Encyclopedia of Television Law Shows
Factual and Fictional Series About Judges, Lawyers and the Courtroom, 1948–2008
Hal
Erickson
ISBN
978-0-7864-3828-0
bibliography, index
307pp.
softcover
(7 x 10)
2009
Available for immediate shipment
Description
When media coverage of courtroom trials came under intense fire in the aftermath of the infamous New Jersey v. Hauptmann lawsuit (a.k.a. the Lindbergh kidnapping case,) a new wave of fictionalized courtroom programming arose to satiate the public’s appetite for legal drama. This book is an alphabetical examination of the nearly 200 shows telecast in the U.S. from 1948 through 2008 involving courtrooms, lawyers and judges, complete with cast and production credits, airdates, detailed synopses and background information. Included are such familiar titles as Perry Mason, Divorce Court, Judge Judy, LA Law, and The Practice, along with such obscure series as They Stand Accused, The Verdict Is Yours Sam Benedict, Trials of O’Brien, and The Law and Mr. Jones. The book includes an introductory overview of law-oriented radio and TV broadcasts from the 1920s to the present, including actual courtroom coverage (or lack of same during those years in which cameras and microphones were forbidden in the courtroom) and historical events within TV’s factual and fictional treatment of the legal system. Also included in the introduction is an analysis of the rise and fall of cable’s Court TV channel.
About the Author
Hal Erickson is author-editor for AMG All-Movie Guide and is the author of numerous books about film, television and pop culture. A substitute special-education teacher in the Wauwatosa (WI) school district, he lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Other Book(s) by Hal Erickson Available from McFarland:
Syndicated Television
Baseball in the Movies
Religious Radio and Television in the United States, 1921–1991
Television Cartoon Shows
Sid and Marty Krofft
Religious Radio and Television in the United States, 1921–1991
“From Beautiful Downtown Burbank”
The Baseball Filmography, 1915 through 2001, 2d ed.
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Table of Contents & Excerpts
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