''Sam Benedict'' is an American

legal drama Legal drama, also called courtroom drama, is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in wh ...

that aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

from September 1962 to March 1963. The series was created and executive produced by E. Jack Neuman, and produced by William Froug. The series starred

Edmond O'Brien Eamon Joseph O'Brien (; September 10, 1915 – May 9, 1985) was an American actor of stage, screen, and television, and film director. His career spanned almost 40 years, and he won one Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two stars on th ...

in the title role, with Richard Rust as his assistant Hank Tabor, and Joan Tompkins as his secretary Trudy Wagner. The character Sam Benedict is based on real-life lawyer Jake Ehrlich, who served as technical consultant for the series. According to Hal Erickson in his 2009 ''Encyclopedia of Television Law Shows'', "Beyond his salty delivery of lines and bulldozer courtroom demeanor, Sam Benedict shared with Jake Ehrlich an up-from-poverty background (including a short stint as a prizefighter!), and a sincere empathy for underdog clients."

Guest stars

Inger Stevens Inger Stevens (born Ingrid Stensland; October 18, 1934 – April 30, 1970) was a Swedish-born American film, stage, and Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe–winning television actress. Early life Inger Stevens was born in Stockholm, Swede ...

* Vera Miles * Fred Aldrich *

Elizabeth Ashley Elizabeth Ann Cole (born August 30, 1939), known professionally as Elizabeth Ashley, is an American actress of theatre, film, and television. She has been nominated for three Tony Awards, winning once in 1962 for '' Take Her, She's Mine''. Ash ...

* Phyllis Avery *

Larry Blyden Ivan Lawrence Blieden (June 23, 1925 – June 6, 1975), known professionally as Larry Blyden, was an American actor, stage producer and director, and game show host. He made his Broadway stage debut in 1948 and went on to appear in numerous ...

* Anthony Call * Spencer Chan * Sidney Clute * Fred Coby * Hazel Court *

Yvonne Craig Yvonne Joyce Craig (May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015) was an American actress who is best known for her role as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in the 1960s television series ''Batman (TV series), Batman''. Other notable roles in her career include Dorot ...

Howard Duff Howard Green Duff (November 24, 1913July 8, 1990) was an American actor. He started in radio during World War II before appearing in many Hollywood features and television programs from 1947 to 1990. He also directed for television. His career ...

* Ross Elliott, four episodes as Marty Rhodes *

Stefan Gierasch Stefan Gierasch (February 5, 1926 – September 6, 2014) was an American film and television actor. Personal Gierasch was a native of New York and studied at The Actors Studio. Gierasch was married 33 years to actress Hedy Sontag at the time o ...

* Sam Gilman * Gloria Grahame * Ellen Holly * Marsha Hunt *

Diana Hyland Diana Hyland (born Diane Gentner; January 25, 1936 – March 27, 1977) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Early years Hyland was born Diane Gentner to John Theodore and Mary (Gorman) Gentner in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. S ...

* Jean Inness * Ray Kellogg * Nancy Kelly * Jess Kirkpatrick * Otto Kruger * Elizabeth MacRae * Joyce Meadows *

Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed radio, theater, film, and television. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" ...

Gary Merrill Gary Fred Merrill (August 2, 1915 – March 5, 1990) was an American film and television actor whose credits included more than 50 feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of television guest appearances. He starr ...

* John Nolan *

Richard O'Brien Richard O'Brien (born Richard Timothy Smith; 25 March 1942) is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' in 1973, which has since remained in continuous p ...

* Maria Palmer *

Michael Parks Michael Parks (born Harry Samuel Parks; April 24, 1940 – May 9, 2017) was an American singer and actor who made numerous film and television appearances, notably starring in the 1969–1970 series '' Then Came Bronson.'' He was widely known ...

* Joseph V. Perry *

Claude Rains William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British and American actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. He was the recipient of numerous accolades, including four Academy Award nominations for Academy Award for Best Supp ...

* Ruth Roman * Joseph Schildkraut *

Barbara Stuart Barbara Stuart (born Barbara Ann McNeese; January 3, 1930 – May 15, 2011) was an American actress. She had a recurring role of Sgt. Carter's girlfriend Bunny on '' Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'' Early years Born in Paris, Illinois, Stuart was ...

Kelly Thordsen Kelly Thordsen, born Sherman Jess Thordsen (January 19, 1917 – January 23, 1978) was an American film and television actor. Life and career Thordsen was born in Deadwood, South Dakota. He served in the United States Navy during World War I ...

* George Tobias * Arthur Tovey

Episode list

Disclaimer in end credits

"Sam Benedict is based on the real living character of J. W. (Jake) Ehrlich but the stories are fictional."

Home media

On November 22, 2016,

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

released ''Sam Benedict – The Complete Series'' on DVD via their

Warner Archive Collection The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...

. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.'The Complete Series' of the 1962 NBC Legal Drama

References and notes

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0055703 1962 American television series debuts 1963 American television series endings American legal drama television series Black-and-white American television shows American English-language television shows NBC television dramas Television series by MGM Television Television shows set in San Francisco