Famous Jury Trials

Famous Jury Trials is a dramatic anthology radio series in the United States that began on January 5, 1936, and ended on June 25, 1949. It is considered one of the first programs that initiated the court show genre, which later was broadcast on television as Famous Jury Trials.

The program re-enacted trials from history, with the scripts described as “almost entirely fictionalized” but resulting from thorough research. It had the effect of taking the listener into an actual courtroom, with the judge instructing the jury at the beginning of each episode, “Be just and fear not, for the true administration of justice is the foundation of good government.” The show’s set was designed as a realistic courtroom, complete with a jury box, witness chair, and judge’s bench. Adding to the sense of realism, the program was “delivered flat, without music.”

The Stars

As an anthology series, Famous Jury Trials had few regular cast members. Maurice Franklin starred as the judge, while Roger DeKoven and DeWitt McBride were the reporter-narrators.

Key Dates

• Famous Jury Trials began on January 5, 1936, and ended on June 25, 1949.
• The program originated at WLW in Cincinnati and was created by Ed Byron, a staff writer at the station.
• It was carried by various networks over the years, including Mutual, the NBC Blue Network (which later became ABC), and ABC.

Other Information

The program featured well-known trials from history, such as those of Captain Kidd, Benedict Arnold, and Aaron Burr. A 1937 review described the program as having “the morbid interest and suspense that is characteristic of such melodramas.” The show’s use of a reporter providing an account of a historical event was considered one of its “novel devices” and was later used in the television series You Are There.

In the 1960s, Famous Jury Trials regained popularity and was sold in a “Mystery Package” that also included other old-time radio programs like The Shadow, Green Hornet, and Sherlock Holmes. A version of the series was also broadcast in Australia in the 1950s, where it was described as “worthy of special recommendation.”