PUBLIC DEFENDER

Reed Hadley as the Public Defender argues a case

PUBLIC DEFENDER. (1954 television series). 70 half-hour episodes.

Reed Hadley had formerly starred in Racket Squad where he put away the bad guys, but he switched hats for this new series and is defending them (as "Bart Matthews"), although many -- but not all -- turn out to be innocent. The cases were supposedly taken from real-life public defender files -- with the state and the name of the P.D. being stated at the end of each episode -- but this is a bit suspect as one episode, "The Director," clearly takes place in Hollywood but the public defender is from South Bend, Indiana! Say what?

Patrick O'Neal as the (alleged) "Forger"

Public Defender was a more interesting show than it might sound like, and during its two-year run it presented many memorable episodes. "Think No Evil" has Jimmy Lydon accused of armed robbery. "Confession of Guilt" features a woman who is forced to shoot her ex-husband (an excellent Dan Haggerty). "Third Floor Rear" stars a notable Marshall Thompson and Frances Rafferty in a tale of a widower with a little boy who is up against his dead wife's parents. "The Forger" has Patrick O'Neal playing an accused forger who has no less than fourteen witnesses against him. "Badge of Honor" concerns a young cop who falsifies a report and is importuned to do the right thing. "Escape" has a man escaping from a work farm when he gets a letter from a lady that he's in love with -- and she's not worth it (Anne Kimbell gives a notable performance in this episode). "Pauper's Gold" is an especially excellent episode starring Douglass Dumbrille [The Catman of Paris] and Gloria Talbott [The Leech Woman] in a story of a man let out of jail for robbery who is re-arrested.

Marshall Thompson in Third Floor Rear"

"The Failure" concerns a veteran bookkeeper and family man who steals money from his employer because he can't afford nice things for his wife and children. "The Murder Photo" stars DeForrest Kelly in a story of an endangered  little boy who inadvertently takes a photo of a killer's car. In "Crash Out" a convict with only thirty days to go tries to break out of prison. ""All That Glitters" concerns a man accused of shooting his wife who insists that he didn't do it. Guest-stars on the show included Robert Clarke, Randy Stuart, Marie Windsor, Paul Langton, Glenn Langan, Esther Dale, Ann Doran, Martha Hyer, Richard Travis, Percy Helton, Phyllis Coates, Hugh Beaumont, Richard Crane, Frankie Darro, Dennis Hopper and Natalie Wood. Frequent directors for the series included Erle C. Kenton and Budd Boetticher. 

Verdict: Highly interesting early crime show with a solid Hadley as the man you'd definitely want defending you. ***.