The Law and Mr. Jones
The Law and Mr. Jones is an American legal drama series starring James Whitmore. The series aired on ABC in two nonconsecutive seasons from October 7, 1960 to June 2, 1961, and again from April 19 to July 12, 1962. The program was created and produced by Sy Gomberg, and was set in New York City.[1][2]
| The Law and Mr. Jones | |
|---|---|
 James Whitmore, Janet De Gore and Conlan Carter, 1962. | |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Sy Gomberg |
| Written by | William Bast Sy Gomberg Lester Pine Robert Pirosh |
| Directed by | David Alexander Charles F. Haas Robert Ellis Miller |
| Starring | James Whitmore Janet De Gore Conlan Carter |
| Composer(s) | Hans Salter |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 45 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Sy Gomberg |
| Running time | 30 mins. (approx) |
| Production company(s) | Naxan Productions Four Star Television |
| Distributor | 20th Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | October 7, 1960 – July 12, 1962 |
Synopsis
Whitmore starred as idealistic attorney Abraham Lincoln Jones, who had been a star athlete in college. His cases did not usually involve violence but white collar crimes, such as fraud, embezzlement, taxes, and contracts.[3] Janet De Gore co-starred as Jones' secretary, Marsha Spear, and Conlan Carter appeared as his law clerk, C.E. Carruthers.
Sam Jaffe and Harry Townes guest starred twice on the series in the roles of Martin Berger and Fowler, respectively. In a 1961 episode entitled "Lincoln", Martin Landau, later of CBS's Mission: Impossible, and character actor Strother Martin guest starred as Jones defended a client accused of having planted a bomb.
One particular episode attracted an Emmy Award nomination. On March 3, 1961, the episode "Cold Turkey" featured Peter Falk, later of Columbo. He was nominated for "Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor or Actress in a Single Program." Others in the cited episode were Leo Penn, father of Sean Penn, and Joyce Van Patten, the sister of Dick Van Patten.
Episodes
Season 1 (1960–61)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "What's in a Name?" | Lamont Johnson | Sy Gomberg | October 7, 1960 |
| 2 | 2 | "Music to Hurt By" | David Alexander | Sy Gomberg | October 14, 1960 |
| 3 | 3 | "The Baby" | Robert Ellis Miller | Sy Gomberg | October 28, 1960 |
| 4 | 4 | "Drivel" | David Alexander | Sy Gomberg | November 4, 1960 |
| 5 | 5 | "Semper Fedelis" | Charles Haas | Robert Pirosh | November 11, 1960 |
| 6 | 6 | "Promise of Life" | Charles Haas | Les Pine | November 18, 1960 |
| 7 | 7 | "The Storyville Gang" | David Alexander | Robert Pirosh | November 25, 1960 |
| 8 | 8 | "No Sale" | Charles Haas | Palmer Thompson | December 2, 1960 |
| 9 | 9 | "A Question of Guilt" | Robert Ellis Miller | Paul David | December 16, 1960 |
| 10 | 10 | "Christmas is a Legal Holiday" | Robert Ellis Miller | Sy Gomberg | December 23, 1960 |
| 11 | 11 | "The Long Echo" | Robert Ellis Miller | Paul David | December 30, 1960 |
| 12 | 12 | "The Great Gambling Raid" | David Alexander | Sy Gomberg | January 6, 1961 |
| 13 | 13 | "The Trophy" | Robert Ellis Miller | Sy Gomberg | January 13, 1961 |
| 14 | 14 | "Indian War" | David Alexander | Paul David | January 20, 1961 |
| 15 | 15 | "Exit" | Robert Ellis Miller | Paul David | January 27, 1961 |
| 16 | 16 | "Unbury the Dead" | Tom Gries | Sy Gomberg | February 3, 1961 |
| 17 | 17 | "The End Justifies the End" | David Alexander | Arthur Ross & Sy Gomberg | February 10, 1961 |
