List of The Defenders (1961) episodes
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This is a list of episodes of the television series The Defenders.
Series overview[edit]
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 32 | September 16, 1961 | May 26, 1962 | |
| 2 | 34 | September 15, 1962 | May 25, 1963 | |
| 3 | 36 | September 28, 1963 | June 27, 1964 | |
| 4 | 30 | September 24, 1964 | May 13, 1965 | |
Episodes[edit]
Season 1 (1961–62)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Quality of Mercy" | Buzz Kulik | Reginald Rose | September 16, 1961 | |
| A doctor (Philip Abbott) jeopardizes his life and career in order to show mercy toward a newborn with Down Syndrome. Also features Jack Klugman as the district attorney and Gene Hackman as the boy's father. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Killer Instinct" | Franklin J. Schaffner | John Vlahos | September 23, 1961 | |
| A mild-mannered man (William Shatner) is assailed by doubt and guilt after he kills a savage street bully in self-defense. Joanne Linville stars as Shatner's wife. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Death Across the Counter" | Buzz Kulik | Reginald Rose | September 30, 1961 | |
| A drug addict (Clu Gulager) believes that he has committed murder during an attempted holdup at a grocery store. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Riot" | Buzz Kulik | Max Ehrlich | October 7, 1961 | |
| A negotiator is needed between rioting convicts and prison authorities. Stars Fritz Weaver, Frank Sutton and Joseph Sweeney. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Young Lovers" | Buzz Kulik | John Vlahos | October 14, 1961 | |
| Two secretly married teenagers (Burt Brinckerhoff, Lynn Loring) are forced into a shocking emotional experience owing to the families' differing religions. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Boy Between" | Franklin J. Schaffner | Robert Thom | October 21, 1961 | |
| A sensitive young boy (Richard Thomas) is the pawn in a bitter custody battle between estranged parents (Arthur Hill and Norma Crane) | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Hundred Lives of Harry Simms" | John Brahm | Alvin Boretz | October 28, 1961 | |
| A nightclub entertainer (Frank Gorshin) kills his fiancee after she threatens to leave him, and a psychiatrist (Sam Wanamaker) is brought in to help him. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "The Accident" | Buzz Kulik | Reginald Rose | November 4, 1961 | |
| A child is badly injured in a hit-and-run accident that was caused by a spoiled, wealthy woman (Evans Evans), and then dies when the parents' religious beliefs prevent surgery that could save his life. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "The Trial of Jenny Scott" | Buzz Kulik | Reginald Rose | November 11, 1961 | |
| Lawrence and Kenneth defend a woman (Mary Fickett) who has been accused of killing her husband. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "The Man With the Concrete Thumb" | Ralph Nelson | Ernest Kinoy | November 18, 1961 | |
| Kenneth's girlfriend (Joan Hackett) is accused of assaulting a man with a brick during a protest, a situation that eventually leads to a stubborn and arrogant public works commissioner (Loring Smith) being accused of bribery. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "The Treadmill" | Don Richardson | Peter Stone | November 25, 1961 | |
| A convicted murderer (Edward Binns) who has spent the last 25 years in a mental institution is the subject of a bid for a new trial. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Perjury" | Boris Sagal | Adrian Spies | December 2, 1961 | |
| Kenneth must defend Lawrence after the latter is accused of trying to force a witness (Robert Loggia) to lie during a murder trial. Also features Robert Duvall. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "The Attack" | Franklin J. Schaffner | John W. Bloch | December 9, 1961 | |
| A policeman (Richard Kiley) is charged with murder after he kills a teenage boy that the man's five-year-old daughter has accused of assaulting her. Also features Nancy Marchand and Martin Sheen. | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "The Prowler" | Paul Bogart | David Shaw | December 16, 1961 | |
