CTVA - Herbert Brodkin Plautus Productions

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Herbert Brodkin /Plautus Productions
Herbert Brodkin (1912-1990)
imdb
(personal credits)    / imdb (company credits)

with contributions by:
Bob Lamm (New York)<blamm@concentric.net>
Author of Articles on the series in
"The Journal Of Popular Television Volume 23 no. 2 Summer 1995
article entitled -"The Nurses: Television's Forgotten Gems"
"TV Collector" Volume 2 no. 58 Jan-Feb 1992
references:
The Herbert Brodkin Retrospective by
The Museum Of Broadcasting
(now The Museum Of Television Of Radio)
 Brenner 
Plautus Productions (to be verified)
for
CBS
Produced by Herbert Brodkin

US police series 1959; 1964 25 episodes x 30 min bw
6Jun59-13Sep64
starring
Edward Binns as Det. Lt. Roy Brenner
James Broderick as Officer Ernie Brenner

Premise:
Father and Son cops on the NYPD.

Note: The series was produced in 1959 and selected reruns were aired by
CBS in the Summers of 1961, 1962, and 1964. In order to keep the series
fresh during the spring of 1964 new episodes were produced.

The Defenders

Plautus Production
for
CBS (Saturdays 8:30 pm EST)(season 1-2)(1961-63)
CBS (Saturdays 9:00 pm EST)(season 3) (1963-64)
CBS (Thursdays 10:00 pm EST)(season 4)(1964-65)

Created by Reginald Rose
Executive producer Herbert Brodkin
Produced by Robert Markell

US legal drama series 1961-65 132 episodes x 60 min bw
starring
E.G. Marshall as Attorney Lawrence Preston
Robert Reed as Attorney Kenneth Preston
also
Polly Rowles as Helen Donaldson (1961-1962)
Joan Hackett as Joan Miller (1961-1962)

recurring guest stars:
Judson Laire
Frank Overton
Ossie Davis
Murray Hamilton
Lonny Chapman
J.D. Cannon

Premise:
Cases of a father and son lawyer team.
Superior courtroom drama, usually with serious issues at stake.

Reviews/Awards:
"Stunning guest performances with provocative situations -
glorious teleplays by veterans of the golden age"
"A milestone in television" Leslie Halliwell
Golden Globe Award - 1963 - Best TV Show

'The Defenders' theme music by Leonard Rosenman

The Nurses (1962-64)
The Doctors & The Nurses (1964-65)

Plautus Productions, Inc.
Executive Producer Herbert Brodkin
Produced by Arthur Lewis (1962-64)
Produced by Arthur Joel Katz (1964-65)
for
CBS (Thursdays 9:00 pm) (season 1)(1962-63)
CBS (Thursdays 10:00 pm) (season 2)(1963-64)
CBS (Tuesdays 10:00 pm) (season 3)(1964-65)

US medical series 1962-65 98 episodes x 60 min bw

starring
Shirl Conway as Liz Thorpe (1962-1965)
Zina Bethune as Gail Lucas (1962-1965)
Edward Binns as Dr. Anson Kiley (1962-1964)
Stephen Brooks as Dr. Ned Lowry (1963-1964)
Hilda Simms as Miss Ayres

Michael Tolan as Dr. Alex Tazinski "Ski" (1964-1965)(season 3)
Joseph Campanella as Dr. Ted Steffen (1964-1965)(season 3)

Premise:
Excellent hospital drama, set at Alden General Hospital.

Espionage
Plautus Production/ Herbert Brodkin, Inc.
in association with
Associated TeleVision (ATV) [uk]
Majority of episodes Filmed at
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Boreham Wood, England
Some episodes filmed on location in Europe and the USA
for
NBC (Wednesdays 9:00pm EST)
Executive Producer Herbert Hirschman
Produced by George Justin

UK spy anthology series 1963-64 24 episodes x 60 min bw
(aired on NBC from 2Oct63 - 2Sep64)
no host
Premmise:
An anthology series of spy stories, some of them partly true.
A somewhat gloomy but well-made series with excellent guest stars.

Filmed on location throughout Europe, 'Espionage' was an anthology of
spy stories, all based on actual case histories. Through documented
accounts and actual newsreel footage events are covered from the
Ameican Revolution, World War I to the then-current cold war, and
covered all forms of international intrigue, civil war, and underground
resistance movements.

Although most of the performers in these dramas were Europeans unfamiliar
to American audiences, some fairly well-known names were featured, such
as:-
Dennis Hopper (The Weakling)
Patricia Neal (The Weakling)
Arthur Kennedy (The Whistling Shrimp)
Jim Backus (A Tiny Drop Of Poison)
Anthony Quayle (A Free Agent)

'Espionage' Theme Music Composed and Conducted by Malcolm Arnold  

For the People
Plautus Productions, Inc.
for
CBS (Sundays)
Executive Producer Herbert Brodkin
Produced by Joel Katz

US Legal Drama series 1965 13 episodes x 60 min bw
31Jan65-09May65
starring
William Shatner as Asst. D.A. David Koster
Jessica Walter as Phyllis Koster, his wife
Howard Da Silva as D.A Anthony Celese, his boss
Lonny Chapman as Det. Frank Malloy

Premise:
Cases of a New York Assistant District Attorney.
Fortunately for "Star Trek" fans, "For The People" was canceled -
(though it had been highly aclaimed); had the show been renewed for the
1965-66 season Shatner would not have been available to begin work
on "Star Trek"

Coronet Blue
Plautus Productions
for
CBS (Mondays 10PM
Executive Producer Herbert Brodkin

US adventure series 1967 13 episodes x 60 min color
(29May67-04Sep67)
Starring
Frank Converse as Michael Alden
Brian Bedford as Anthony
Joe Silver as Max Spier

Premise:
"Coronet Blue" was the story of Michael Alden. He was pursued by
some men and dumped into a harbor; when he was retrieved by the
police, he only remembered that he was being pursued and a phrase
that meant nothing to him: "Coronet Blue."
Although intriguing, the show only lasted during its time as a
summer replacement, thirteen weeks in 1967; we never learned what
"Coronet Blue" means.
"Coronet Blue" music by Laurence Rosenthal.

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