The Classic TV Archive - US Legal Drama Series
<Previous "The Defenders" Next>
Starring E.G. Marshall & Robert Reed
Season 1 (CBS) (1961-62)
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 1 1961-62 ##############
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CBS Saturdays 8.30 Eastern
32 episodes
1.01 [--] The Defenders: THE QUALITY OF MERCY
16Sep61
Written by Reginald Rose
Directed by Buzz Kulik
Guest Stars
Jack Klugman (Quincy, The Odd Couple)
Philip Abbott (The FBI)
Michael Lipton
Gene Hackman
Joan Hackett (recurring)
The legal and moral implications of mercy killing are examined as the
Prestons defend a doctor charged with killing a Mongoloid baby.
1.02 [--] The Defenders: KILLER INSTINCT
23Sep61 CBS, Saturday 8:30pm EST
Written by John Vlahos
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
Guest Stars: [TA]
William Shatner .......... Jim McCleery
Joanne Linville .......... Peg McCleery
Joan Hackett ............. Joan Miller (recurring)
Edith Meiser ............. Mrs. Kane
Jeffrey Rowland .......... Bobby McCleery
Kermit Murdock ........... District Attorney Larkin
with:
Mitch Ryan
Lester Rawlins
Synopsis 1:
When mild-mannered Jim McCleery kills a bully in a fight it seems a clear
case of self-defense. But the district attorney brings out an interesting
point during the trial - during the war McCleery was trained to kill any
attacker on sight.
Synopsis 2:
Jim McCleery (William Shatner) has won a fight - at the cost of his
opponent's life and his own freedom.
1.03 [--] The Defenders: DEATH ACROSS THE COUNTER
30Sep61 CBS Sat
Written by Reginald Rose
Directed by Buzz Kulik
Guest Stars: [TA]
Clu Gulager ............. Tom Clinton
Frank McHugh ............ Henry Schell
Harry Townes ............ McGuire
J. Pat O'Malley ......... painter
Joan Hackett ............ Joan Miller (recurring)
Synopsis 1:
Drug addict Tom Clinton and his partner Henry Schell rob a delicatessen. In
the struggle, the storeowner is killed. Tom, accused of the murder, is
convinced of his guilt. But Kenneth Preston is not: He decides to do a
little detective work.
Synopsis 2:
The tortured world of a dope addict is explored in this story of a young
man convinced he's guilty of murder - although he has no recollection of the crime.
1.04 [--] The Defenders: THE RIOT
07Oct61
Written by Max Ehrlich
Directed by Buzz Kulik
Guest Stars:
Fritz Weaver
Ossie Davis (Evening Shade)
Joan Hackett (recurring)
Preston (E.G. Marshall) undertakes a delicate and dangerous task:
acting as intermediary for the investigators of a prison riot.
1.05 [--] The Defenders: THE YOUNG LOVERS
14Oct61 CBS, Saturday 8:30pm
Written by John Vlahos
Directed by Buzz Kulik
Guest Stars: [TA]
Lynn Loring ................. Irene
Burt Brinckerhoff ........... David Roth
David J. Stewart ............ Judge Steiner
Muni Seroff ................. Mr. Roth
Zvee Scooler ................ Mr. Morris
George Ebeling .............. McGuire
Mary Finney ................. Mrs. Johnson
Larry Robinson .............. Dr. Griffiths
John Seymour ................ Dr. Long
Jeremiah Morris ............. Mr. Demas
Gerry Jedd .................. Mrs. Demas
Joan Hackett ................ Joan Miller (recurring)
Synopsis 1:
Young David Roth is accused of abandoning his baby. Preston tells David he
can't help unless he knows the whereabouts of the child's mother - but
David refuses to implicate his young wife.
Synopsis 2:
A destitute young couple take a desperate gamble to provide for themselves and their baby.
1.06 [--] The Defenders: THE BOY BETWEEN
21Oct61
Written by Robert Thom
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
Guest Stars:
Norma Crane (as Belle Remmington)
Ilka Chase (Trials of O'Brien)
Arthur Hill (Owen Marshall, Counselor At Law)
Joan Hackett (recurring)
with
Richard Thomas (The Waltons)
Anne Seymour
Barnard Hughes (Mr. Merlin)
The Prestons become embroiled in a bitter custody battle when they are
retained by Belle Remington (Norma Crane), who insists her son never be
allowed to see his father.
