The People's Court

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The People's Court
Format Judicial
Created by John Masterson
Developed by Stu Billett
Presented by Doug Llewelyn (1981-1993)
Carol Martin (1997-1998)
Harvey Levin (1997-Present)
Starring Judges
Joseph A. Wapner (1981-1993)
Ed Koch (1997-2000)
Jerry Sheindlin (2000-2001)
Marilyn Milian (2001-Present)
Bailiffs
Rusty Burrell (1981-1993)
Josephine Ann Longobardi (1997-2001)
Davy Jones (2001)
Douglas MacIntosh (2001-Present)
Narrated by Jack Harrell (1981-1993)
Curt Chaplin (1997-Present)
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
Production
Executive
producer(s)		 Ralph Edwards
Stu Billett
Running time 30 min per episode (1981-1993)
1 hour per episode (1997-Present)
Production
company(s)		 Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Productions
Distributor Telepictures Corporation (1981-1986)
Lorimar-Telepictures (1986-1988)
Warner Bros. Television Distribution (1988-1993; 1997-Present)
Broadcast
Original channel First-run syndication
Original run 1981 – present

The People's Court is a television court show in which small claims court cases are heard, though what is shown is actually a binding arbitration. The People's Court (1981) was the first reality court show that did not use actors. Prior to The People's Court, popular TV courtroom shows such as Traffic Court (1957),[1] only presented recreated or fictional cases (as did radio before that). It was not the first TV "People's Court", being preceded by People's Court of Small Claims (1959).[2]

Originally taped in Los Angeles, it first ran in syndication from 1981 to 1993 for 2,484 ½-hour episodes. Reruns continued to air in syndication until 1994. Currently taped in New York City, it has run in its present 1-hour format since September 1997. It aired its 3,000th episode on November 16, 2000. The new version aired its 1,000th episode in 2003. Reruns of the original series are now aired on AOL's In2TV service.

When John Masterson devised a similar camera-in-court concept in 1975, he first pitched it to Monty Hall, the producer and host of the popular game show, Let's Make a Deal, and his partner, producer-writer Stefan Hatos, but the networks didn't buy it. Stu Billett then modified Masterson's idea into the present binding arbitration show concept, which did sell. The series was executive produced by Ralph Edwards, who also created and hosted the popular documentary show This Is Your Life, and Stu Billett, who later went on to create Moral Court.

Contents

[edit] Original version

The judge from the show's first twelve years was Joseph Wapner. Rusty Burrell was his bailiff[3], Jack Harrell was the announcer, and Doug Llewelyn was the host and court reporter, who would announce the matter of the dispute at the beginning of each "trial". He would also interview the plaintiff and the defendant after the court ruling, to gauge their responses to the verdict. Llewelyn would often end each episode with a jaunty "Don't take the law into your own hands: you take 'em to court." [4] which became something of a 1980s catch phrase. If a case ended with a verdict for the defendant, however, Llewelyn would end the episode by saying, "If someone files a lawsuit against you and you're convinced you've done nothing wrong, don't be intimidated. The best policy is to go to court and stand up for your rights."

The cases often had witty, pun-related names, such as "The case of the Overdone Underthings" and "A Head with a Beer on It."

Occasionally, if an episode wrapped up a few minutes early, Judge Wapner would field questions from the courtroom observers, or there would be commentary from legal consultant Harvey Levin, in which Levin would explain the legal reasoning behind Judge Wapner's decisions. The People's Court deals in small claims matters. When the show premiered in 1981, litigants could not sue for more than $1,500, which was the limit for small claims court at the time in California. As the laws in California changed, so did this amount. By the end of the original run in 1993, litigants could sue for up to $5,000, which is now the law in most states.

Researchers for the show would examine small claims filings in Southern California and approach the plaintiff and defendant in interesting cases. The producers would offer to have Judge Wapner arbitrate the dispute if they would agree to dismiss their action and be bound by Judge Wapner's decision. Through this approach, the show could get real people with real cases. However, even though the show is decorated and run like a real courtroom, it is not a real court or part of any judicial system, but instead a form of binding arbitration.