| A wealthy man (Kent Smith) confesses to murdering the abusive ex-husband of his young wife (Elizabeth Ashley) as a result of the man's continuing blackmail. | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "Gideon's Follies" | Franklin J. Schaffner | Robert J. Crean | December 23, 1961 | |
| A much-married millionaire is found stabbed to death, and his many ex-wives (Julie Newmar, Tsai Chin, Eva Gabor, Gloria DeHaven, Shirl Conway and Zohra Lampert) are suspected. | ||||||
| 16 | 16 | "The Best Defense" | Paul Stanley | Ernest Kinoy | December 30, 1961 | |
| Lawrence and Kenneth reluctantly defend a gangster (Martin Balsam) of murder charges, but his acquittal leads to some startling revelations after the trial ends. | ||||||
| 17 | 17 | "The Bedside Murder" | Fielder Cook | Max Ehrlich | January 6, 1962 | |
| When an elderly woman dies under mysterious circumstances, her doctor (Sam Jaffe) is accused of poisoning her with a fatal overdose of morphine. That results in an old friend (Alexander Scourby) of Lawrence's asking him to take the case, but during the course of the trial, a shocking discovery is made. Also features Murray Hamilton and Barry Morse. | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | "The Search" | John Brahm | Reginald Rose | January 20, 1962 | |
| After a man (James Congdon) confesses to a murder that another (Harry Millard) had been tried, convicted, and executed for six years earlier, Lawrence and the district attorney (Jack Klugman) revisit their case. | ||||||
| 19 | 19 | "Storm at Birch Glen" | John Brahm | Jerome Ross | January 27, 1962 | |
| A supervisor at a boy's reformatory (James Broderick) is tried for causing the death of one of the youths, and must also face the wrath of both the townspeople and reformatory authorities. | ||||||
| 20 | 20 | "The Point Shaver" | Buzz Kulik | Mann Rubin | February 3, 1962 | |
| A college basketball player (Paul Prokop) is accused of point shaving by conspiring with a gambler to fix a game. | ||||||
| 21 | 21 | "The Locked Room" | David Greene | Ernest Kinoy | February 10, 1962 | |
| A woman (Inga Swenson) is murdered and the only witnesses (Viveca Lindfors, as the defendant, and Zachary Scott, her husband) are not talking. Three jurors (William Daniels, Dody Goodman, and Marian Winters) speculate on what could have happened. | ||||||
| 22 | 22 | "The Empty Chute" | Jack Smight | Max Ehrlich | February 17, 1962 | |
| A lonely and isolated army sergeant (Michael Strong) is charged with murder, and asks Lawrence to defend him at the court-martial. | ||||||
| 23 | 23 | "The Crusader" | Daniel Petrie | Jerome Ross | February 17, 1962 | |
| During a routine visit to a prison, Kenneth is intrigued by the claims of a prisoner's (Warren Stevens) innocence after being rejected for parole, resulting in his attempt to reopen the case. | ||||||
| 24 | 24 | "The Hickory Indian" | Stuart Rosenberg | David Karp | March 3, 1962 | |
| An elderly man (George Voskovec) steals $6,000 from his son's dress firm in order to pay protection money to racketeers. During his trial for grand larceny, he refuses to name names in order to protect his family. To Lawrence's discomfort, his esteemed college professor (Larry Gates) is prosecuting. | ||||||
| 25 | 25 | "The Iron Man" | Buzz Kulik | Albert Sanders | March 10, 1962 | |
| A brilliant college student with extremist political views (Ben Piazza) goes on trial after his rally is disrupted by a fellow student, who is nearly beaten to death for protesting his views. | ||||||
| 26 | 26 | "The Tarnished Cross" | Franklin J. Schaffner | Reginald Rose | March 17, 1962 | |
| A group of teenagers in a boys' clubhouse take it upon themselves to hold a mock trial and try one of their own (Martin Sheen) for murder. Also features Biff McGuire, Ken Kercheval, Barry Primus and Luke Halpin. | ||||||
| 27 | 27 | "The Last Six Months" | David Greene | Max Ehrlich | March 31, 1962 | |
| After learning he only has six months to live, a businessman (Arthur Hill) commits murder in order to secure an inheritance for his family. | ||||||
