''The Witness'' is an American television show broadcast on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

network in the United States within the 1960–61 television season, in which a fictional "Committee" of lawyers cross-examined actors portraying actual people from the recent past of the United States who had been considered criminal or suspicious.Brooks, Tim and March, Earl (2007) "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows: 1946–Present", Random House, , pp. 1142-43

Production

David Susskind David Howard Susskind (December 19, 1920 – February 22, 1987) was an American producer of TV, movies, and stage plays and also a TV talk show host. His talk shows were innovative in the genre and addressed timely, controversial topics beyond th ...

was the Executive Producer; Murray Susskind (David's brother) and Nick Mayo were line producers—the production company was

Talent Associates Talent Associates, Ltd. (also known as Talent Associates-Paramount, Ltd. and Talent Associates-Norton Simon, Inc.), was a production company headed by David Susskind, later joined by Daniel Melnick, Leonard Stern and Ron Gilbert. Origins In the ...

. The show was created and written by Irve Tunick, "The Witness"
webpage at the Classic TV Archive website and filmed in the CBS studios in New York City.

Scheduling

The first show premiered on Thursday, September 29, 1960, in the 7:30–8:30 PM (EST) timeslot on the

television network — the last show was broadcast January 26, 1961. The show may have been moved to a later timeslot in November or December 1960. Seventeen episodes were produced and broadcast—the pilot episode was never aired; a planned eighteenth episode (on Huey Long) may also have never aired.

Background

The premise of the show was explained in the opening narration: : "''This show is not a trial, not a court of law, not a legislative inquiry, but a simulated hearing before a simulated committee representing the morality and the conscience of today, with the power to call before it the famous, the infamous, the evil and controversial figures of yesterday.''"

Regular Cast

Verne Collett played the Court Reporter. William Griffis played the Court Clerk. The Committee Members were played by members of the New York Bar — not all of them appeared together in every episode: * Paul McGrath * William Smithers * Frank Milan * Charles Haydon * Richard Steel * William Geoghan Jr. * Benedict Ginsberg

Episodes/stars/air dates

* Pilot episode: "Arnold Rothstein" starring

Telly Savalas Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American actor and singer whose career spanned four decades. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on th ...

(never aired) : Arnold "The Brain" Rothstein (1882–1928) was a New York kingpin of organized crime, widely reputed to have been behind baseball's Black Sox Scandal, in which the 1919 World Series was "fixed" to benefit certain gamblers. * Episode 1.1: "Lucky Luciano" starring Telly Savalas (series premiere on September 29, 1960) :

Charles "Lucky" Luciano Charles "Lucky" Luciano (, ; born Salvatore Lucania ; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was an Italian-born gangster who operated mainly in the United States. Luciano started his criminal career in the Five Points gang and was instrument ...

(1897–1962) was a Sicilian-born American mobster, considered the father of modern organized crime in America. Telly Savalas' portrayal of him in this episode was considered "superb". Online archive of TIME
"Show Business: The New Shows" ''TIME Magazine'' (October 10, 1960) * Episode 1.2: "Jimmy Walker" starring Murray Hamilton (October 6, 1960) :

Jimmy Walker James John Walker (June 19, 1881November 18, 1946), known colloquially as Beau James, was mayor of New York City from 1926 to 1932. A flamboyant politician, he was a liberal Democrat and part of the powerful Tammany Hall machine. He was forced t ...

(1881-1946) was a popular mayor of New York City, 1926-1932, during the Jazz Age; because of a corruption scandal, he was forced to resign. * Episode 1.3: ? (October 20, 1960) * Episode 1.4: ? (October 27, 1960) * Episode 1.5: ''Roger 'The Terrible' Touhy'' starring Telly Savalas (November 3, 1960) : Roger Touhy (1898–1959), a Prohibition-era bootlegger and a Chicago rival of Al Capone, died a year before this broadcast, gunned down by unknown assailants twenty-two days after his release from prison where he had spent most of his adult life. * Episode 1.6: "Police Lt. Charles Becker" starring

Nehemiah Persoff Nehemiah Persoff (August 2, 1919 – April 5, 2022) was an American character actor and painter. He appeared in more than 200 television series, films, and theatre productions and also performed as a voice artist in a career spanning 55 years, be ...

(November 10, 1960) :

Charles Becker Charles Becker (July 26, 1870 – July 30, 1915) was a lieutenant in the New York City Police Department between the 1890s and the 1910s. He is known for the scandal of being tried, convicted, and executed for the first-degree murder of the Man ...

