UNFORTUNATELY, THIS ITEM IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.For the first time on home video, here are all 26 episodes of the first season of Public Defender starring Reed Hadley as Bart Matthews: a tireless and dedicated public servant, who earnestly defends the rights of the indigent. A late season replacement for Philip Morris Playhouse, Public Defender premiered in March 1954, a time when the concept of a taxpayer funded defense attorney was largely associated with capital cases. But with everyday stories based on real-life events, tackling every kind of thorny dilemma from juvenile delinquency to vehicular homicide, the series shed new light on this little known public office…and the attention to realistic detail made the show a key player in the history of television crime drama. Produced by Hal Roach, Jr., Public Defender gave Reed Hadley the second of two small screen successes (the other being Racket Squad) and also provided a great showcase for directors like Budd Boetticher and Erle C. Kenton. This 3-disc collection marks the first official home video release of this popular anthology series, with all 26 first season episodes culled from original Hal Roach Studio masters. Guest stars from the golden age of both film and TV pack each episode, including Hugh Beaumont, Marie Windsor, James Gleason, Steve Brodie, Lyle Talbot, Adele Jergens, Jimmy Lydon, Mary Beth Hughes, John Qualen, Darryl Hickman, Harry Carey, Jr., Harold Peary, Alan Reed, Noel Neill, Glenn Langan and Barbara Whiting, among many others.
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