Justice (1954 TV series)
Encyclopedia
Justice is an NBC
half-hour drama television series about attorneys of the Legal Aid Society
of New York, which aired from April 8, 1954
to March 25, 1956
. In the 1954-1955 season, Justice starred Dane Clark
as Richard Adams and Gary Merrill
as Jason Tyler. In the 1955-1956 season, William Prince
replaced Clark in the role of Richard Adams. Westbrook Van Voorhis
(1903-1968) was the series narrator
.
, and Warren Stevens
, a war veteran believed dead reappears to find his wife has remarried. Another early Justice episode, "Run from Honor", is the story of Ed Simmons, a school bus driver being honored for his safe-driving record. Simmons, however, fears that being in the limelight from accepting his award will unveil his hidden past. His son goes to the Legal Aid Society for help. In "The Quiet Life" on May 6, 1954, an immigrant laborer played by J. Carroll Naish keeps quiet about inferior-grade cement being used on a new building by his dishonest boss played by Ed Begley
.
In the May 13, 1954, episode "Hit and Run" with the teleplay by Earl Hamner, Jr., Harry Larner, played by E.G. Marshall crashes into a newsboy on a bicycle during a blinding rainstorm. After a moment of indecision, Larner drives off from the scene of the accident. He tells no one about the tragedy, but the crime haunts him at every turn. Ed Begley also appears in this episode.
In "Eye for an Eye" on May 20, 1954, with Skip Homeier
, Harvey Lembeck
, and again Richard Kiley, a United States Army sergeant faces a court-martial
for allegedly betraying his comrades to the enemy while they were prisoners of war in Korea. In "The Deep Night" on May 27, 1954, a woman stands trial on charges that she fatally stabbed her husband. Two witnesses appear, one of whom withholds information that would incriminate the real killer, Rod Steiger
guest stars.
On June 3, 1954, in the episode "The Eight Alien Boys", an aging eccentric man tries to prevent the removal of a plaque honoring his ancestors who were killed in battle in 1776. The hallowed ground, however, is endangered by the pending construction of a road. Series director Daniel Petrie stepped in to play the lead role after James Barton lost his voice.In "Call Me Guilty" on July 1, 1954, Ernest Truex
, later on The Ann Sothern Show
, plays an eccentric who earns his livelihood by carving toys. With a desire to be noticed, the man begins confessing to unsolved crimes which he did not commit. Royal Dano
also appears in this episode. In "The Scandal That Rocked the Town" on July 8, 1954, 23-year-old John Kerr
, in his acting debut, plays a basketball player who claims that gamblers are causing him grief on the court. Harry Townes
, Jack Klugman
, and June Walker
, the mother of John Kerr, also appear in this episode.
In "Murder at Red Oaks" on July 15, 1954, a man is falsely accuses of murder because of his past record and pending circumstantial evidence
. Dick Foran
guest stars. In "The Deadly Silence" on September 16, 1954, an eyewitness to a crime fears giving information to police; as a result, an innocent man faces conviction for a crime. Dennis O'Keefe
guest stars as a Legal Aid lawyer.In "Guilty Secret" on March 17, 1955, Peter Mark Richman portrays a parolee who is threatened by hoodlums who threaten to harm his wife, portrayed by Patricia Breslin
if he reveals their identity.
In "Fearful Hour," Mary Astor
plays a forgotten film star facing financial reverses. The actress cashes a large check for which she has no funds. Rather than face disgrace, she attempts suicide. Gary Merrill in the role of Jason Tyler intervenes to save her life, but he cannot prevent the release of her story.
, Edward Andrews
, Theodore Bikel
, Edward Binns, Jackie Cooper
, Bob Cummings, James Daly
, Nina Foch
, Wallace Ford
, Eva Gabor
, Ben Gazzara
, Bruce Gordon
, Lorne Greene
, James Gregory
, George Grizzard
, Murray Hamilton
, Eileen Heckart
, Pat Hingle
, Kim Hunter
, June Lockhart
, Gisele MacKenzie
, Walter Matthau
, Biff McGuire
, Don Murray
, Leslie Nielsen
, J. Pat O'Malley
, Jason Robards
, Robert F. Simon
, Maureen Stapleton
, Jack Warden
, and Dick York
.
on Thursdays preceding Jack Webb
's Dragnet
. In the second year, it was switched to 10:30 p.m. Sundays following The Loretta Young Show on NBC and opposite What's My Line?
on CBS
.
