The Court of Last Resort


The Court of Last Resort is an American television dramatized court show which aired October 4, 1957 – April 11, 1958, on NBC. It was co-produced by Erle Stanley Gardner's Paisano Productions, which also brought forth the long-running hit CBS-TV law series, Perry Mason.

Summary

The concept for The Court of Last Resort was developed from a popular true crime column of the same name. Written by lawyer-turned-author Erle Stanley Gardner, the column appeared in the monthly magazine Argosy for ten years beginning in September 1948. Gardner enlisted assistance from police, private detectives, and other professional experts to examine the cases of dozens of convicts who maintained their innocence long after their appeals were exhausted.
The TV show centers on seven attorneys who take on the cases of wrongly accused or unjustly convicted defendants. Episodes dramatized various cases investigated by the Court from its inception through "the present". The members of the Court were portrayed by actors during the episode, but the actual members often appeared at the conclusion of the program, with one of them reflecting on the case that had just been dramatized.
The series aired October 4, 1957 – April 11, 1958, on NBC at 8 p.m. EST on Fridays following Saber of London. It was rebroadcast on ABC during the 1959–60 season at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.

Principal cast

ActorRole
Robert H. HarrisRaymond Schindler
Carleton YoungHarry Steeger
S. John LaunerMarshall Houts
John MaxwellAlex Gregory
Robert J. AndersonPark Street Jr
Lyle BettgerSam Larsen
Paul BirchErle Stanley Gardner
Charles MeredithDr. LeMoyne Snyder

Episode list

Legacy

The Court of Last Resort's extra-judicial approach to dealing with potential miscarriages of justice was adopted by the BBC series Rough Justice in the 1980s.