1.07 [--] The Defenders: THE HUNDRED LIVES OF HARRY SIMMS
28Oct61 CBS Sat
Written by Alvin Boretz
Directed by John Brahm
Guest Stars: [TA]
Sam Wanamaker ............. Dr. Ralph Ames
Frank Gorshin ............. Harry Simms
Frank Overton ............. Bryan, the D.A.
Joan Hackett .............. Joan Miller (recurring)
Synopsis 1:
Impersonator Harry Simms is accused of killing his fiancée, and he asks Ken
to defend him. But Ken is baffled by Harry's plea: he says he couldn't have
murdered the girl - because Humphrey Bogart did it.
Synopsis 2:
Defending murder suspect Harry Simms (Frank Gorshin), Ken (Robert Reed)
is baffled by the mimic's claim that actor James Cagney committed the crime.
1.08 [--] The Defenders: THE ACCIDENT
4Nov61
Written by Reginald Rose
Directed by Buzz Kulik
Guest Stars:
Evans Evans
Lonnie Chapman
Joan Hackett (recurring)
A woman charged with criminal negligence when she hits a child while driving home from a party.
1.09 [--] The Defenders: THE TRIAL OF JENNY SCOTT
11Nov61
Written by Reginald Rose
Directed by Buzz Kulik
Guest Stars:
Pat Hingle
Mary Fickett (as Jenny Scott)
Joan Hackett (recurring)
Synopsis 1:
Lawrence Preston agrees to defend a woman accused of murdering her husband.
All the evidence points to her guilt, and in an attempt to prove his client
innocent Preston is forced to subject the prosecution's chief witness to a
ruthless cross examination.
(22Feb62 BBC UK, Thur 8:0pm)
Synopsis 2:
Unhappily married Jenny Scott (Mary Fickett) is the prime suspect when
her husband is murdered.
1.10 [--] The Defenders: THE MAN WITH THE CONCRETE THUMB
18Nov61 CBS, Saturday 8:30pm
Written by Ernest Kinoy
Directed by Ralph Nelson
Guest Stars: [TA]
Loring Smith .............. Francis Conn
Polly Rowles .............. Helen
Fred Stewart .............. Arthur Keller
Joan Hackett .............. Joan Miller (recurring)
Synopsis 1:
Commissioner Francis Conn wants a park destroyed to make way for a highway,
and Joan Miller joins a group who picket to save the greenery. Someone in
the crowd throws a brick at Arthur Keller, one of Conn's men.
Synopsis 2:
Picketing to save a park, Joan Miller (Joan Hackett) is charged with
second-degree assault when a brick thrown by one of the demonstrators
injures an adversary.
1.11 [--] The Defenders: THE TREADMILL
25Nov61
Written by Peter Stone
Directed by Don Richardson
Guest Stars:
Leora Dana
Judson Laire
Alfred Ryder
Edward Binns (as Victor Fergusson)
Joan Hackett (recurring)
Released from a mental hospital, Victor Fergusson (Edward Binns) is forced
to stand trial for a murder he committed 25 years before.
1.12 [--] The Defenders: PERJURY
2Dec61
Written by Adrian Spies
Directed by Boris Sagal
Guest Stars:
Robert Duvall (Lonesome Dove)
Robert Loggia (The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca, T.H.E. Cat)
Ellen Madison
Joan Hackett (recurring)
Charged with perjury, a witness says he lied because Preston asked him to.
1.13 [--] The Defenders: THE ATTACK
09Dec61
Written by John Bloch
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
guest stars
Richard Kiley
Barbara Barrie (Barney Miller)
Michael Constantine
J.D. Cannon (McCloud)
Martin Sheen
Nancy Marchand (Lou Grant)
The impact of public opinion on a trial is examined in this story of a
policeman who kills the alleged molester of his young daughter.
1.14 [--] The Defenders: THE PROWLER
16Dec61
Written by David Shaw
Directed by Paul Bogart
Guest Stars:
Zohra Lampert
Kent Smith (as Dwight Harkavy)(The Rough Riders)
Elizabeth Ashley (Evening Shade)
Joan Hackett (recurring)
Dwight Harkavy (Kent Smith) goes on trial for shooting a prowler - who
was his wife's first husband.
1.15 [--] The Defenders: GIDEON'S FOLLIES
23Dec61
Written by Robert J. Crean
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
Guest Stars:
Shirl Conway
Julie Newmar
Zohra Lampert
Gloria DeHaven
Eva Gabor (Green Acres)
with
Tsai Chin
Arthur Hughes
Conrad Bain (Diff'rent Strokes)
Preston investigates the death of a millionaire playboy - murdered before
he could divide his estate among his current spouse and five ex-wives.