Similar to Justice was the CBS
legal drama, The Public Defender
, which aired from 1954-1955, with Reed Hadley
as public defender Bart Matthews.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
half-hour drama television series about attorneys of the Legal Aid Society
Legal Aid Society
The Legal Aid Society in New York City is the United States' oldest and largest provider of legal services to the indigent. It operates both traditional civil and criminal law cases.-History:...
of New York, which aired from April 8, 1954
1954 in television
The year 1954 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1954.-Events:*January 1 – NBC broadcasts the Rose Parade in NTSC color on 21 stations.*January 3 – RAI launched in Italy....
to March 25, 1956
1956 in television
The year 1956 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1956.-Events:*January 28 – Elvis Presley makes his national television debut on CBS on Stage Show, the first of six appearances on the series....
. In the 1954-1955 season, Justice starred Dane Clark
Dane Clark
Dane Clark was an American film actor who was known for playing, as he labeled himself, "Joe Average".-Early life:...
as Richard Adams and Gary Merrill
Gary Merrill
Gary Fred Merrill was an American film and television character actor whose credits included more than fifty feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of television guest appearances....
as Jason Tyler. In the 1955-1956 season, William Prince
William Prince (actor)
William LeRoy Prince was an American actor who appeared in numerous soap operas and made dozens of guest appearances on primetime series as well as playing villains in movies like The Gauntlet and Spontaneous Combustion.-Biography:Prince was born in Nichols, New York, the son of Myrtle , a nurse...
replaced Clark in the role of Richard Adams. Westbrook Van Voorhis
Westbrook Van Voorhis
Cornelius Westbrook Van Voorhis was a narrator for television programs and movies. He is perhaps best known for his work on the March of Time radio and newsreel series, where he became known as the "Voice of Doom", as well as for the catchphrase, "Time...marches on!"...
(1903-1968) was the series narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
.
Selected episodes
In the April 15, 1954, episode entitled "Keith's Case" with Richard Kiley, Phyllis KirkPhyllis Kirk
-Early life and career:Born Phyllis Kirkegaard in Syracuse, New York , she contracted polio as a child which resulted in health problems for the rest of her life. As a teen, she moved to New York City to study acting and changed her last name to "Kirk"...
, and Warren Stevens
Warren Stevens
Warren Stevens is an American stage, screen, and television actor.Born in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, Stevens began his acting career after serving in the U.S. Army Air Force as a pilot during World War II. He trained at The Actor's Studio in New York, received notice on Broadway, and thereafter...
, a war veteran believed dead reappears to find his wife has remarried. Another early Justice episode, "Run from Honor", is the story of Ed Simmons, a school bus driver being honored for his safe-driving record. Simmons, however, fears that being in the limelight from accepting his award will unveil his hidden past. His son goes to the Legal Aid Society for help. In "The Quiet Life" on May 6, 1954, an immigrant laborer played by J. Carroll Naish keeps quiet about inferior-grade cement being used on a new building by his dishonest boss played by Ed Begley
Ed Begley
Edward James Begley, Sr. was an Academy Award-winning American actor.-Biography:Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Begley began his career as a Broadway and radio actor while in his teens. He appeared in the hit musical Going Up on Broadway in 1917 and in London the next year. He later acted in...
.
In the May 13, 1954, episode "Hit and Run" with the teleplay by Earl Hamner, Jr., Harry Larner, played by E.G. Marshall crashes into a newsboy on a bicycle during a blinding rainstorm. After a moment of indecision, Larner drives off from the scene of the accident. He tells no one about the tragedy, but the crime haunts him at every turn. Ed Begley also appears in this episode.