(1870–1915) was a corrupt New York City police lieutenant who had been tried, convicted, and electrocuted in 1915 for the murder of

Herman Rosenthal Herman Rosenthal (October 6, 1843 – 1917) was an American author, editor, and librarian. Biography Rosenthal was born in Friedrichstadt (Jaunjelgava), Courland. He was educated at Bauske (Bauska) and Jakobstadt (Jēkabpils), graduating in 18 ...

. Rosentahl was an underworld bookmaker and part-time gambler who had been forced to make Becker a partner in his gambling operation. Rosenthal was killed when he threatened to reveal Becker's role as an underworld figure. * Episode 1.7:
Louis ‘Lepke’ Buchalter
'', the Jewish mobster, starring

Sam Levene Sam Levene (born Scholem Lewin; August 28, 1905 – December 28, 1980) was a Russian Empire-born American Broadway, film, radio, and television actor and director. In a career spanning over five decades, he appeared in over 50 comedy and dr ...

(November 17, 1960) * Episode 1.8: ''Jimmy Hines'' starring

Albert Dekker Thomas Albert Ecke Van Dekker (December 20, 1905 – May 5, 1968) was an American character actor and politician best known for his roles in ''Dr. Cyclops'', ''The Killers (1946 film), The Killers'' (1946), ''Kiss Me Deadly'', and ''The Wild Bun ...

(November 24, 1960) :

James Joseph Hines James Joseph Hines (December 18, 1876 – March 26, 1957) was a Democratic Party politician and one of the most powerful leaders of Tammany Hall in New York City. Biography In his early years, Hines acted as a caretaker to residents in New Yor ...

(1876–1957) was one of the most powerful leaders of the

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

political operation in New York City. He was accused of being involved in a "

policy Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an orga ...

" racket with

Dutch Schultz Dutch Schultz (born Arthur Simon Flegenheimer; August 6, 1901October 24, 1935) was an American mobster. Based in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s, he made his fortune in organized crime-related activities, including bootlegging and the n ...

and Dixie Davis in 1938, was tried, convicted, and sent to prison in 1939, and paroled 1944. * Episode 1.9: ''Al Capone'' (December 1, 1960) : Al Capone (1899–1947) was an American gangster involved in smuggling, bootlegging, and other illegal activities during the 1920s and 1930s. * Episode 1.10: ? (December 8, 1960) * Episode 1.11: ? (December 15, 1960 * Episode 1.12 ''Kid Twist'' starring Peter Falk (December 22, 1960) : The film "

Murder, Inc. Murder, Inc. (Murder, Incorporated) was an organized crime group, active from 1929 to 1941, that acted as the enforcement arm of the National Crime Syndicatea closely connected criminal organization that included the Italian-American Mafia, the ...

" had been released the previous summer (June 28, 1960 Release Dates for Murder, Inc.
webpage on the IMDB website), and had starred Peter Falk in this same role of gangster Abe Reles. * Episode 1.13: ? (December 29, 1960) * Episode 1.14: ? (January 5, 1961) * Episode 1.15: ''Ma Barker'' starring

Joan Blondell Joan Blondell (born Rose Joan Bluestein; August 30, 1906 – December 25, 1979) was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years. Blondell began her career in vaudeville. After winning a beauty pageant, she embarked on ...

(January 12, 1961) :

Ma Barker Kate Barker (born Arizona Donnie Clark; October 8, 1873 – January 16, 1935), better known as Ma Barker (and sometimes known as Arizona Barker and Arrie Barker), was the mother of several American criminals who ran the Barker–Karpis Gang ...

(1873–1935) was an American criminal of the 1930s, best known for taking motherly care of her adult gangster children. : Background on casting for "Ma Barker" episode :From a 1961 interview with Joan Blondell: :: ''I think Ma Barker is interesting. She was very plain, dressed severely, deplored swearing, and quoted the Bible. She must have been mad.'' : From a 1964 interview with Joan Blondell: Goggle newspaper archive
of "Joan Blondell Is Now Fastest Man-Chaser on Television", Sarasota Herald-Tribune (May 7, 1964) page 16 :: ''That part got even for all the sweetness and light I've portrayed for years. She was the most vicous woman alive. I chewed that role up—even scared the camera crew.'' * Episode 1.16 ''Dillinger'' starring

Warren Stevens Warren Albert Stevens (November 2, 1919 – March 27, 2012) was an American stage, screen, and television actor. Early life and career Born in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, Stevens entered the United States Naval Academy in 1937 but was medical ...