1.16 [--] The Defenders: THE BEST DEFENSE
31Dec61
Written by Ernest Kinoy
Directed by Paul Stanley
Guest Stars:
Martin Balsam (Archie Bunker's Place)
Edward Andrews
Joan Hackett (recurring)
The Prestons come to the aid of a racketeer charged with the gangland
murder of a small-time hoodlum.
1.17 [--] The Defenders: THE BEDSIDE MURDER
6Jan62
Written by Max Erhlich
Directed by Fielder Cook
Guest Stars:
Sam Jaffe (Ben Casey)
Alexander Scourby
Barry Morse
Joan Hackett (recurring)
with
Murray Hamilton
The Prestons defend a doctor accused of murdering a wealthy patient who
promised to leave him a large sum in her will.
1.18 [--] The Defenders: THE SEARCH
20Jan62 CBS, Saturday 8:30pm
Written by Reginald Rose
Directed by John Brahm
Guest Stars: [TA]
Jack Klugman .............. Charles Gramaglia
Olive Deering ............. Mrs. Ernest Pomeroy
James Congdon ............. James Mitchell
Harry Millard ............. Ernest Pomeroy
Judson Laire .............. the Judge
Luiella Gear
Joan Hackett .............. Joan Miller (recurring)
Synopsis 1:
Six years ago Preston defended Ernest Pomeroy, who was executed for the
murder of a business executive. But now James Mitchell tells police they
got the wrong man - he committed the crime himself.
Sytnopsis 2:
An old homicide case is reopened when James Mitchell (James Congdon)
confesses to a murder for which another man was executed six years earlier.
1.19 [--] The Defenders: STORM AT BIRCH GLEN
27Jan62 CBS, Saturday 8:30pm
Written by Jerome Ross
Directed by John Brahm
Guest Stars: [TA]
James Broderick ............. Charles Agostini (Father of Matthew Broderick)
Dolores Sutton .............. Beatrice Agostini
Stanley Kristien ............ Lochlin
Steve Curry ................. Peter Swaboda
Logan Ramsey ................ Weymeister
Leon Janney ................. Kimbrough
Synopsis 1:
Young Peter Swaboda, a reform-school inmate, is found beaten to death on
the school grounds. Scarface Lochlin, a fellow inmate, says he saw cottage
supervisor Charles Agostini beat Swaboda on previous occasions, and he
accuses him of the murder.
Synopsis 2:
The Prestons encounter fear and hostility at a reform school when they are
retained by a supervisor charged with murdering one of the inmates.
1.20 [--] The Defenders: THE POINT SHAVER
3Feb62
Written by Mann Rubin
Directed by Buzz Kulik
Guest Stars:
Alan Hewitt
Andrew Prine (The Wide Country)
Polly Rowles
with
Paul Prokop
The Prestons defend a college basketball star accused of fixing a game.
1.21 [--] The Defenders: THE LOCKED ROOM
10Feb62
Written by Ernest Kinoy
Directed by David Greene
Guest Stars
Viveca Lindfors (mother of actor Kristofer Tabori)
Dody Goodman
Inga Swenson (Benson)
Zachary Scott
Conflicting interpretations of the same evidence are examined. During
a murder trial, three jurors imagine how the crime may have been committed.
1.22 [--] The Defenders: THE EMPTY CHUTE
17Feb62
Written by Max Ehrlich
Directed by Jack Smight
Guest Stars:
Neva Patterson (Nichols)
Chester Morris
Michael Strong
Joan Hackett (recurring)
The Army suspects foul play when a paratrooper's chute fails to open and
he falls to his death.
1.23 [--] The Defenders: THE CRUSADER
24Feb62
Written by Jerome Ross
Directed by Daniel Petrie
Guest Stars:
Warren Stevens (The Richard Boone Show)
Alan Bunce
Ronald Winters
Joan Hackett (recurring)
with
Anne Meacham
Ken launches a personal investigation when a model prisoner - jailed for
crimes he insists he never committed - is refused parole.
1.24 [--] The Defenders: THE HICKORY INDIAN
3Mar62
Written by David Karp
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg
Guest Stars:
Larry Gates
Wayne Robertson
Leo Penn
George Voskovec (as Louis Astor)
The defendant: Louis Astor (George Voskovec), who's charged with stealing
money from his son's firm.