In "Eye for an Eye" on May 20, 1954, with Skip Homeier
Skip Homeier
-Career:Homeier began acting as Skippy Homeier at the age of six, on the radio show Portia Faces Life. From 1943 until 1944 he played the role of Emil in the Broadway play, Tomorrow the World. Cast as a child indoctrinated into Nazism, who is brought to the United States from Germany following the...
, Harvey Lembeck
Harvey Lembeck
Harvey Lembeck was an American comedic actor best remembered for his role as Cpl. Rocco Barbella on The Phil Silvers Show in the late 1950s, and as the stumbling, overconfident outlaw biker Eric Von Zipper in the beach party movie series during the 1960s...
, and again Richard Kiley, a United States Army sergeant faces a court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
for allegedly betraying his comrades to the enemy while they were prisoners of war in Korea. In "The Deep Night" on May 27, 1954, a woman stands trial on charges that she fatally stabbed her husband. Two witnesses appear, one of whom withholds information that would incriminate the real killer, Rod Steiger
Rod Steiger
Rodney Stephen "Rod" Steiger was an Academy Award-winning American actor known for his performances in such films as On the Waterfront, The Big Knife, Oklahoma!, The Harder They Fall, Across the Bridge, The Pawnbroker, Doctor Zhivago, In the Heat of the Night, and Waterloo as well as the...
guest stars.
On June 3, 1954, in the episode "The Eight Alien Boys", an aging eccentric man tries to prevent the removal of a plaque honoring his ancestors who were killed in battle in 1776. The hallowed ground, however, is endangered by the pending construction of a road. Series director Daniel Petrie stepped in to play the lead role after James Barton lost his voice.In "Call Me Guilty" on July 1, 1954, Ernest Truex
Ernest Truex
Ernest Truex was an American actor of stage and film.-Career:...
, later on The Ann Sothern Show
The Ann Sothern Show
The Ann Sothern Show is an American sitcom starring Ann Sothern that aired on CBS for 93 episodes. The series began on October 6, 1958, and ended on September 25, 1961. The Ann Sothern Show was Sothern's second sitcom for CBS...
, plays an eccentric who earns his livelihood by carving toys. With a desire to be noticed, the man begins confessing to unsolved crimes which he did not commit. Royal Dano
Royal Dano
Royal Edward Dano was an American film and television character actor.-Early life:Dano was born in New York City to Mary Josephine , an Irish immigrant, and Caleb Edward Dano, a printer for newspapers. He reportedly left home at the age of twelve and at various intervals, lived in Florida, Texas...
also appears in this episode. In "The Scandal That Rocked the Town" on July 8, 1954, 23-year-old John Kerr
John Kerr (actor)
John Kerr is an American actor from a family rooted in British and Broadway stage, and a lawyer.- Early life :Kerr's parents, Geoffrey Kerr and June Walker, were both stage and film actors, and his grandfather was Frederick Kerr, a famed British trans-Atlantic character actor in the period...
, in his acting debut, plays a basketball player who claims that gamblers are causing him grief on the court. Harry Townes
Harry Townes
Harry Rhett Townes was an American television and movie actor.-Early life:Townes was born in Huntsville, the seat of Madison County in northern Alabama...
, Jack Klugman
Jack Klugman
Jacob Joachim "Jack" Klugman is an American stage, film and television actor known for his roles in sitcoms, movies, and television and on Broadway...
, and June Walker
June Walker
June Walker was an American stage and film actress. She appeared on Broadway in such plays as Green Grow the Lilacs, The Farmer Takes a Wife, and Twelfth Night...
, the mother of John Kerr, also appear in this episode.
In "Murder at Red Oaks" on July 15, 1954, a man is falsely accuses of murder because of his past record and pending circumstantial evidence
Circumstantial evidence
Circumstantial evidence is evidence in which an inference is required to connect it to a conclusion of fact, like a fingerprint at the scene of a crime...