| 28 | 28 | "The Naked Heiress" | Jack Smight | Alvin Boretz | April 7, 1962 | |
| A stripper (Salome Jens) becomes an integral part of the machinations involved in a contested will. | ||||||
| 29 | 29 | "Reunion With Death" | Franklin J. Schaffner | David Shaw | April 21, 1962 | |
| Five Air Force veterans seek vengeance against one of their former crew members (Lee Philips) for alleged treason during the Korean War, with Lawrence serving as defense counsel. Also features Robert Webber, Michael Conrad and Gene Wilder in a cameo. | ||||||
| 30 | 30 | "The Benefactor" | Daniel Petrie | Peter Stone | April 28, 1962 | |
| An abortionist (Robert F. Simon) goes on trial and is defended by the Prestons. The episode explores the medical, social, and criminal aspects of abortion. | ||||||
| 31 | 31 | "Along Came a Spider" | Elliot Silverstein | Peter Stone | May 5, 1962 | |
| An elderly ex-vaudevillian (Paul Hartman) is accused by his nine-year-old granddaughter (Leslye Hunter) of murdering her father. Also features James Earl Jones. | ||||||
| 32 | 32 | "The Broken Barrelhead" | David Greene | David Karp | May 26, 1962 | |
| After a teenage boy (Richard Jordan) is arrested for vehicular homicide, his wealthy and overbearing father (Harold J. Stone) attempts to ruthlessly buy his own kind of justice. Also features Vincent Gardenia. | ||||||
Season 2 (1962–63)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 1 | "The Voices of Death" | Stuart Rosenberg | Reginald Rose | September 15, 1962 | |
| A young wife and mother (Ruth Roman) is charged with first-degree murder after she shoots her drunken, abusive husband. | ||||||
| 34 | 2 | "Blood Country" | Buzz Kulik | Ernest Kinoy | September 22, 1962 | |
| A lynch mob threatens Larence and Kenneth's client, who is accused of first-degree murder. | ||||||
| 35 | 3 | "The Indelible Silence" | Don Richardson | Charles Garment | September 29, 1962 | |
| The Prestons are called on to defend a teenager (Dennis Hopper) with American Nazi sympathies when he is charged with first-degree murder. | ||||||
| 36 | 4 | "The Seven Ghosts of Simon Gray" | Paul Bogart | Stanley R. Greenberg | October 6, 1962 | |
| An elderly, guilt-ridden man (Ed Begley) broods over a crime of which he has been acquitted. | ||||||
| 37 | 5 | "The Unwanted" | Alex March | Robert Thom | October 13, 1962 | |
| A judge must decide whether the natural mother (Diana Hyland) of a six-year-old girl should be given custody, or the couple who have raised her. | ||||||
| 38 | 6 | "Madman (Part I)" | Stuart Rosenberg | Reginald Rose and Robert Thom | October 20, 1962 | |
| The Prestons defend a murderer (Don Gordon) whose insanity is obvious to everyone, except those who must apply the law to his condition. | ||||||
| 39 | 7 | "Madman (Part II)" | Stuart Rosenberg | Robert Thom | October 27, 1962 | |
| Lawrence and Kenneth must find a way to prove that their client (Don Gordon) is mentally ill and should not be executed. | ||||||
| 40 | 8 | "The Bigamist" | Stuart Rosenberg | David Karp | November 3, 1962 | |
| A vengeful, and mentally ill, wife tries to take her ex-husband away from his current spouse by having him arrested for bigamy. | ||||||
| 41 | 9 | "The Avenger" | Stuart Rosenberg | James Lee | November 17, 1962 | |
| A man kills a German scientist who was responsible for the deaths of the man's wife and daughter in the Nazi concentration camp gas chambers and is defended by the Prestons. | ||||||
| 42 | 10 | "The Invisible Badge" | John Newland | William Woolfolk | November 24, 1962 | |
| A dedicated assistant district attorney who is accused of taking bribe (William Shatner) is defended by the Prestons. | ||||||
| 43 | 11 | "The Hidden Jungle" | Denis Sanders | Stanley R. Greenberg | December 1, 1962 | |
| Lawrence wins an acquittal for his client on a first-degree murder charge but is then plagued by doubt as to whether his actions were morally right. | ||||||
| 44 | 12 | "The Savage Infant" | Don Richardson | David Karp | December 8, 1962 | |
| Lawrence and Kenneth become temporary guardians of a juvenile delinquent whose family history suggests he will end up in prison. | ||||||
