Divorce Court

TV judges Wapner, Sheindlin, Lane, etc., are modern day extensions of this pioneering televison series that portrayed the American legal system in thirty minutes or less. Viewing this 1957 series as a young fellow the terms "oath", "perjury" and "liar" took on new meanings. Filmed in black and white and obviously modeled after the then popular Perry Mason series, Divorce Court was the first program on American television to present courtroom dramas as "real life."

I was eight years old when this show started. I think that all the parties were actors, but I'm not sure. I remember that it seemed rather dry and dull, but I was a fan nonetheless. The main takeaway for me was that the judge invariably concluded cases by declaring "an interlocutory decree of divorce". I never knew what that meant, but I figured it couldn't be good. The next court show I remember was "The People's Court", with Judge Joe Wapner. He was pretty dull compared to today's courtroom fare (Judges Judy & Milian). I remember how out-of-touch he was when he had no clue what a litigant meant by having "adopted" a dog. (He went on to preside over "Animal Court".) Anyway, "Divorce Court" was the granddaddy of them all. It was dry, but groundbreaking.