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Could The Defenders Be Released on DVD? (1 Viewer)

Doug Wallen

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The Final Disc - excitement to have 4 more episodes to watch, sadness to know I only have 4 more episodes to watch.

Reunion With Death

Loaded guest cast - H. M. Wynant, Michael Conrad (Hill St. Blues), Woodrow Parfrey, Leonard Stone, Robert Webber, Lee Phillips, and in a brief role Gene Wilder (what a talented guest cast).

I hope this is the last of the (kangaroo) out of court trials held without legal permission. After the (unbelievable) set-up, the trial touches on some emotional hotpoints - wartime torture. Interesting story though not very probable. Again, obvious answer to me.

Compassion, we all need it.
 

Pathfiner

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on a UK Sci Fi & Classic TV forum I belong to I have set up a thread on 'The Defenders' and done glowing reviews of the episodes I have seen - the guys on there only knew of the Jim Belushi / Jerry O'Connell revamped color version but ARE quite interested in the original b/w show

- most guys on there know E.G.Marshall from playing the President in that 'Superman 2' movie and are interested re all the famous guest stars etc, so hopefully some members with 'all regions' DVD players will get season one

I told them BBC used to screen them on saturday nights at 9pm in the sixties and the award winning show was the subject of an episode of 'Mad Men' (viewers of that show were notably interested)

I'm "flying the flag" for the show here in the United Kingdom !
 

Darby67

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Oh, crud I'm so stupid! I was thinking, "How can I help out?" I run an Old Time Radio Podcast that get's 200,000 downloads a month. Why don't I just review the thing and post a direct link to the DVD's on Amazon? A lot of my listeners are into Old TV series as well.

Buck:

That would be terrific!
 

Darby67

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on a UK Sci Fi & Classic TV forum I belong to I have set up a thread on 'The Defenders' and done glowing reviews of the episodes I have seen - the guys on there only knew of the Jim Belushi / Jerry O'Connell revamped color version but ARE quite interested in the original b/w show

- most guys on there know E.G.Marshall from playing the President in that 'Superman 2' movie and are interested re all the famous guest stars etc, so hopefully some members with 'all regions' DVD players will get season one

I told them BBC used to screen them on saturday nights at 9pm in the sixties and the award winning show was the subject of an episode of 'Mad Men' (viewers of that show were notably interested)

I'm "flying the flag" for the show here in the United Kingdom !

Jeff:

It sounds like we now have an international coalition to get more seasons of The Defenders released! LOL! Thank you for your efforts.
 

Doug Wallen

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Well, I am finally at the most "celebrated" episode.

The Benefactor

Guest Cast - Robert Simon, Collin Wilcox (To Kill A Mockingbird), Kermit Murdock, Roscoe Lee Browne

Television in 1962 must have been shocked when this episode aired. I remember the episode of Mad Men based on this episode. That is when I started having the desire to view this series. So glad that I now have this opportunity.

Eleven years before abortion was legalized. Personal opinions notwithstanding, this must have been startling to viewing audiences. Abortion looked at from various angles without major theatrics, just allowing an even handed discussion, An abortion doctor with a conscience, a nice change of pace, against back alley abortions. Inspired by his daughter. A heartbreaker of an episode.

They even touch on the "life" issue. i will not discuss the correctness as emotions run high on this issue even today. I am not surprised by the decision, just by the jury's request.

This episode deserves all the accolades it has received.

I'll finish the rest of the episodes later, after I have digested this one.
 

DaveHof3

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It's a difficult episode to discuss here given the barriers in place against any references to politics or religion.

I was impressed by it - certainly by the quality of the writing and the courage to tackle such a controversial topic at that time - but I also see this as the most egregious example of why the series has a reputation for one partisan viewpoint (starting, of course, with the episode's title). When the D.A. began his cross-examination of the doctor, I knew this would be the time where the other side of the argument could be explored. He asked the right questions, but I found the answers wanting - almost like an afterthought.