1.25 [--] The Defenders: THE IRON MAN (verified on film)
10Mar62 CBS Sat
DEFENDERS THE IRON MAN 1
DEFENDERS THE IRON MAN 2
DEFENDERS THE IRON MAN 3
DEFENDERS THE IRON MAN 4
DEFENDERS THE IRON MAN 5Produced by Herbert Brodkin
Written by Albert Sanders
Directed by Buzz Kulik
*
(end credits)(No Guest Stars)
Also Staring:
Ben Piazza ......... Jack Powers
Co-Starring:
Edgar Stehli ....... Professor Wilson
Pat Henning ........ Tom Powers
Robert Gerringer ... D.A. Fontana
And:
Polly Rowles ....... Helen Donaldson
With:
Dino Narizzano ..... Martin White
Freda Holloway ..... Esther Forbes
Augusta Merighi .... Mrs. Carisi
Ray Reinhardt ...... Mr. Jackson
Lester Rawlins ..... The Psychiatrist
John Alexander ..... Judd Forrest
Ken Kercheval ...... Jack Wilks
John Boruff ........ The Judge
Barry Primus ....... Hoodlum #2
Scott Middleton .... Hoodlum #1
Richard Kutney ..... Hoodlum #3
Roger Quinlen ...... Jury Foreman
Lester Laurence .... The Jury
*
Associate Producer: Bob Markel
Script Editor: William Wodfolk
Supervising Film Editor: Sidney Katz
Director Of Production Operations : M. Clay Adams
Director of Photography: Morris Hartzband
Art Director: William Levitas
Casting Director: Alixe Gordin
Production Manager: Kenneth Utt
Synopsis:
The Prestons give a campus fascist leader a lesson in democracy when he's arrested after his henchmen beat up a heckler.
1.26 [--] The Defenders: THE TARNISHED CROSS
17Mar62
Written by Reginald Rose
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
Guest Stars:
Martin Sheen
Biff McGuire
Bill Gunn
The Prestons become defense counselors in a kangaroo court set up by a
group of teenagers bent on trying an alleged murderer.
1.27 [--] The Defenders: THE LAST SIX MONTHS
31Mar62
Written by Max Ehrlich
Directed by David Greene
Guest Stars:
Arthur Hill (as Fred Braden)
Louisa Horton
J.D. Cannon
Martin B. Ruby
Incurably ill Fred Braden (Arthur Hill) strangles his partner, who refused
to guarantee Mrs. Braden a monthly allowance.
1.28 [--] The Defenders: THE NAKED HEIRESS
7Apr62
Written by Alvin Boretz
Directed by Jack Smight
Guest Stars:
Glenda Farrell (as Edna Holley)
Conrad Nagel
Salome Jens (sister-in-law of actor Anthony Zerbe)
Howard St. John
John McGovern
Edna Holley (Glenda Farrell) invites trouble when she blackmails a
professor who's interested in her daughter, a strip-tease artist.
1.29 [--] The Defenders: REUNION WITH DEATH
21Apr62
Written by David Shaw
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
Guest Stars:
Robert Webber
Lee Philipps
with
Woodrow Parfrey
Gene Wilder
Michael Conrad (Delvecchio, Hill Street Blues)
A group of Air Force veterans set up a kangaroo court to try one of their number for treason.
1.30 [--] The Defenders: THE BENEFACTOR
28Mar62
Teleplay by Peter Stone
Directed by Daniel Petrie
Guest Stars:
Judson Laire
Robert F. Simon
Collin Wilcox
Synopsis 1:
A highly acclaimed teleplay on abortion controversy.
Synopsis 2:
A controversial episode dealing with the trial of an accused abortionist.
1.31 [--] The Defenders: ALONG CAME A SPIDER
5May62
Written by Peter Stone
Directed by Elliot Silverstein
Guest Stars:
Paul Hartman
Kathleen Maguire
Arthur Storch
with
Leslye Hunter (child actress)
The Prestons defend an ex-vaudevillian accused of murdering his son-in-law. The only witness: the dead man's daughter.
1.32 [--] The Defenders: THE BROKEN BARRELHEAD
26May62
Written by David Karp
Directed by David Greene
Guest Stars:
Harold J. Stone
Richard Jordan
Paul Stone
Defending a youth charged with vehicular homicide, the Prestons are
hampered by the boy's overbearing father (Harold J. Stone) - who isn't above bribing jurors.