(January 19, 1961) :

John Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times an ...

(1903–1934) was an American bank robber in the Midwest during the early 1930s. * Episode 1.17 ''Shoeless Joe'' starring

Biff McGuire William "Biff" McGuire (October 25, 1926 – March 9, 2021) was an American actor. Best known as Inspector Kramer in ''Nero Wolfe'' (1979). Early years McGuire attended Hamden High School and the University of Massachusetts, where he studied agr ...

(January 26, 1961) : "

Shoeless Joe Jackson Joseph Jefferson Jackson (July 16, 1887 – December 5, 1951), nicknamed "Shoeless Joe", was an American outfielder who played Major League Baseball (MLB) in the early 1900s. Although his .356 career batting average is the fourth highest ...

" was a baseball player implicated in the Black Sox Scandal of 1919, in which World Series players were paid off by gamblers to lose games. : Background on ''Shoeless Joe'' episode (from a 2004 interview with Biff McGuire): "Tough Triva"' subsection of Notes #326 (4/4/2004)
webpage on th
NOTES FROM THE SHADOWS OF COOPERSTOWN Observations from Outside the Lines
website ::What was most interesting to learn, was that Biff said that the actors in Witness used no script. This was live TV, too! He recalled being given material to read to prepare for his role -- and he still had what he was given: Warren Brown's history from the 1952 Putnam series, The Chicago White Sox. Biff wound up playing Shoeless as "caught up in things ... ashamed of what he did ... and very underpaid." Biff also recalled that his portrayal of Jackson won him the sympathy of the people working on the production: "Everyone on the crew was on my side." :Episodes with unknown airdates: :* ''

'' was a Jewish-American gangster of German ancestry during the 1920s and 1930s in New York City. :* ''

Bugsy Siegel Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (February 28, 1906 – June 20, 1947) was an American mobster who was a driving force behind the development of the Las Vegas Strip. Siegel was not only influential within the Jewish Mob, but along with his childhood fri ...

'' was a Jewish-American gangster of Russian ancestry who was involved with Italian-American organized crime and the large-scale development of Las Vegas. :* ''

Huey Long Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "the Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination ...

'' (scheduled for February 2, 1961, but may have never aired Goggle newspaper archive
of "TELEVISION TALK: Ma Barker to Be Featured in Thursday Witness Show", Ocala Star-Banner (January 9, 1961) page 21) was the 40th Governor of Louisiana (1928-1932), and a U.S. senator 1932-1935 — noted for his radical populist policies, he was shot to death in the Louisiana State Capitol building in 1935.

Critical reception

When the show first came on the air, TIME magazine said: : "''The Witness (CBS) is one of the more exciting shows to appear on TV in a long time. Packaged by David Susskind, it effectively utilizes a formula first laid out by more modest shows like Day in Court and The Verdict Is Yours: the simulated hearing or trial. The first episode grilled a fictional "Lucky" Luciano. While the case did not unfold too coherently, and the crowd noises in the simulated hearing room were badly overdone, the program spectacularly captured the disorderly drama of committee hearings, with all their rambling language and flashing anger. Telly Savalas, a comparatively unknown actor, was superb as Luciano—full of gutter cynicism, arrogance, brutality, and yet at moments pathetic. The show's spontaneity derived partly from the fact that the lawyers involved were real, some of the best courtroom performers in New York (Richard Steel William Geoghan Jr., Charles Haydon,' Benedict Ginsberg), who ad-libbed much of their argument.''" However, several months later, daily newspaper television columns disagreed—for example: : ''Despite medical care and extensive surgery, CBS' "The Witness" series will succumb after the Feb. 2 show. The end, when it comes, is the result of faulty ratings which even a change of climate—from an earlier to a later slot in the Thursday night schedule—failed to improve.''

References

External links

"The Witness"
webpage at th
IMDB
website

webpage at th
TV.COM
website {{DEFAULTSORT:Witness (Tv Series) 1960 American television series debuts 1961 American television series endings CBS original programming Television series by Talent Associates Cultural depictions of Al Capone Cultural depictions of John Dillinger Cultural depictions of Lucky Luciano Cultural depictions of Bugsy Siegel