| 45 | 13 | "The Apostle" | Charles S. Dubin | Stanley R. Greenberg | December 15, 1962 | |
| A man (Albert Salmi) who bases his life on peace and brotherhood goes on trial after he attacks an abusive drunk who has provoked him. | ||||||
| 46 | 14 | "Grandma TNT" | Elliot Silverstein | David Karp | December 22, 1962 | |
| A light episode in which a gentle elderly woman (Lillian Gish) is arrested for bank robbery in order to provide for her two sisters, and then escapes from jail. | ||||||
| 47 | 15 | "Don't Take the Stand" | Ted Post | David Davidson | December 29, 1962 | |
| A man is accused of murdering his friend after a gun goes off during a struggle between the two. The row had been sparked when items from the home of the accused's wealthy girlfriend had been found in the victim's possession. | ||||||
| 48 | 16 | "Kill or Be Killed" | Sydney Pollack | Larry Cohen | January 5, 1963 | |
| Lawrence defends a man (Gerald O'Loughlin) who commits a crime en route to Sing Sing Prison just as his innocence of the earlier crime is being established. | ||||||
| 49 | 17 | "Man Against Himself" | Paul Bogart | Raphael Hayes | January 12, 1963 | |
| A young man (Ivan Dixon) tries to defend himself in court after being charged with manslaughter but treats legal advice from the Prestons with contempt. | ||||||
| 50 | 18 | "The Poisoned Fruit Doctrine" | Shepard Traube | A.J. Russell | January 19, 1963 | |
| The illegal use of wiretaps becomes the focal point of the trial of a news vendor on trial for allegedly serving as a go-between in a narcotics swindle. | ||||||
| 51 | 19 | "Poltergeist" | David Greene | Reginald Rose | January 26, 1963 | |
| The Prestons must figure out who is guilty among a group of suspects together on a cold night on Fire Island. | ||||||
| 52 | 20 | "Ordeal" | Alex March | David Shaw | February 2, 1963 | |
| A married man (Robert Webber) and his mistress (Peggy Maurer) are both wrongly accused of killing his wife. | ||||||
| 53 | 21 | "The Hour Before Doomsday" | Stuart Rosenberg | William Woolfolk | February 9, 1963 | |
| An egotistical evangelist (John Cullum) files a libel suit against a newspaper man (Kevin McCarthy). | ||||||
| 54 | 22 | "The Traitor" | David Greene | Larry Cohen | February 16, 1963 | |
| A foreign national (Fritz Weaver) working in the United States is charged with espionage after obtaining classified government documents. | ||||||
| 55 | 23 | "The Eye of Fear" | Paul Stewart | Stanley R. Greenberg | February 23, 1963 | |
| A man (Robert Loggia) finds his wife dead, and all the evidence points to him as the murderer. | ||||||
| 56 | 24 | "Metamorphosis" | David Greene | Stanley R. Greenberg | March 2, 1963 | |
| A convicted killer (Robert Duvall) who has been on death row for seven years continues to hold up his pending execution through appeals, while he waits to hear from the clemency board. | ||||||
| 57 | 25 | "The Last Illusion" | David Greene | William Woolfolk | March 9, 1963 | |
| A magician is drowned while doing his most famous trick, and his wife is then accused of murder. | ||||||
| 58 | 26 | "The Heathen" | Stuart Rosenberg | Ernest Kinoy | March 23, 1963 | |
| A preacher's remark at his school's board of trustees meeting turns into a battle over freedom of religious beliefs. | ||||||
| 59 | 27 | "A Book for Burning" | David Greene | William Woolfolk | March 30, 1963 | |
| A small-town politician's grandstanding sparks the arrest of a visiting novelist (Sam Wanamaker) for writing an allegedly obscene book. | ||||||
| 60 | 28 | "A Taste of Vengeance" | Don Richardson | A.J. Russell | April 6, 1963 | |
| The Prestons defend a woman accused of the mercy killing of her dying husband. | ||||||
| 61 | 29 | "The Colussus" | Paul Bogart | Larry Cohen | April 13, 1963 | |
| A Nobel-winning scientist (Leo Genn), at work on a cure for leukemia, is charged with the murder of his wife but considers himself above the law. | ||||||
| 62 | 30 | "Judgment Eve" | David Greene | Reginald Rose | April 20, 1963 | |
| A look at the unpredictable nature of 12 jurors during the course of a first-degree murder trial. Stars Arch Johnson and Charles Durning. | ||||||
