A. L. Alexander's Goodwill Court
A.L. Alexander's Goodwill Court was a popular human interest radio program of the mid-1930s that broadcast for over a year, sponsored by Chase & Sanborn Coffee. In 1936, it was ranked among the top ten radio programs.
Defendants in real court cases told their stories and host A.L. Alexander stepped in to offer legal advice. The series premiered March 31, 1935 on WMCA in New York. The show moved to NBC September 20, 1936, airing as an hour-long show on Sundays at 8pm. As many as 15 cases would be heard during a single program. After the New York State Lawyers Association objected, the New York City Supreme Court ruled that lawyers could not give counsel on radio programs. This brought an end to the series, which aired its final episode on December 20, 1936.
Alexander had more success and a longer run when he returned to the air with A.L. Alexander's Mediation Board, another series dispensing advice to people with problems but minus the legal aspect. Alexander was once described by Time as "earnest, voluble, begoggled Albert Louis Alexander, onetime divinity student, actor, social worker, legman, radio announcer."[1]