. Dick Foran
Dick Foran
John Nicholas 'Dick' Foran was an American actor, known for his performances in western musicals and for playing supporting roles in dramatic pictures.-Life and career:...
guest stars. In "The Deadly Silence" on September 16, 1954, an eyewitness to a crime fears giving information to police; as a result, an innocent man faces conviction for a crime. Dennis O'Keefe
Dennis O'Keefe
Dennis O'Keefe was an American actor. Born as Edward Vance Flanagan he was the son of Irish vaudevillians working in the United States...
guest stars as a Legal Aid lawyer.In "Guilty Secret" on March 17, 1955, Peter Mark Richman portrays a parolee who is threatened by hoodlums who threaten to harm his wife, portrayed by Patricia Breslin
Patricia Breslin
Patricia Rose Breslin was an American actress known for her guest roles in various television series in the 1950s and 1960s.-Early years:...
if he reveals their identity.
In "Fearful Hour," Mary Astor
Mary Astor
Mary Astor was an American actress. Most remembered for her role as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in The Maltese Falcon with Humphrey Bogart, Astor began her long motion picture career as a teenager in the silent movies of the early 1920s.She eventually made a successful transition to talkies, but almost...
plays a forgotten film star facing financial reverses. The actress cashes a large check for which she has no funds. Rather than face disgrace, she attempts suicide. Gary Merrill in the role of Jason Tyler intervenes to save her life, but he cannot prevent the release of her story.
Other guest stars
Among the many guest stars appearing in the series, some of who appeared more than once or twice, were Philip AbbottPhilip Abbott
Philip Abbott was an American character actor and occasional voice actor.Abbott was a secondary lead in several films of the 1950s and 1960s. Miracle of the White Stallions...
, Edward Andrews
Edward Andrews
Edward Andrews was an American actor, one of the most recognizable character actors on television and films between the 1950s and the 1980s...
, Theodore Bikel
Theodore Bikel
Theodore Meir Bikel is a character actor, folk singer and musician. He made his film debut in The African Queen and was nominated for an Academy award for his supporting role as Sheriff Max Muller in The Defiant Ones ....
, Edward Binns, Jackie Cooper
Jackie Cooper
Jackie Cooper was an American actor, television director, producer and executive. He was a child actor who managed to make the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first child actor to receive an Academy Award nomination...
, Bob Cummings, James Daly
James Daly
James Daly was an American theater, film and television actor born in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, who is perhaps best-known for his role as Dr...
, Nina Foch
Nina Foch
Nina Foch was a Dutch-born American actress and leading lady in many 1940s and 1950s films.- Personal life :...
, Wallace Ford
Wallace Ford
Wallace Ford was an English film and television actor who, with his friendly appearance and stocky build later in life, appeared in a number of film westerns and B-movies....
, Eva Gabor
Eva Gabor
Eva Gabor was a Hungarian-born socialite and actress. She was widely known for her role on Green Acres as Lisa Douglas, the wife of Eddie Albert's character, Oliver Wendell Douglas, Duchess in the 1970 Disney film The Aristocats, and Miss Bianca in Disney's The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under...
, Ben Gazzara
Ben Gazzara
-Early life:Gazzara was born Biagio Anthony Gazzara in New York City, the son of Italian immigrants Angelina and Antonio Gazzara, who was a laborer and carpenter. Gazzara grew up on New York's tough Lower East Side. He actually lived on E. 29th Street and participated in the drama program at...
, Bruce Gordon
Bruce Gordon (actor)
Bruce Gordon was an American actor best known for playing Frank Nitti in the ABC television series The Untouchables....
, Lorne Greene
Lorne Greene
Lorne Greene , was the stage name of Lyon Himan Green, OC, a Canadian actor.His television roles include Ben Cartwright on the western Bonanza, and Commander Adama in the science fiction movie and subsequent TV Series Battlestar Galactica...
, James Gregory
James Gregory (actor)
James Gregory was an American character actor noted for his deep, gravelly voice and playing brash roles such as McCarthy-like Senator John Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate , the audacious General Ursus in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and loudmouthed Inspector Luger in Barney Miller...
, George Grizzard
George Grizzard
George Cooper Grizzard, Jr. was an American actor of film and stage. He appeared in more than 40 films, dozens of television programs and a number of Broadway plays.-Life and career:...