| 18 | 18 | "Lethal Weapons" | David Alexander | Palmer Thompson | February 17, 1961 |
| 19 | 19 | "One for the Money" | David Alexander | Palmer Thompson | February 24, 1961 |
| 20 | 20 | "Cold Turkey" | David Alexander | Les Pine | March 3, 1961 |
| 21 | 21 | "The Concert" | Robert Ellis Miller | Paul David | March 10, 1961 |
| 22 | 22 | "Everybody vs. Timmy Drayton" | Robert Ellis Miller | Franklin Barton & Sy Gomberg | March 17, 1961 |
| 23 | 23 | "A Very Special Citizen" | Robert Ellis Miller | Paul David | March 24, 1961 |
| 24 | 24 | "Accidental Jeopardy" | Lamont Johnson | Palmer Thompson | March 31, 1961 |
| 25 | 25 | "Mea Culpa" | Lamont Johnson | Teleplay by: Richard P. McDonagh & Sy Gomberg Story by: Arnold & Lois Peyser | April 7, 1961 |
| 26 | 26 | "A Fool for a Client" | Lamont Johnson | Ernest Kinoy | April 21, 1961 |
| 27 | 27 | "The Enemy" | Robert Ellis Miller | Ernest Kinoy | April 28, 1961 |
| 28 | 28 | "One by One" | David Alexander | Wallace Ware | May 5, 1961 |
| 29 | 29 | "A Quiet Town" | David Alexander | Richard P. McDonagh | May 12, 1961 |
| 30 | 30 | "The Last Commencement" | David Alexander | TBA | May 19, 1961 |
| 31 | 31 | "No Law for Ghosts" | David Alexander | TBA | May 26, 1961 |
| 32 | 32 | "The Broken Hand" | Lamont Johnson | Palmer Thompson | June 2, 1961 |
Season 2 (1962)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 1 | "No News is Good News" | Don Medford | William Bast | April 19, 1962 |
| 34 | 2 | "The Boy Who Said No" | David Alexander | George Clayton Johnson | April 26, 1962 |
| 35 | 3 | "Reunion" | Stuart Rosenberg | Teleplay by: Richard P. McDonagh & Sy Gomberg Story by: Mort Fine & David Friedkin | May 3, 1962 |
| 36 | 4 | "The Walkout" | David Alexander | Shimon Wincelberg | May 10, 1962 |
| 37 | 5 | "Everybody is Money" | Sydney Pollack | S. Lee Pogostin | May 17, 1962 |
| 38 | 6 | "Wilderness" | David Alexander | Paul David | May 24, 1962 |
| 39 | 7 | "The Man Who Wanted to Die" | David Alexander | Sy Gomberg | May 31, 1962 |
| 40 | 8 | "The Co-Operatives" | Joseph Sargent | Sy Gomberg | June 7, 1962 |
| 41 | 9 | "Thicker Than Water" | John Rich | Palmer Thompson | June 14, 1962 |
| 42 | 10 | "What Can You Learn from Smoke Signals?" | John Rich | Sy Gomberg | June 21, 1962 |
| 43 | 11 | "C'est La Show Biz" | David Alexander | Teleplay by: Richard P. McDonagh & Sy Gomberg Story by: William Bast | June 28, 1962 |
| 44 | 12 | "My Worthy Colleague" | David Alexander | Paul David | July 5, 1962 |
| 45 | 13 | "Poor Eddie's Dead" | Sydney Pollack | Sy Gomberg & Richard P. McDonagh | July 12, 1962 |
Guest stars
Notable guest stars include:
- J. Pat O'Malley, a character actor, in "What's in a Name?" on October 7, 1960, the premiere
- Frank Silvera as Garcia in "Music to Hurt By" on October 14
- Parley Baer, noted character actor, in "Drivel" on November 4
- Beverly Washburn, who starred with Loretta Young and in the 1957 western film Old Yeller, as Sue in "A Question of Guilt" on December 16
- Barbara Bain, later of Mission: Impossible, as D.J. in "Christmas Is a Legal Holiday" on December 23
- Nancy Marchand, later the publisher on Lou Grant, as Dorothy in "The Long Echo" on December 30
- William Fawcett in "The Great Gambling Raid" on January 6, 1961
- Norman Fell, also on 87th Precinct, as Fred Cook in the episode "Lethal Weapons" on February 17
- Eduard Franz as Gustave Helmer and Jack Mullaney in "The Concert" on March 10
- Dick Powell as Colonel Drayton in "Everybody Versus Timmy Drayton", March 17
- Vic Morrow, later of Combat!, as Dr. Bigelow in "A Very Special Citizen", March 24