| 63 | 31 | "The Noose" | Stuart Rosenberg | Larry Cohen | April 27, 1963 | |
| The Prestons travel to a small town to defend three men who lynched a man accused of killing a 12-year-old. | ||||||
| 64 | 32 | "Everybody Else is Dead" | Paul Bogart | James Lee | May 11, 1963 | |
| Lawrence falls in love with a woman (Geraldine Brooks) who is in the process of divorcing her alcoholic husband (Darren McGavin). | ||||||
| 65 | 33 | "The Trial of Twenty-Two" | Stuart Rosenberg | Stanley R. Greenberg | May 18, 1963 | |
| A corrupt labor leader helps frame a union member for first-degree murder. | ||||||
| 66 | 34 | "The Brother Killers" | Don Richardson | David Karp | May 25, 1963 | |
| A freshman college student is killed during a fraternity hazing, which results in three upperclassmen being charged with manslaughter. | ||||||
Season 3 (1963–64)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | 1 | "The Weeping Baboon" | Stuart Rosenberg | Reginald Rose | September 28, 1963 | |
| A quiet young man kills his father and older brother, and during his trial, goes berserk in the classroom. | ||||||
| 68 | 2 | "The Empty Heart" | Stuart Rosenberg | Stanley R. Greenberg | October 5, 1963 | |
| A disillusioned party girl (Lee Grant) is indicted for attempted murder. | ||||||
| 69 | 3 | "The Captive" | Charles S. Dubin | Larry Cohen | October 12, 1963 | |
| Lawrence and Kenneth become involved with foreign authorities in a case of international intrigue. | ||||||
| 70 | 4 | "The Bagman" | Robert Butler | Roger H. Lewis | October 19, 1963 | |
| A simple eviction case turns into a complicated tangle involving a bagman for a local political party machine pressuring a judge with a questionable set of ethics. | ||||||
| 71 | 5 | "Conspiracy of Silence" | Alex March | Roger H. Lewis | October 26, 1963 | |
| The Prestons sue a doctor (Carrol O'Connor) in a malpractice case that results from the death of a patient. | ||||||
| 72 | 6 | "The Cruel Hook" | Elliot Silverstein | Andrea Russo | November 2, 1963 | |
| A married man (Edward Asner) kills a woman blackmailing him, and then does nothing when an innocent man is charged with the crime. | ||||||
| 73 | 7 | "Star-Spangled Ghetto" | Alex March | Reginald Rose | November 9, 1963 | |
| Two misguided youths commit an armed robbery in order to get married. Ossie Davis appears as an assistant district attorney. | ||||||
| 74 | 8 | "Loophole" | Charles S. Dubin | A.E. Hotchner | November 16, 1963 | |
| After a policeman breaks a department rule, he attempts to saddle another officer with the blame. | ||||||
| 75 | 9 | "The Seal of Confession" | Alex March | Ian McLellan Hunter | November 30, 1963 | |
| A Catholic priest experiences a severe dilemma when a penitent confesses to both adultery and murder. | ||||||
| 76 | 10 | "Climate of Evil" | Paul Stanley | David Karp | December 7, 1963 | |
| An innocent bank clerk is convicted of embezzlement and imprisoned, then is turned into a killer by a vicious prison guard and a fellow convict. | ||||||
| 77 | 11 | "The Crowd Pleaser" | Don Richardson | Charles Garment | December 14, 1963 | |
| A punch-drunk boxer is tried for manslaughter after he kills a man in the ring who had been paying attention to the boxer's estranged wife. | ||||||
| 78 | 12 | "Old Lady Ironsides" | Paul Bogart | Robert Van Scoyk | December 21, 1963 | |
| A tough suffragette (Aline MacMahon) enlists the aid of the Prestons in her fight to permit a pregnant high school girl (Janet Margolin)to graduate. | ||||||
| 79 | 13 | "Fugue for Trumpet and Small Boy" | James Sheldon | David W. Rintels | December 28, 1963 | |
| A youngster borrows a library manuscript and is then arrested by police for grand larceny. | ||||||
| 80 | 14 | "Claire Cheval Died in Boston" | Paul Bogart | Ernest Kinoy | January 4, 1964 | |
| A lighter episode about the tribulations of a stage show before it reaches Broadway, and the temperamental leading lady that heads the cast. | ||||||
| 81 | 15 | "The Last Day" | Charles S. Dubin | Allan Chase | January 11, 1964 | |
| Over a 12-hour span, the Prestons furiously attempt to save the life of their client, a convicted killer set to be executed. | ||||||
