The majority of episodes consists of two segments. Set in Los Angeles, the first part ("The Arrest") followed Detective Sergeants Nick Anderson (Ben Gazzara) and Dan Kirby (Roger Perry) of the Los Angeles Police Department as they tracked down and captured a criminal. The apprehended suspect was then defended in the second part ("The Trial") by criminal attorney John Egan (Chuck Connors), who was often up against Deputy District Attorney Jerry Miller (John Larch) and his assistant, Barry Pine (John Kerr, who later became an actual lawyer).
Gazzara agreed to play the role of Anderson only after extracting a promise from the producer that scripts would avoid stereotypical depictions of police officers.
In a 1963 TV Guide interview, Gazzara described his portrayal of Anderson: "I'm supposed to be a thinking man's cop. I'm a serious student of human behavior, more concerned with what creates the criminal than how to punish him. In other words, I'm not the kind of cop who asks, 'Where were you the night of April 13th?' It's my job to show that there is room for passion and intellectualism and personal display even within a policeman."
Arrest and Trial debuted on September 15, 1963. Its last telecast was on April 19, 1964, with reruns continuing until September 6, 1964.[1] On April 24, 1964, it became the first Americanimport to be broadcast on the UK's BBC2.
The same premise was adopted decades later by a more financially successful series, Law & Order, although the second half trial portion is focused on the prosecutorial side for that series, rather than the defense.
A truck driver in pursuit of cargo thieves fatally drives off the road a motorcycle policeman he had previously threatened.
2
"Isn't It a Lovely View"
Jack Smight
Don Brinkley (based on a story by David Friedkin and Morton Fine)
September 22, 1963 (1963-09-22)
A man is stabbed on a bench outside an amusement park, unraveling a dark tale of industrial espionage and blackmail. A disabled woman who spends hours looking at the surroundings from a nearby building à la Rear Window claims she did not see anything... or did she?
3
"Tears from a Silver Dipper"
Arthur H. Nadel (also producer)
Sy Salkowitz
September 29, 1963 (1963-09-29)
A soldier of Mexican ethnicity is accused of theft and murder against a backdrop of prejudice.
4
"A Shield is for Hiding Behind"
David Lowell Rich (also producer)
John McGreevey
October 6, 1963 (1963-10-06)
Sgt. Anderson kills in self-defense a gang member suspected of murdering a policeman, but is put on trial for second-degree murder. Only the gang member's kid brother knows the truth, but he can't bring himself to tarnish the idealized image of his sibling in the eyes of his parents.
5
"My Name is Martin Burnham"
Ralph Senensky
Larry Cohen
October 13, 1963 (1963-10-13)
A construction worker is brought in for questioning about assaults on women in his neighborhood. Although a victim directly exonerates him, the experience leaves him shaken. Incapable of returning home to face his family, he attempts to commit suicide by jumping from the skyscraper under construction where he used to work; but it is the foreman - responsible for firing him - who struggled to stop him who falls down the building. He is put on trial for first-degree murder, where he is determined to secure the death penalty for himself.
6
"A Flame in the Dark"
Arthur H. Nadel
Richard Fielder
October 20, 1963 (1963-10-20)
7
"Whose Little Girl Are You?"
Jack Smight
Paul Mason and Kenneth M. Rosen (based on a story by Rosen)
Arrest and Trial earned four Emmy nominations in 1964. Two were for Martine Bartlett and Anjanette Comer for Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actress, one was for Roddy McDowall for Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor, and the other was for Danny Landres, Milton Shifman and Richard Wray for Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing for Television.[4]
Home media
On November 22, 2011, Timeless Media Group released Arrest and Trial- The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1. The 10-disc set features all 30 episodes of the series.[5]
See also
Dragnet (1951–59) – NBC drama series (produced by Jack Webb) that followed the Arrest and Trial format.
The D.A. (1971–72) – short-lived NBC drama series (produced by Jack Webb) that followed the Arrest and Trial format, and is also owned by NBC Universal.
Law & Order (1990–2010, 2022-) – NBC drama series (produced by Dick Wolf) that also followed the Arrest and Trial format, and is also owned by NBC Universal.
Arrest & Trial (2000) – syndicated docudrama series also produced by Wolf
References
Durslag, Melvin. (1963, October 12–18). The Egghead Flatfoot. TV Guide, pp. 8–11.
^Wrongly attributed to Lewis Milestone on the Internet Movie Database. See: Meyer, Janet L. (1998). Sydney Pollack: A Critical Filmography. McFarland. p. 209. ISBN9780786404865.