, Murray Hamilton
Murray Hamilton
Murray Hamilton was an American stage, screen, and television actor who appeared in such memorable films as The Hustler, The Graduate and Jaws.-Early life:...
, Eileen Heckart
Eileen Heckart
Eileen Heckart was an American actress of stage, screen, and television.-Early life:Heckart was born Anna Eileen Heckart in Columbus, Ohio, the daughter of Esther and Leo Herbert. She was legally adopted by her grandfather, J.W. Heckart. Her family was of Irish and German descent...
, Pat Hingle
Pat Hingle
Martin Patterson "Pat" Hingle was an American actor.-Early life:Hingle was born Martin Patterson Hingle in Miami, Florida, the son of Marvin Louise , a schoolteacher and musician, and Clarence Martin Hingle, a building contractor. Hingle enlisted in the U.S. Navy in December 1941, dropping out of...
, Kim Hunter
Kim Hunter
Kim Hunter was an American film, theatre, and television actress. She won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, each as Best Supporting Actress, for her performance as Stella Kowalski in the 1951 film A Streetcar Named Desire...
, June Lockhart
June Lockhart
June Lockhart is an American actress, primarily in 1950s and 1960s television, but with memorable performances on stage and in film too. She is remembered as the mother in two TV series, Lassie and Lost in Space. She also portrayed Dr...
, Gisele MacKenzie
Gisele MacKenzie
Gisèle MacKenzie was a Canadian-American singer, most famous for her performances on the popular television program Your Hit Parade.-Biography:...
, Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
, Biff McGuire
Biff McGuire
William "Biff" McGuire is an American actor. In recent years he has used the name William Biff McGuire professionally....
, Don Murray
Don Murray
Don Murray may refer to:*Don Murray , jazz musician*Don Murray *Don Murray , Pulitzer Prize winning writer for the Boston Herald*Don Murray , of the group The Turtles...
, Leslie Nielsen
Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
, J. Pat O'Malley
J. Pat O'Malley
James Patrick O'Malley was an English singer and character actor, who appeared in many American films and television programs during the 1940s–1970s, using the stage name J. Pat O'Malley...
, Jason Robards
Jason Robards
Jason Nelson Robards, Jr. was an American actor on stage, and in film and television, and a winner of the Tony Award , two Academy Awards and the Emmy Award...
, Robert F. Simon
Robert F. Simon
Robert F. Simon was an American character actor, often portraying military or authority figure roles. Though his face was recognized by audiences, he was mostly unknown by name...
, Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton was an American actress in film, theater and television.-Early life:Stapleton was born Lois Maureen Stapleton in Troy, New York, the daughter of Irene and John P. Stapleton, and grew up in a strict Irish American Catholic family...
, Jack Warden
Jack Warden
Jack Warden was an American character actor.-Early life:Warden was born John Warden Lebzelter in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Laura M. and John Warden Lebzelter, who was an engineer and technician. He was of Irish and Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry...
, and Dick York
Dick York
Richard Allen "Dick" York was an American actor. He is best remembered for his role as the first Darrin Stephens on the ABC television fantasy sitcom Bewitched...
.
Scheduling
In the first season, Justice aired at 8:30 p.m. ESTEastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
on Thursdays preceding Jack Webb
Jack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
's Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
. In the second year, it was switched to 10:30 p.m. Sundays following The Loretta Young Show on NBC and opposite What's My Line?
What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
.
Similar to Justice was the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
legal drama, The Public Defender
The Public Defender (TV series)
The Public Defender is a half-hour 69-episode television dramatic series starring Reed Hadley as Bart Matthews, an attorney for the indigent. The series aired on CBS from March 11, 1954 to June 23, 1955, a season and a half.-Premise:...
, which aired from 1954-1955, with Reed Hadley
Reed Hadley
Reed Hadley was an American movie, television and radio actor.Reed Hadley was born Reed Herring in Petrolia in Clay County near Wichita Falls, Texas, to Bert Herring, an oil well driller, and his wife Minnie. Hadley had one sister, Bess Brenner. He was reared in Buffalo, New York...
as public defender Bart Matthews.