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
Conlan Carter, Janet De Gore and James Whitmore (1962)
GenreCrime drama
Created bySy Gomberg
Written byWilliam Bast
Sy Gomberg
Lester Pine
Robert Pirosh
Directed byDavid Alexander
Charles F. Haas
Robert Ellis Miller
StarringJames Whitmore
Janet De Gore
Conlan Carter
ComposerHans Salter
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes45
Production
ProducerSy Gomberg
Production companiesNaxan Productions
Four Star Television
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseOctober 7, 1960 (1960-10-07) –
July 12, 1962 (1962-07-12)

Cast

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Main

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Recurring

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Guest stars

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Notable guest stars include:

Production

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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.[4] Whitmore explained, "We were taken off the air after one year, because I didn't want to do the commercials [for] Gleem Toothpaste. They wanted me as that character, that lawyer, to come on and say, 'You ought to use Gleem 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."[5]

Episodes

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Season 1 (1960–61)

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No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"What's in a Name?"Lamont JohnsonSy GombergOctober 7, 1960 (1960-10-07)
22"Music to Hurt By"David AlexanderSy GombergOctober 14, 1960 (1960-10-14)
33"The Baby"Robert Ellis MillerSy GombergOctober 28, 1960 (1960-10-28)
44"Drivel"David AlexanderSy GombergNovember 4, 1960 (1960-11-04)
55"Semper Fidelis"Charles HaasRobert PiroshNovember 11, 1960 (1960-11-11)
66"Promise of Life"Charles HaasLes PineNovember 18, 1960 (1960-11-18)
77"The Storyville Gang"David AlexanderRobert PiroshNovember 25, 1960 (1960-11-25)
88"No Sale"Charles HaasPalmer ThompsonDecember 2, 1960 (1960-12-02)
99"A Question of Guilt"Robert Ellis MillerPaul DavidDecember 16, 1960 (1960-12-16)
1010"Christmas is a Legal Holiday"Robert Ellis MillerSy GombergDecember 23, 1960 (1960-12-23)
1111"The Long Echo"Robert Ellis MillerPaul DavidDecember 30, 1960 (1960-12-30)
1212"The Great Gambling Raid"David AlexanderSy GombergJanuary 6, 1961 (1961-01-06)
1313"The Trophy"Robert Ellis MillerSy GombergJanuary 13, 1961 (1961-01-13)
1414"Indian War"David AlexanderPaul DavidJanuary 20, 1961 (1961-01-20)
1515"Exit"Robert Ellis MillerPaul DavidJanuary 27, 1961 (1961-01-27)
1616"Unbury the Dead"Tom GriesSy GombergFebruary 3, 1961 (1961-02-03)
1717"The End Justifies the End"David AlexanderArthur Ross & Sy GombergFebruary 10, 1961 (1961-02-10)
1818"Lethal Weapons"David AlexanderPalmer ThompsonFebruary 17, 1961 (1961-02-17)
1919"One for the Money"David AlexanderPalmer ThompsonFebruary 24, 1961 (1961-02-24)
2020"Cold Turkey"David AlexanderLes PineMarch 3, 1961 (1961-03-03)
2121"The Concert"Robert Ellis MillerPaul DavidMarch 10, 1961 (1961-03-10)
2222"Everybody vs. Timmy Drayton"Robert Ellis MillerFranklin Barton & Sy GombergMarch 17, 1961 (1961-03-17)
2323"A Very Special Citizen"Robert Ellis MillerPaul DavidMarch 24, 1961 (1961-03-24)
2424"Accidental Jeopardy"Lamont JohnsonPalmer ThompsonMarch 31, 1961 (1961-03-31)
2525"Mea Culpa"Lamont JohnsonStory by : Arnold & Lois Peyser
Teleplay by : Richard P. McDonagh & Sy Gomberg
April 7, 1961 (1961-04-07)
2626"A Fool for a Client"Lamont JohnsonErnest KinoyApril 21, 1961 (1961-04-21)
2727"The Enemy"Robert Ellis MillerErnest KinoyApril 28, 1961 (1961-04-28)
2828"One by One"David AlexanderWallace WareMay 5, 1961 (1961-05-05)
2929"A Quiet Town"David AlexanderRichard P. McDonaghMay 12, 1961 (1961-05-12)
3030"The Last Commencement"David AlexanderUnknownMay 19, 1961 (1961-05-19)
3131"No Law for Ghosts"David AlexanderUnknownMay 26, 1961 (1961-05-26)
3232"The Broken Hand"Lamont JohnsonPalmer ThompsonJune 2, 1961 (1961-06-02)

Season 2 (1962)

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No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
331"No News is Good News"Don MedfordWilliam BastApril 19, 1962 (1962-04-19)
342"The Boy Who Said No"David AlexanderGeorge Clayton JohnsonApril 26, 1962 (1962-04-26)
353"Reunion"Stuart RosenbergStory by : Mort Fine & David Friedkin
Teleplay by : Richard P. McDonagh & Sy Gomberg
May 3, 1962 (1962-05-03)
364"The Walkout"David AlexanderShimon WincelbergMay 10, 1962 (1962-05-10)
375"Everybody is Money"Sydney PollackS. Lee PogostinMay 17, 1962 (1962-05-17)
386"Wilderness"David AlexanderPaul DavidMay 24, 1962 (1962-05-24)
397"The Man Who Wanted to Die"David AlexanderSy GombergMay 31, 1962 (1962-05-31)
408"The Co-Operatives"Joseph SargentSy GombergJune 7, 1962 (1962-06-07)
419"Thicker Than Water"John RichPalmer ThompsonJune 14, 1962 (1962-06-14)
4210"What Can You Learn from Smoke Signals?"John RichSy GombergJune 21, 1962 (1962-06-21)
4311"C'est La Show Biz"David AlexanderStory by : William Bast
Teleplay by : Richard P. McDonagh & Sy Gomberg
June 28, 1962 (1962-06-28)
4412"My Worthy Colleague"David AlexanderPaul DavidJuly 5, 1962 (1962-07-05)
4513"Poor Eddie's Dead"Sydney PollackSy Gomberg & Richard P. McDonaghJuly 12, 1962 (1962-07-12)

References

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  1. ^ Alex McNeil, Total Television, 4th edition, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, p. 471
  2. ^ Film.com, The Law and Mr. Jones
  3. ^ Hal Erickson. "The Law and Mr. Jones". Encyclopedia of Television Law Shows. McFarland & Company. pp. 166–167.
  4. ^ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 666. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
  5. ^ James Whitmore Interview 2000
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