The Defenders 1960s TV Show comes to DVD - 1st season 32 episodes in July

Sweet, great show! Shout Factory rocks!






The Best Dramatic Program of the 1960s, April 7, 2016
By
Anthony Caton

This review is from: The Defenders: Season One (DVD)
I am stunned. Shout! has announced that The Defenders (CBS-TV, 1961-65) Season 1 will be released this July. All 32 premier season episodes, featuring E.G Marshall and Robert Reed as the Preston father and son defense team, will be included in this reasonably priced set. The Defenders was nominated for 22 (!) Emmy Awards during it's run, winning best dramatic program in its first three seasons.

First season guest stars, and I assure you I am not kidding, include: Jack Klugman, Gene Hackman, William Shatner, Kermit Murdock, Clu Gulager, Harry Towns, Fritz Weaver, Godfrey Cambridge, Sam Wanamaker, Frank Gorshin, Pat Hingle, Marian Seldes, Simon Oakland, Joan Hackett, Ed Binns, Alfred Ryder, Robert Duvall, Robert Loggia, Martin Sheen, J.D. Cannon, Elizabeth Ashley, Kent Smith, Edward Andrews, Martin Balsam, Sam Jaffe, Murray Hamilton, Alexander Scourby, Andrew Prine, William Daniels, Michael Strong, Chester Morris, Warren Stevens, Edgar Stehli, Arthur Hill, Salome Jens, Robert Webber, Gene Wilder, Roscoe Lee Browne, James Earl Jones, Vincent Gardenia, and Harold J. Stone. Please place an order for this Reginald Rose (12 Angry Men) masterpiece. If sales are strong, then possibly all four seasons will be released. Once I receive my copy, I will return with a review of the set's aesthetics. Thank you for taking the time to read my initial posting.

Great article on the Defenders:
The Defenders was the great drama of the ’60s, but good luck seeing it today »

 

Yup, Mike Brady before he was Mike Brady.

 

He was on the Brady Bunch for 100 shows and he was on the Defenders for 132 episodes.

 

From everything I've read in Robert Reed, he'd rather be remembered for his work on The Defenders!

 

Wow great news, first Lou Grant and now The Defenders, maybe the worm is turning.

 

Lou Grant on DVD??!! I have only seen it on hulu.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BHCPQE4/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

Sweet. Adding both of these shows to cart.

 

I'm amazed that CBS/Viacom got it together to get this remastered. Here's the opening theme to the show, which I remember vividly from the early 1960s (though I never saw the show in reruns):



This was a very fine show that I can remember being acclaimed at the time, taking on very serious issues and making a lot of noise about morality problems in society. I'm amazed CBS kept it on for 4 years, all the way to 1965.

 

I've seen one episode, about a Neo-Nazi college student whose free speech rights are defended by a Jewish professor. I found it extremely preachy, if not quite as irritating as Law & Order.

There are two episodes I would like to see. One is the blacklist episode for which Jack Klugman won an Emmy. The other, coincidentally, also concerns a Neo-Nazi, played by Dennis Hopper. I'd like to see this one because Hopper claimed (in an interview with Bob Costas) that Charles Manson said he watched the episode and based some of his own courtroom antics on things Hopper's character did while he was on trial.

 

I have about 20 episodes that I can share from my Dropbox account. I'll start posting some.

 

Now how about the rest of Knots Landing? Only seasons 1 and 2 are available.

 

I may pick this up soon. Thanks for sharing the news and comments on set.

 

Fantastic article on the show, very in depth!

Edward Copeland's Tangents: Committed to Controversy »

 

I think for 1961-1965, it wasn't considered too preachy -- it was actually fairly hip and dramatic. Things sometimes have a habit of looking worse from the distance of 50 years.

 

This one is interesting

Dropbox - The Defenders - The Non Violent.mp4 »

 

I have this show on a few PD DVDs...this is pretty cool as I enjoy the show very much!

 

I would suggest anyone who likes this series check out the recently released Rod Serling Series - The Loner complete series DVD exclusive at Walmart!

Here is a thread on it!
Rod Serling's "The Loner" 1965 TV Western Series Out Now on DVD! »

 

Liked this show as a kid, very cool.

 

Do you know if this series, "The Defenders", is going to be a Walmart exclusive as well?

 

It is not. It's available through Amazon and many other retailers.

 

I already have it pre-ordered from Amazon.

 

Is anyone else getting this? Amazon says it's in the mail.

 

yup. mine should be here tomorrow

 

Wow! Put in the first dvd and started watching. In that first episode is a very young Gene Hackman and Jack Klugman! Jack Klugman gets into a shouting match with Robert Reed and neither one will back down, nice! This is going to be fun!