Artivels Undescribable Perfection

Raetsonwe Redundant and unnecessary.

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

bd64kcmo I have not seen the series but from the above accolades and early demise, I am left wondering how would "Judd for the Defense" have done, if the series were part of a "wheel" series scheme, such as "The Name Of The Game" or "NBC Mystery Movie"?The controversial subject covered and the story line seem to have reached many who have reviewed the series. I am rather surprised it has not yet gotten into the retro-broadcast schedule of operators such as Me-TV and Retro Television Network.So it begs the question..."What If?" It seems to me a "wheel" series scheme would have spelled success for this series, adding to the variety of such programming. Who knows, perhaps the broadcasters would revive a modern version. Percy Foreman died in the 1980s, and I doubt F. L. Bailey sued the original producers.

bkoganbing After playing a version of Ward Cleaver as Dr. Alex Stone pediatrician and all American dad on The Donna Reed Show, Carl Betz took a part light years away as the star of Judd For The Defense. Based on the life and exploits of noted Texas criminal defense attorney, Judd For The Defense was the greatest kind of publicity for the flamboyant Mr. Foreman. If anything Betz was considerably toned down for television.Betz had as an assistant Stephen Young and the two of them took all kinds of controversial cases. His services did command a considerable fee as did Percy Foreman in real life. But even Foreman took on a defendant now and then for the publicity value. Foreman's most famous client was James Earl Ray whom Foreman persuaded to take a guilty plea for the death penalty being taken off the table.Sad to say that the show only lasted two years. I wish it had gone on longer the stories were good, the acting always superb.

Kenneth Brower Judd For The Defense starring the late Carl Betz is an overlooked series, both today and in the two seasons it was televised (1967-69). It was reminiscent of The Defenders in that it focused on controversial issues in a courtroom setting. The episodes ranged from good to excellent and sometimes preceded their time. In one episode, "Transplant," Judd defended a pioneering surgeon in a murder trial that was the result of a heart transplant operation. At the time it was shown in 1968, the trial was landmark since there was only one surviving heart transplant patient worldwide as the medical procedure was so new.Another episode, "Epitaph on a Computer Card," dealt with a man's job and sanity, which were destroyed by a computer programming error. This prompted Judd to file a lawsuit for invasion of privacy in the man's behalf and by chance, the episode was viewed by the late Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin. From what I read at the time, Senator Proxmire was so moved by the episode's realistic contents that he introduced it into the congressional record as a timely expose on the invasive methods used by credit card and investigative companies. This was years before the computer age.I remember that when the series premiered, the title character, Clinton Judd was described as a composite of several named famous trial lawyers who handled difficult cases. Out of interest as a lawyer myself, I have followed the careers of the names mentioned, and I personally think the closest correlation to Judd was the late Percy Foreman of Houston, Texas. Judd was also based in Houston and both had fathers who were county sheriffs. In two episodes, "Tempest In A Texas Town" and "Firebrand," reference was made to Judd's sheriff father in fictitious Amos County, Texas and Foreman's father actually was sheriff of Polk County, Texas, according to his biography by Michael Dorman in 1969.It is unfortunate Judd For The Defense never received the following it deserved by much of the viewing public.

heckles One often hears from attorneys that the show "Perry Mason" inspired them to become a lawyer. You see, it was Clinton Judd, not Perry Mason, who inspired me to become a lawyer (damn him).I found Clinton Judd more interesting because he had a bigger flair for the dramatic; and because he handled cases with some immediate political import. Clinton also traveled around the country where Perry was content to stay in one place, and when at home in Houston C.J. led a more posh lifestyle.Clinton's efforts didn't always meet with unqualified success, a point with me as I knew even the best criminal defense attorney cannot run up the a-big-number-and-aught W-L record against some poor Mr. Burger.I can recall one script wherein Judd's young associate, Ben Caldwell, drove to another state in the company of an attractive woman- and was charged under the Mann Act. Ben wound up having to testify in court that nothing sexual took place. That show is a reminder that in some ways, even the late '60s were highly conservative by today's standards.