The Public Defender, Vol. 1 (1954) On DVD

Reed Hadley is Bart Matthews, your Public Defender, in this series of law and order dramas that ran on CBS from 1954 to 1955. At the time of the show's creation (by Mort Lewis and Sam Shayon), the concept of the public defender was little known throughout much of the United States. Stories were purportedly based on true cases, and each episode ends with a salute to a working public defender.

Bart Matthews (Hadley) takes on clients that cannot afford expensive legal counsel. Young or old, innocent or guilty, the law comes first for the stoic and driven public defender. Hadley previously starred in the television series "Racket Squad" (1953-1954) and is fondly remembered for playing the title role in the action-packed Republic serial Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939).

Living A Lie: Two men, each sharing a heinous secret about a hit-and-run crime fifteen years earlier, must face their guilt before an innocent man pays the penalty.

Story Of Nora Fulton: An innocent young woman is charged with murder, but the real killer is a loved one she does not suspect.

Anything For A Thrill: A young girl is pressured into joining a gang at school and finds herself on the wrong side of the law.

They Never Come Back: Desperate for cash, an ex-jockey enters a comeback race. When the cameras catch him lashing out at an adversary, he's charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

Starring Reed Hartley (RACKET SQUAD), this courtroom drama aired from 1954-1955, and followed Bart Matthews (Hartley) in his capacity as a pro bono lawyer, defending clients who have been falsely accused of crime. In this volume, a blind man becomes a key witness in "Circumstantial Evidence," while Bart joins forces with a TV personality to solve a case dealing with youth gangs in "Jackpot." An incriminating photograph clears the name of an innocent man in "Murder Photo," which features guest star DeForest Kelley (STAR TREK).