| 82 | 16 | "Blacklist" | Stuart Rosenberg | Ernest Kinoy | January 18, 1964 | |
| A blacklisted character actor (Jack Klugman) hires the Prestons to protect him from losing an acting offer.[1] | ||||||
| 83 | 17 | "Who'll Dig His Grave?" | Charles S. Dubin | William Woolfolk | January 25, 1964 | |
| A derelict Greenwich Village poet (Barry Morse) takes the blame for a murder he did not commit in a twisted attempt to give his life meaning. | ||||||
| 84 | 18 | "All the Silent Voices" | Gerald Mayer | William Woolfolk | February 1, 1964 | |
| A woman doctor (Eileen Heckart) is arrested after disseminating birth control data. | ||||||
| 85 | 19 | "The Secret" | Paul Bogart | Larry Cohen | February 8, 1964 | |
| A scientist discovers a new bomb, but when he withholds the information, he is suspected of spying. | ||||||
| 86 | 20 | "The Pill Man" | Leonard Horn | Albert Ruben and Charles Eckert | February 15, 1964 | |
| The husband of a drug addict (Teresa Wright) is arrested for selling narcotics without a prescription. | ||||||
| 87 | 21 | "Drink Like a Lady" | Stuart Rosenberg | Ellen M. Violett | February 29, 1964 | |
| During the course of a weekend drinking binge, an alcoholic (Janice Rule) kills a man during a blackout. | ||||||
| 88 | 22 | "Survival" | Tom Gries | William Woolfolk | March 14, 1964 | |
| A Marine drill instructor (Leslie Nielsen), who was also a war hero, is court-martialed for causing the death of a recruit. | ||||||
| 89 | 23 | "Moment of Truth" | Paul Bogart | David Karp | March 21, 1964 | |
| Kenneth is accused of offering a juror (Jack Gilford) $5,000 to fix a case and is brought up on bribery charges, forcing Lawrence to defend him. | ||||||
| 90 | 24 | "The Hidden Fury" | Alexander Mackendrick | George Baxt | March 28, 1964 | |
| A mental patient (Susan Oliver) kills the fiancee of her psychiatrist. | ||||||
| 91 | 25 | "Die Laughing" | Stuart Rosenberg | Roger H. Lewis | April 11, 1964 | |
| After a comedian (Milton Berle) is told that he has cancer, he takes an overdose of barbiturates in a suicide attempt.[2] | ||||||
| 92 | 26 | "May Day! May Day!" | Stuart Rosenberg | Larry Cohen | April 18, 1964 | |
| A wartime hero becomes fanatical about the United States foreign policy toward China, leading him to plot a military takeover of the government. | ||||||
| 93 | 27 | "The Thief" | David Greene | Robert J. Crean | April 25, 1964 | |
| A female kleptomaniac (Glynis Johns) who is arrested for shoplifting for the fourth time faces life imprisonment. | ||||||
| 94 | 28 | "Yankee Go Home" | Paul Bogart | Albert Ruben | May 2, 1964 | |
| An American reporter (Richard Kiley) is denied a passport because of an unauthorized trip he made behind the Iron Curtain. | ||||||
| 95 | 29 | "The Man Who Saved His Country" | Elliot Silverstein | Albert Ruben | May 9, 1964 | |
| A nondescript murder is turned into a cause celebre when the man (James Coburn) falsely pleads guilty to killing a Castro lieutenant in order to become a hero and martyr. | ||||||
| 96 | 30 | "Mind Over Murder" | Leonard Horn | Roger H. Lewis | May 16, 1964 | |
| A man with extrasensory perception kills a man and then pleads self-defense because of a premonition that he was in danger. | ||||||
| 97 | 31 | "The Sixth Alarm" | Lamont Johnson | William Woolfolk | May 23, 1964 | |
| A man (Herschel Bernardi) is falsely blamed for burning his factory down, while the actual arsonist is still at large. | ||||||
| 98 | 32 | "The Fine Line" | Buzz Kulik | Harold Gast | May 30, 1964 | |
| The Prestons defend an ambulance-chasing attorney, whose lack of ethics is based on the love of money and enriching his family. | ||||||
| 99 | 33 | "The Non-Violent" | Paul Bogart | Ernest Kinoy | June 6, 1964 | |
| A sit-in during a civil rights demonstration becomes an issue dealing with the abridgment of free speech. Includes James Earl Jones, Sam Groom and Ivan Dixon. | ||||||
| 100 | 34 | "Stowaway" | Vincent J. Donehue | Edward DeBlasio | June 13, 1964 | |
| A young Italian boy enters the United States illegally and then becomes the subject of deportation proceedings. | ||||||
| 101 | 35 | "Hollow Triumph" | Paul Sylbert | Howard Fast | June 20, 1964 | |