However, I don't need television to always see the world the way I do. It was still quite an achievement for its day.
 

Susan Nunes_329977

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You have to remember this was broadcast right around the time of the thalidomide scandal. The Sherri Finkbine case came to prominence in July/August of 1962 and helped in the movement to legalize abortion in the United States.
 

Jack P

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Frankly, I think it would help if there could be some honesty regarding the fact that this was a series, like all others that had the name of this producer and writer, slanted in one direction only. Before people are told that they should buy this series, they need to be told that if you feel one way politically you will love it, and if you belong to the other half, it's not likely going to produce the same reactions.
 

Jack P

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To go along with the warning against Christmas episodes that "pander to the season" that others are obsessed with, right?
 

FanCollector

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Jack, I'm glad you brought up that issue because it's something I have been wondering about in watching the first season. I have been surprised about how few overt "messages" there have been about specific social issues. The questions are raised, but I feel that the show only rarely stakes out a clear position of its own on one side or the other. (Admittedly, that may be less true in later seasons.)

The series consistently preaches in favor of the legal system and the rights inherent therein; I don't know how controversial that is, but it does advocate very strongly for everyone's right to a strong defense, free speech, due process, etc.

The other clear and repeated social statement seems to be that capital punishment is undesirable. I understand how that is indeed controversial, and I acknowledge that the show isn't even-handed about it. At the same time, I don't know that I've ever seen an artistic statement in favor of capital punishment, so this aspect of the series puts it in line with Naked City, In the Heat of the Night, and many other shows.

Other than those points, the "messages" didn't seem overwhelming. The show tends to celebrate the attributes of courage and mercy, but those aren't really political. There were a few instances where the show seemed to support an idea, but didn't make it the main theme of the episode by any means. (The idea of prison reform in The Riot would be one example.)

Just to clarify...I am not trying to challenge Jack or anyone else who doesn't like the show. I'm just asking which episodes you found especially one-sided about a political issue. I don't intend to debate the issues themselves, or your interpretation of the show. I just haven't found as much politics as I expected in the show, so I'm curious to see where people with a different point of view might be finding more.
 

Darby67

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You have to remember this was broadcast right around the time of the thalidomide scandal. The Sherri Finkbine case came to prominence in July/August of 1962 and helped in the movement to legalize abortion in the United States.

Susan:

Thank you for the history lesson. I was not aware of the either event before your reading your post but researched both afterwards and learned a lot.
 

Darby67

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Frankly, I think it would help if there could be some honesty regarding the fact that this was a series, like all others that had the name of this producer and writer, slanted in one direction only. Before people are told that they should buy this series, they need to be told that if you feel one way politically you will love it, and if you belong to the other half, it's not likely going to produce the same reactions.

I think a better option would be for people to actually watch a series (or at least some episodes) and then independently decide whether or not it is to their liking rather than prejudge it.
 

Jack P

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The other clear and repeated social statement seems to be that capital punishment is undesirable. I understand how that is indeed controversial, and I acknowledge that the show isn't even-handed about it. At the same time, I don't know that I've ever seen an artistic statement in favor of capital punishment, so this aspect of the series puts it in line with Naked City, In the Heat of the Night, and many other shows.

Yeah, which I think could be described as conformity to the nth degree on the subject. "Law And Order" even broke format with its S8 finale to give us a stale rerun of an episode format that dates back to "Naked City" in which the cop is supposed to be traumatized by the sight of an execution taking place etc. The thing that made that so laughable with "Law And Order" is that the idea that Lennie Brisco, who cracks all kinds of morbid jokes at every gruesome murder scene involving the death of the *victim* would then get all queasy at an execution of a guilty killer and be traumatized to the point of falling off the wagon. That is what is known as sledgehammer writing at its worst.