Interestingly, the losing party does not actually need to pay the judgment, as such. Instead (as is stated in the disclaimer at the end of each show), both parties are paid from a fund (set up by Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Productions). This fund was based on the amount of the lawsuit claim, but an exact formula was not stated. The fund was to be first divided equally, then any monetary judgment ordered was subtracted from the loser's half (and presumably both halves in the case of cross judgments). Each litigant received at least what remained of their half in shows concluding with that disclaimer.[5]

The disclaimer did not call this fund an "appearance fee", a term which appeared later in connection with The People's Court and other court shows. There may have been a later period when The People's Court paid the judgment, plus expenses and only a modest appearance fee to each litigant.[6]

[edit] Opening Monologue

In the 1981 series, the show opened with:

"What you are witnessing is real. The participants are not actors. They are actual litigants with a case pending in a California Municipal court. Both parties have agreed to dismiss their court cases and have their disputes settled here, in our forum: The People's Court."

In the 1997 revival the line was: "What you are witnessing is real. The participants are not actors. They are actual litigants with a case pending in a New York Metropolitan area court (later it was "in civil court"). Both parties (later it was "both sides") have agreed to drop their claims and have their disputes settled here, in our forum (from 1999-2001 it was "Judge Jerry Sheindlin's forum"): The People's Court."

Currently the opening in is: "Everybody's talking about the honorable Marilyn Milian, the hottest judge on television. Real cases, real litigants. Here, in our forum: The People's Court."

[edit] New version

Today, the small claims court deals with matters up to $7,500 (depending on the statutory maximum in the claimant's state), although the show did have a case where all four plaintiffs each sued the defendant for $5,000 each; this case was dismissed. Another case during the Koch run (the second-season premiere) featured a $15,000 lawsuit based upon the laws of the state of Florida.

The new version of the show has been headed by three judges since its premiere.

[edit] Ed Koch and Jerry Sheindlin

Former New York City mayor Ed Koch presided over the court from 1997 to September 1999[7]. Judge Jerry Sheindlin (husband of Judith Sheindlin, the presiding judge over the court show Judge Judy[8][9]) sat on the bench from September 1999[7] to February 2001. Less stern than his wife, Jerry Sheindlin had a good sense of humor and was straightforward.

[edit] Marilyn Milian

In March 2001, Marilyn Milian replaced Jerry Sheindlin as judge of The People's Court.[10] Marilyn Milian's bailiff on the show is Douglas MacIntosh. Curt Chaplin is the court reporter, as well as the show's announcer. Attorney Harvey Levin takes comments about each case from onlookers in Times Square, (formerly in the Manhattan Mall) and explains the legal reasons behind Judge Milian's rulings. During the first season, there was additional commentary from Carol Martin, a former news anchor for WCBS-TV in New York.

[edit] British version

A British version of the show was produced by SMG Productions (STV) to replace Trisha Goddard's talk show on ITV in 2005. The court reporter was Carol Smilie, the male judge was Jerome Lynch and the female judge was Rhonda Anderson.[11] The show failed and wasn't re-commissioned.

[edit] Production

The 1981-93 version was initially taped at Metromedia and, later, Golden West Broadcasters in Los Angeles, before moving to The Production Group. In New York City, The People's Court first taped episodes at the NEP/Image studios in the former Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Pennsylvania, which is also the studio for the talk show Maury. Since 1998, the show has taped at the MTI Studios on the 8th Floor, where the courtroom received a makeover. In 2006, the MTI Studios was sold to NEP/Image. At the end credits of some episodes, it says the show is taped at the NEP/Image studios.

The aired episodes are sometimes spliced together in a different order from which they are taped. This is why the judge's blouse color may change and why there may be fewer courtroom observers during the second half of the show than there are during the first half.

The People's Court is "A Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Production". Telepictures Corporation was the original distributor of the series. Through the later aquisiition of Lorimar-Telepictures, the distribution rights to The People's Court now rest with Warner Bros. Television Distribution.

