119] The Defenders: DEATH ON WHEELS
28Jan65
Written by George Bellak
Directed by Paul Bogart
Guest Stars:
Leslie Nielsen
Nancy Wickwire
Andrew Duggan
Judson Laire
An emotionally disturbed man (Leslie Nielsen) seeks the Prestons' aid after
he kills a pedestrian in an auto accident. The courtroom plea: temporary
insanity.
4.18 [120] The Defenders: THE UNWRITTEN LAW
4Feb65
Written by Larry Cohen
Directed by Robert Stevens
Guest Stars:
David Opatoshu (as Leo Rolf)
Kim Hunter
J.D. Cannon
Jessica Walter
Indicted for murdering his wife's lover, Leo Rolf (David Opatoshu)
guarantees Preston that an "unwritten law" assures him acquittal.
4.19 [121] The Defenders: THE OBJECTOR
11Feb65
Written by Harold Gast
Directed by Leonard Horn
Guest Stars:
Brandon de Wilde (as Roger Bailey)
Dana Elcar
Rochelle Oliver
Jack Albertson (Chico & The Man)
The rules governing conscientious objection are examined in this episode.
Roger Bailey (Brandon de Wilde) tries to obtain a draft deferment on
religious grounds - although he practices no formal religion.
4.20 [122] The Defenders: FIRES OF THE MIND (copyright title)
18Feb65
Written by Joel Carpenter
Directed by David Greene
Guest Stars:
Donald Pleasence (as Dr. Byron Saul)
Frederick Combs
Vincent Gardenia
Ossie Davis
Robert Mall
Dr. Byron Saul (Donald Pleasence) is charged with manslaughter when a
patient he was treating with LSD commits suicide.
4.21 [123] The Defenders: NO-KNOCK
25Feb65
Written by Peter Achilles
Directed by Daniel Petrie
Guest Stars:
Carol Rossen
Jack Gilford
Frank Cavestani
William Smithers
John Randolph
Armed with a no-knock warrant, a plainclothes man enters Willie Drucker's
apartment - and is killed by the suspected numbers racketeer.
4.22 [124] The Defenders: THE MERRY-GO-ROUND MENDER
4Mar65
Written by Robert Crean
Directed by Paul Bogart
Guest Stars:
Bethel Leslie
Ruth White (as Winnie Benedette)
Stefan Arngrim
John Cullum (Northern Exposure)
Governess Winnie Benedette (Ruth White), overzealous efforts to shield
her young charge from his parents' divorce proceedings leads to tragedy.
4.23 [125] The Defenders: NOBODY ASKS WHAT SIDE YOU'RE ON
11Mar65
Written by Ellen M. Voilett
Directed by David Pressman
Guest Stars:
Lee Grant (as Marla Edwards)
Ossie Davis
Al Freeman Jr.
George Pettace
While the police close in on a molester, columnist Marla Edwards (Lee Grant)
flees to her car - where a man hides in the back seat.
4.24 [126] The Defenders: IMPEACHMENT
18Mar65
Written by Stanley Greenberg
Directed by Paul Bogart
Guest Stars:
Dan O'Herlihy
Alexis Smith
Gene Raymond
Tom Carlin
Gov. William Defoe's declaration of independence from a corrupt political
machine may prove costly: the party bosses are after his resignation
- or impeachment.
4.25 [127] The Defenders: THE SWORN TWELVE
25Mar65
Written by Edward de Blasio
Directed by Michael Powell
Guest Stars:
Ossie Davis
Brenda Vaccaro
Rudy Dee (Mrs. Ossie Davis)
Murray Hamilton
Preston tries to secure a new trial for his client when he receives an
anonymous letter charging impropriety in the jury room.
4.26 [128] The Defenders: A MATTER OF LAW AND DISORDER
8Apr65
Written by Roger H. Lewis
Directed by Robert Butler
Guest Stars:
Pat Hingle (as Peter Dowling)
Mary Fickett
Susan Anspach
Chester Morris
John Baragrey
Dustin Hoffman
Charged with manslaughter for shooting a teenager, Peter Dowling
(Pat Hingle) claims self-defense - but the boy was unarmed.
4.27 [129] The Defenders: YOUTHS AND MAIDENS ON AN EVENING WALK
15Apr65
Written by Robert Crean
Directed by William Ball
Guest Stars:
Joan Darling (as Bertha Schlock)(Owen Marshall)
Murray Matheson
Vincent Sardi
In her bumbling efforts to attract the attention of a famous director,
stage-struck Bertha Schlock (Joan Darling) assaults a policeman.
4.28 [130] The Defenders: THE PROSECUTOR
29Apr65
Written by David Shaw
Directed by Paul Bogart
Guest Stars:
Larry Blyden (as Charles Parker)
Teresa Wright
Frank Overton
Charles Parker (Larry Blyden) has second thoughts about prosecuting a
suspected murderer when the Prestons - defense attorneys in the case
- offer him a position with their law firm.
4.29 [131] The Defenders: THE BUM'S RUSH
6May65
Written by Alvin Boretz
Directed by Sidney Katz
Guest Stars:
Tom Bosley (as Charlie Barry) (Happy Days, Father Dowling)
Terry Carter (McCloud, Battlestar Galactica)
Ted Van Griethuysen
The Prestons are assigned to defend murder suspect Charlie Barry
(Tom Bosley), a vagrant who is apathetically resigned to his fate.
4.30 [132] The Defenders: ONLY A CHILD (final episode)
13May65
Written by Ellen M. Violett
Directed by Robert Stevens
Guest Stars:
Robert Duvall (as Bill Andrews)
Collin Wilcox
Joel Crothers
Dennis Patrick
Suing for damages after his son's accidental death, Bill Andrews
(Robert Duval) finds that the amount he can collect won't even cover the
cost of his wife's psychiatric care.
[--] 08Jul65 CBS Thur 10pm, re-run of "The Pill Man" (first aired 22Feb64)
################ The Defenders ###############
################### the end ##################
##############################################
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