Amoeba Music

With each show culled from original Hal Roach Studio masters, Public Defender - The Official Complete Series makes its way to DVD with all 69 episodes on 8 discs.

A late season replacement for Philip Morris Playhouse, the popular anthology series Public Defender premiered in March, 1954, a time when the concept of a taxpayer funded defense attorney was largely associated with capital cases. But with everyday stories based on real-life events, tackling every kind of thorny dilemma from juvenile delinquency to vehicular homicide, the series not only shed new light on this little known public office, but its attention to realistic detail made the show a key player in the history of television crime drama.

Created by Mort Lewis and Sam Shayon, and produced by Hal Roach, Jr., Public Defender stars Reed Hadley (Racket Squad) as Bart Matthews, a tireless and dedicated public servant who earnestly defends the rights of the indigent. The series is also notable for providing directorial assignments for veterans such as Erle C. Kenton and up-and-comers like Budd Boetticher.