| A woman (Brenda Vaccaro) murders the cousin (and employee) of a stockbroker and then frames him for the crime. | ||||||
| 102 | 36 | "The Uncivil War" | David Greene | Roger H. Lewis | June 27, 1964 | |
| An adulterous affair sets the stage for a divorce as the jilted wife takes her estranged husband to court. | ||||||
Season 4 (1964–65)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 103 | 1 | "The Seven Hundred-Year-Old Gang (Part I)" | Paul Bogart | David Karp | September 24, 1964 | |
| A retired manufacturer (Jack Gilford) gets into trouble for making wine, is charged with bootlegging, and is defended by the Prestons. | ||||||
| 104 | 2 | "The Seven Hundred-Year-Old Gang (Part II)" | Paul Bogart | David Karp | October 1, 1964 | |
| During the course of his bootlegging trial, an elderly man admits to committing the crime in an attempt to feel useful. | ||||||
| 105 | 3 | "Hero of the People" | Philip Leacock | William Woolfolk and Rod Sylvester | October 8, 1964 | |
| A lonely factory worker (Edward Asner) claims to have killed a drug dealer in order to gain celebrity. | ||||||
| 106 | 4 | "Go-Between" | Paul Sylbert | Larry Cohen | October 15, 1964 | |
| An idealistic presidential candidate (Arthur Hill) becomes much more cynical in the wake of his son's kidnapping, due to the sensation-seeking public that looks to exploit his grief. | ||||||
| 107 | 5 | "Conflict of Interests" | Philip Leacock | Ellen M. Violett | October 22, 1964 | |
| An arrogant British theater critic (Edward Woodward) is sued for slander by a playwright, but the critic's female lawyer (Cloris Leachman) uses her feminine wiles to win the case. | ||||||
| 108 | 6 | "The Man Who..." | Stuart Rosenberg | Ernest Kinoy | October 29, 1964 | |
| Lawrence is pressured into running for Congress, but soon finds himself enmeshed in controversy when he is accused of making anti-semitic remarks. | ||||||
| 109 | 7 | "Turning Point" | Paul Bogart | James Lee | November 5, 1964 | |
| Haunted by the fact that an innocent man has gone to the electric chair, Kenneth seeks to find the real killer. | ||||||
| 110 | 8 | "A Taste of Ashes" | David Greene | David W. Rintels | November 12, 1964 | |
| Two seamen (Darren McGavin and Martin Sheen) are accused of cannibalism after shipwreck results in a long siege at sea and the death of a fellow shipmate. | ||||||
| 111 | 9 | "Comeback" | Stuart Rosenberg | Edward DeBlasio | November 26, 1964 | |
| A once-great actress (Viveca Lindfors) is making a comeback after a 15-year absence, but after the first day of work, her car hits a teenager and she is charged with drunk driving. | ||||||
| 112 | 10 | "The Siege" | Stuart Rosenberg | Story by : Bo Goldman Teleplay by : Ian McLellan Hunter | December 3, 1964 | |
| Lawrence's office is taken over by an escaped convict (Robert Redford) who is embittered over what he considered to be a substandard defense by the Prestons. | ||||||
| 113 | 11 | "Whitewash" | Daniel Petrie | Roger H. Lewis | December 10, 1964 | |
| A cynical Puerto Rican politician (Ricardo Montalbán) claims he is being framed when he is accused of extorting money from a contractor. | ||||||
| 114 | 12 | "A Voice Loud and Clear" | Paul Bogart | Robert J. Crean | December 17, 1964 | |
| A female evangelist (Shirley Knight) kills her former husband but claims that voices that she heard urged her to do it. | ||||||
| 115 | 13 | "King of the Hill" | Paul Bogart | Robert J. Crean | December 31, 1964 | |
| A one-time gangster (Albert Dekker) claims government persecution when he is charged with smuggling heroin into the country. | ||||||
| 116 | 14 | "Whipping Boy" | William Ball | Edward DeBlasio | January 7, 1965 | |
| A divorced young mother (Madlyn Rhue) brings her unconscious child to the emergency room, claiming he fell down the steps. When the child dies, she is charged with murder. | ||||||
| 117 | 15 | "Eyewitness" | Sam Wanamaker | David Karp | January 14, 1965 | |
| A group of juvenile delinquents murders an elderly man on the street, while nearby witnesses do nothing to stop the attack. | ||||||
| 118 | 16 | "The Silent Killers" | Daniel Petrie | Story by : Martin Donaldson Teleplay by : William Woolfolk | January 21, 1965 | |