- Robert Middleton in "Accidental Tourist" on March 31
- Whit Bissell as Howard Barron and Otto Kruger as Franklyn Malleson Ghentin in "A Fool for a Client" on April 21
- Ross Martin, later on The Wild Wild West, as Frank Brody and Harry Dean Stanton as Harry Walker in "The Enemy" on April 28
- Michael Parks, later of Then Came Bronson, in "One by One" on May 5
- Roger Mobley, a Disney child actor, as Tommy Pierce in "The Boy Who Said No" on April 28, 1962
- Eve McVeagh, film and television actress and Hitchcock favorite in episode "The Boy Who Said No" original air date: April 26, 1962.
- John Larch as Richard Walker in "The Reunion" on May 3
- Tom Bosley, later of Happy Days, as Assistant District Attorney Ryan in "The Man Who Wanted to Die" on May 31
- Brenda Scott as Mary in "My Worthy Colleague", the series finale on July 5.
- Jack Albertson (Played Grandpa Joe in the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, 1971) as Karl Hansen in "Accidental Tourist" first aired on 31 March 1961.
Production notes
The Law and Mr. Jones was produced by Dick Powell's Four Star Television. Its theme song was derived from the spiritual "When the Saints Go Marching In". The music is attributed to publisher J. M. Black, but it was actually composed by Leonard Rosenman, who released an album of his themes on Dot Records in 1959 that included this theme.[4]
In the first season, the series, sponsored by Procter & Gamble, ran on Friday at the 10:30 Eastern time slot after Robert Taylor's The Detectives. In its abbreviated second season, the series was switched to Thursday (by its sponsor) to fill the slot left by the cancelled 1920s situation comedy Margie starring Cynthia Pepper.[5]
After The Law and Mr. Jones, Janet De Gore joined the revised cast of Walter Brennan's The Real McCoys, renamed The McCoys and switched from ABC to CBS. Conlan Carter took over the role of "Doc" on ABC's Combat! for which he secured an Emmy nomination in 1964.
In 2000, James Whitmore said of the series, "That thing arose out of the American Civil Liberties Union … This was right after the McCarthy thing was so hot in this country, and I thought it was time we did something about the right of people to disagree with one another in a reasonable fashion … That was the predication of that show, and I produced it … It was a wonderful experience." ABC had canceled the series after its first season, but thousands of angry letters from fans convinced them to bring the show back in 1962.[6] Whitmore explained, "We were taken off the air after one year, because I didn't want to do the commercials [for] Gleam Toothpaste. They wanted me as that character, that lawyer, to come on and say, 'You ought to use Gleam toothpaste,' and I didn't think I wanted to do that, so they dropped us. Procter and Gamble were our sponsors. Then, they had an astonishing hundreds of thousands of letters. It was engineered by some newspaper guys to get the show back on, and they brought it back on. I believe, if I'm not mistaken, the only time that had ever happened, with a TV show. I think it's happened since, but not at that point. We were brought back for one year."[7]
References
- Alex McNeil, Total Television, 4th edition, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, p. 471
- Film.com, The Law and Mr. Jones
- Tvofyourlife.com, The Law and Mr. Jones
- Classic TV themes, The Law and Mr. Jones
- 1960-1961; 1961-1962 American network television schedules
- The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 666. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
- James Whitmore Interview 2000