Famous Jury Trials is a dramatized court show that first appeared on radio, followed by television, and then in the movies. The series ran on radio from 1936 through 1949, then on television from 1949 through 1952, and finally in a movie in 1971. On television, it aired on the DuMont Television Network. Episodes re-enacted historic actual court cases.

Broadcast history

Famous Jury Trials first aired on October 12, 1949, on DuMont, and was a live dramatized court show with each episode lasting 30 minutes. During the first season, the show aired Wednesdays at 9:30pm EST. During later seasons, the show aired Wednesdays at 9pm EST. The final show aired March 12, 1952.

Production

Frank Bunetta and C. Harrell were the directors, and John L. Clark was the writer. The program originated from WABD and was sponsored by Chevrolet Dealers. Four sets in the Adelphi Theater were used for broadcasts. The main set, a replica of a courtroom, was surrounded by three sets used for flashback scenes. While a witness testified, the televised scene shifted to one of the side sets to portray the actions that the witness was relating.

Episodes

Episode status

No episodes are confirmed to survive, however an episode may possibly exist at the Paley Center for Media.