Court of Current Issues
Court of Current Issues (initially known as Court of Public Opinion)[1] is a nontraditional court show featuring public-affairs debates. The program aired live on Tuesday nights from 1948-1951 on the DuMont Television Network. Originally a half-hour in length, it expanded to 60 minutes in 1949.
| Court of Current Issues | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes (1948-1949) 60 minutes (1949-1951) |
| Release | |
| Original network | DuMont |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | February 9, 1948 – June 26, 1951 |
The program featured oral arguments on topical issues using the format of a courtroom. A judge presided, and people from "representative national groups" formed the jury.[2]
Irvin Paul Sulds was the producer.[2]
The series was scheduled opposite Milton Berle's popular Texaco Star Theater on NBC, hence it did not receive a wide audience.[1]
Following its network demise, the program ran on local TV in New York "for some time".[1]
Episode status
A 14-minute fragment from the March 3, 1949 episode survives at the Paley Center for Media.
See also
Bibliography
- David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004) ISBN 1-59213-245-6
- Alex McNeil, Total Television, Fourth edition (New York: Penguin Books, 1980) ISBN 0-14-024916-8
- Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, Third edition (New York: Ballantine Books, 1964) ISBN 0-345-31864-1
References
- Erickson, Hal. Encyclopedia of Television Law Shows: Factual and Fictional Series About Judges, Lawyers and the Courtroom, 1948-2008. McFarland. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-7864-5452-5. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- "Service personnel to be on TV program". The New York Times. July 9, 1951. p. 36. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via ProQuest.