The complete first season of Public Defender (CBS, 1954-1955) comes out on DVD in a few days, courtesy of ClassicFlix. Earlier this week, the company announced it plans to release the complete second season on DVD on August 13th.
Here’s the official synopsis:
For the first time on home video come all 43 episodes of the second season of Public Defender starring Reed Hadley as Bart Matthews: a tireless and dedicated public servant who earnestly defends the rights of the indigent.
In the movies, Reed Hadley could play anything from hero (Zorro’s Fighting Legion) to villain (Calling Dr. Kildare), to prolific narrator of film noirs like He Walked by Night. On the small screen, Hadley starred in two popular early 50s TV series’: Racket Squad and Public Defender, the latter being a crime drama procedural which dramatized the taxpayer-funded practice of providing legal assistance for those unable to afford representation.
This second season of Public Defender features some big names in film history such as Natalie Wood, Charles Bronson, Martha Hyer and Dennis Hopper, and also many familiar movie and TV faces like Hugh Beaumont, Hillary Brooke, Ted de Corsia, Dwayne Hickman, Mae Clarke, DeForest Kelley, Phyllis Coates, Douglass Dumbrille, Dick Foran, Virginia Gregg, Alan Hale, Jr., Percy Helton, Mike Mazurki, Denver Pyle, Lyle Talbot, Veda Ann Borg, Kenneth Tobey and Linda Stirling.
Created by Mort Lewis and Sam Shayon, and produced by Hal Roach, Jr., Public Defender also provided directorial assignments for veterans such as Erle C. Kenton and up-and-comers like Budd Boetticher.
This 5-disc collection marks the first official home video release of all 43 second season episodes of this popular anthology series, every one culled from original Hal Roach Studio masters. The set also features one episode in its entirety with original commercials.
Announcing the release of the second (and final) season before the first season even goes on sale is a smart move by ClassicFlix. Now there’s no need to worry about the show being left incomplete on DVD.
Season 2 isn’t available for pre-order on Amazon yet but you can pre-order the 5-disc set for $39.99 at the ClassicFlix website.