The preaching in favor of the legal system argument though I have to admit is one that Mr. Reginald Rose shot his credibility on with me in the project that made him famous before this series, which was "Twelve Angry Men". In that one, we were given an allegedly intelligent take on the concept of "reasonable doubt" that was in fact arguably not an honest picture at all. And we were also given a discourse on the prejudiced flaws of all the other jurors but Henry Fonda's was allowed to be portrayed as the one who was without sin who could cast all the stones he felt like casting, yet Fonda's character arguably committed some outrageous transgressions that made him no different from any of the people who were exposed as terrible (the instant Fonda produced a second knife out of thin air, he proved any arguments the film had to make about "due process" were shallow and hypocritical).

I'm not using my subjective feelings as an argument to not buy the series. That's up to the individual and if people who love this get it all, I salute you for making it possible. My point is, I don't think its asking too much to just acknowledge that this show did slant one direction primarily and if that point is going to get buried then that I think reveals a deeper point I've always felt about how some people appear to regard advocacy as a perpetual one-way street. If the show had been equally vigorous about pushing agendas from the opposite direction, then I think its a safe bet that the critics would be quick to slap an ideological label on the show instead of a generic neutral one.
 

DaveHof3

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Frankly, I think it would help if there could be some honesty regarding the fact that this was a series, like all others that had the name of this producer and writer, slanted in one direction only. Before people are told that they should buy this series, they need to be told that if you feel one way politically you will love it, and if you belong to the other half, it's not likely going to produce the same reactions.

As someone who does "belong to the other half" on most hot-button issues, I am still happy to be a new fan of this old show. Sure, "The Benefactor" could have been more balanced, and the portrayals of religious people in "The Young Lovers" and "The Accident," didn't have to make them out to be quite so intolerant, but taken as a whole this is still remarkable television that I'm proud to own. If it gets more strident in subsequent seasons (which I hope I'll get to see) then I reserve the right to reassess. And we are still a far cry from contemporary shows that openly mock and dismiss opposing viewpoints.
 

Darby67

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As someone who does "belong to the other half" on most hot-button issues, I am still happy to be a new fan of this old show. Sure, "The Benefactor" could have been more balanced, and the portrayals of religious people in "The Young Lovers" and "The Accident," didn't have to make them out to be quite so intolerant, but taken as a whole this is still remarkable television that I'm proud to own. If it gets more strident in subsequent seasons (which I hope I'll get to see) then I reserve the right to reassess. And we are still a far cry from contemporary shows that openly mock and dismiss opposing viewpoints.

Well said, Dave.
 

Susan Nunes_329977

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Frankly, I think it would help if there could be some honesty regarding the fact that this was a series, like all others that had the name of this producer and writer, slanted in one direction only. Before people are told that they should buy this series, they need to be told that if you feel one way politically you will love it, and if you belong to the other half, it's not likely going to produce the same reactions.

This show, and others like it, came out during the Kennedy years, before the assassination, Vietnam, Watergate, and all of the rest that created the cynicism that was exploited by Nixon and later by the far right. The right wing that you are accustomed to today was largely marginalized in the 1960s as cranks; in fact, the GOP was nothing like it is now. Dramatic series during this time were idealistic.
 
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Susan Nunes_329977

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As someone who does "belong to the other half" on most hot-button issues, I am still happy to be a new fan of this old show. Sure, "The Benefactor" could have been more balanced, and the portrayals of religious people in "The Young Lovers" and "The Accident," didn't have to make them out to be quite so intolerant, but taken as a whole this is still remarkable television that I'm proud to own. If it gets more strident in subsequent seasons (which I hope I'll get to see) then I reserve the right to reassess. And we are still a far cry from contemporary shows that openly mock and dismiss opposing viewpoints.

There was NO--repeat NO--organized anti-abortion movement in the 1960s. The only visible opposition to legalization was the Roman Catholic Church. The anti-abortion movement didn't formally start as a national movement until after Roe v. Wade in 1973. The so-called religious right were involved far later than the RCC.
 
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