| A man (Dane Clark) goes on trial for the murder of his vengeful wife (Norma Crane) who is still alive but is in hiding. The woman disappeared on a boat while her husband was scuba diving. | ||||||
| 119 | 17 | "Death on Wheels" | Paul Bogart | George Bellak | January 28, 1965 | |
| A harassed executive (Leslie Nielsen) kills a pedestrian with his car, immediately after an argument with his wife. The Prestons defend him by offering a claim of temporary insanity, based on his psychological state at the time. | ||||||
| 120 | 18 | "The Unwritten Law" | Robert Stevens | Larry Cohen | February 4, 1965 | |
| A self-righteous man is arrested for killing his wife's lover, but claims he can't be charged based on his belief in an eighteenth-century code. | ||||||
| 121 | 19 | "The Objector" | Leonard Horn | Harold Gast | February 11, 1965 | |
| A young man (Brandon deWilde) is drafted into the armed services but declares himself a conscientious objector. | ||||||
| 122 | 20 | "Fires of the Mind" | David Greene | Arnold Manoff | February 18, 1965 | |
| A former doctor (Donald Pleasence) is accused of manslaughter due to the connection with advocacy of the hallucinatory drug LSD | ||||||
| 123 | 21 | "No-Knock" | Daniel Petrie | Peter A. Chilles | February 25, 1965 | |
| The murder of a policeman leads to a study of the legalities of the "no-knock" search warrant. | ||||||
| 124 | 22 | "The Merry-Go-Round Murder" | Paul Bogart | Robert J. Crean | March 4, 1965 | |
| A dedicated, over-imaginative governess (Ruth White) tries to play God to a frightened child of irresponsible parents fighting for custody, by creating a dream world for him. She is arrested for kidnapping and child neglect. | ||||||
| 125 | 23 | "Nobody Asks What Side You're On" | David Pressman | Ellen M. Violett | March 11, 1965 | |
| A female news reporter (Lee Grant) is represented by the Prestons after she claims she killed a man she thought was about to attack her. | ||||||
| 126 | 24 | "Impeachment" | Paul Bogart | Stanley R. Greenberg | March 18, 1965 | |
| A governor, a former matinee idol, faces impeachment after members of his party become disappointed in his reform efforts. | ||||||
| 127 | 25 | "The Sworn Twelve" | Michael Powell | Edward DeBlasio | March 25, 1965 | |
| A group of jurors (three of them played by Murray Hamilton, Ruby Dee and Brenda Vaccaro) review their deliberation for Lawrence after he receives a letter from one of them claiming that strange methods were used to obtain a guilty verdict. | ||||||
| 128 | 26 | "A Matter of Law and Disorder" | Robert Butler | Roger H. Lewis | April 8, 1965 | |
| A man is held for manslaughter in the shooting of an unarmed boy, but the accused claims he killed in self-defense. | ||||||
| 129 | 27 | "Youths and Maidens on an Evening Walk" | William Ball | Robert J. Crean | April 15, 1965 | |
| A loud and bizarrely-attired woman (Joan Darling) who wants to be an actress is the subject of an attempted makeover by Lawrence. | ||||||
| 130 | 28 | "The Prosecutor" | Paul Bogart | David Shaw | April 29, 1965 | |
| An assistant district attorney (Larry Blyden) who is considering a partnership in the Preston law firm faces a conflict of interest charge when he is faced with prosecuting one of their clients for murder. Teresa Wright guest stars. | ||||||
| 131 | 29 | "The Bum's Rush" | Sidney Katz | Alvin Boretz | May 6, 1965 | |
| A Bowery derelict (Tom Bosley) is accused of the murder of another homeless man, and Lawrence is urged by a New York civic group to defend him. | ||||||
| 132 | 30 | "Only a Child" | Robert Stevens | Ellen M. Violett | May 13, 1965 | |
| After the son of a young couple (Robert Duvall and Collin Wilcox) is killed in an auto accident, the parents' efforts to collect damages results in interactions with an impersonal lawyer that leads to unfortunate results. | ||||||
References[edit]
- ^ Gould, Jack. "TV: Drama About Modern Witch Hunt / C.B.S. Shows Ernest Kinoy's 'Blacklist' / Central Role Played by Jack Klugman" (The New York Times, January 20, 1964, p.87). Retrieved October 27, 2018.
- ^ "Berle Visits 'Defenders'" (The New York Times, January 15, 1964, p.63) Retrieved October 26, 2018