[edit] Litigant compensation

At the end of each show, the following disclaimer appears:

"Both the plaintiff and the defendant have been paid from a fund for their appearance. The amount, if any, awarded in the case, is deducted from this fund, and the remainder is divided equally between both litigants. The amount of the fund is dependent on the size of the judgement." [sic] No information is given as to what relation the amount of the fund bears to the size of the judgment, nor the amount of the fund if a verdict for the defense is rendered.

In 1989, a litigant sued the producers, claiming, "I was only willing to appear because they guaranteed me $1,500. I never would have appeared on that show and made a fool out of myself for a chintzy $250." (In response, an associate producer said that before going on the show, participants are given a packet of information "where everything is clearly outlined to the nth degree.")[6]

[edit] Parodies

In 1995, Judge Wapner appeared on the Fox Network's science fiction show Sliders as himself in the parallel world version of this program where, as a Soviet judge, he sentences Rembrandt Brown to 15 years in the Alaskan gulag for being a subversive. The parody show's logo uses a faux Cyrillic "Я" in place of the "R" in "Court".

The show's opening, where the announcer introduces the litigants in a dramatic fashion, is commonly imitated. Judge Milian's mannerisms and catchphrases have also been the subjects of comedy sketches on shows such as MADtv.

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • Comedian Andy Kaufman once invited Alan Spencer, best known as a creator of the cult hit TV series Sledge Hammer!, over to his home and subjected him to a marathon of forty-eight hours of The People's Court, a series that Kaufman religiously recorded.
  • The show was referenced repeatedly in the 1988 film Rain Man. In the movie, autistic Raymond Babbit (Dustin Hoffman) compulsively watches the show (to the extent of counting down the minutes) and often recites the entire opening monologue. He referred to the show often as "Wapner", in reference to the presiding judge, Joseph Wapner.
  • The theme music, "The Big One (People's Court Theme)", was composed by Alan Stanley Tew (British PRS, affil. BMI)
  • Harvey Levin is also the creator of TMZ celebrity news reporting and TV show.

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Courtroom Simulations Were Featured on Early Television - Metropolitan News-Enterprise; March 27, 2003
  2. ^ TV Courtroom Shows Proliferate in the Late 1950s - Metropolitan News-Enterprise; May 8, 2003
  3. ^ Rusty Burrell (1926-2002) was a sheriff's department court bailiff in several famous Los Angeles trials, the Manson murders, The Onion Field murder, the Patty Hearst/SLA bank robbery, and the Caryl Chessman "Red Light Bandit". Burrell had previously appeared on TV in the 1950's Divorce Court, and it was also his job at that show to find real attorneys to appear on camera. One of those regular Divorce Court attorneys was Judge Joseph Wapner's father. 'People's Court' Bailiff Dies 2002-04-21, zap2it.com; Inside Judge Wapner's wallet by Ken Kurson, 2000-08-04, Green magazine at Salon.com.
  4. ^ Doug Llewelyn developed a curious habit of not pronouncing the final "t" in his closing line, so it regularly became heard as: "...you take 'em to core."
  5. ^ Note that with maximum cross-complaint judgments, the producers might pay nothing to either litigant from the fund. Since the consolation prize is a familiar Hollywood good will concept, the producers might have paid litigants' local Los Angeles travel expenses, especially to litigants who received nothing from the fund.
  6. ^ a b 'People's Court' Finds Itself Before the Dock - NYT June 15, 1989
  7. ^ a b The People's Court: His Honor JERRY SHEINDLIN (Judge)
  8. ^ Jerry and Judy Sheindlin Discuss Laying Down the Law on TV "KING: ... she's tough." - CNN Larry King Live transcript, aired September 12, 2000
  9. ^ NYT 2008-01-31 " 'Judge Judy,' the longest-running and highest-rated courtroom show in syndication..."
  10. ^ New Judge For 'People's Court' - 2000-12-21, Zap2it.com.
  11. ^ The People's Court UK web.archive.org, 2006

[edit] See also

[edit] External links