The People's Court
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| The People's Court | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Judicial |
| Creator(s) | John Masterson |
| Starring | Marilyn Milian (2001–present) Jerry Sheindlin (1999–2001) Ed Koch (1997–1999) Joseph Wapner (1981–1993) |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 1 hour per episode |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Syndicated |
| Original run | 1981 – Present |
The People's Court was the first widely popular American "judge show" in which actual small claims court cases are heard, though the case in the televised context is a binding arbitration. It first ran in syndication from 1981 to 1993 for 2,484 episodes. Reruns continued to air in syndication from 1993-1995. It has currently run in its present format since 1997; the new version aired its 1,000th episode in 2003. It films in New York City. Reruns of the original series can be found on AOL's In2TV service.
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] Overview
[edit] Original version
The judge from the show's first twelve years was Joseph Wapner. Rusty Burrell was his bailiff and Doug Llewelyn was the 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," which became something of a 1980s catch phrase.
The cases often had witty, pun-related names, such as "The case of the Overdone Underthings" and "A Head with a Beer on It."
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 at the time California law in small-claims matters) As the laws in California changed, so did this amount. By the end of the original run in 1993, litigants could sue for no more than $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 mediate 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, if a judgment is found for either party, the losing party does not actually need to pay the judgment as such. Instead (as is often stated in the disclaimer at the end of show) both parties are paid from a fund for their appearance on the show. If a monetary judgment is ordered, the losing party will have the amount of their appearance fee reduced by that amount.
[edit] New version
Today, the small claims court deals with matters up to $5,000. The new version of the show has been headed by three judges since its premiere: former New York City mayor Ed Koch presided over the court from 1997 to 1999, and judge Jerry Sheindlin (husband of "Judge Judy" Judith Sheindlin) sat on the bench from 1999 to 2001. Since then, the judge on the program has been Marilyn Milian, who had been the only Hispanic court judge on English language television until Judge Alex got his own show. 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 and explains the legal reasons behind Judge Milian's rulings. Originally, during the first season, there would be additional commentary from In-Studio Anchor Carol Martin, a former news anchor for WCBS-TV in New York.
Like "Judge Judy", Milian has become well-known for her plethora of aggressive and memorable sayings and quotes, including the following:
- Thank You Douglas ! (Says it before every case)
- Pay the man/lady!
- I wouldn't believe you if your tongue came notarized!
- Who am I gonna believe, you or my lying eyes?
- I am so done! Stick a fork in me, I am done!
- What part of "Stop" didn't you understand?
- Not here, not today, and not in my courtroom!
- Did I breathe and give you the impression that I was done speaking?
- You redefine chutzpah!
- Is my English not as good as I think it is?
- This is the part of The People's Court where we do a little rough justice.
- Have you confused this with your opportunity to continue to talk?
- What part is this, Douglas? This is the part where I rule and they have to shut up and listen. I LOVE this part.
Judge Milian also occasionally tosses a Spanish saying or proverb into her cross-examination, sayings (or, in Spanish, "dichos") she learned from her mother and grandmother. (Examples: "Un clavo saca el otro" ("One nail drives out the other"), "Donde tú vas, yo ya fui, me senté, me tomé una soda, y regresé” (“Where you’re going I already went, sat down, had a soda and returned”), and "Sabe nadar sin mojarse la ropa" ("He knows how to swim without getting his clothes wet")).
[edit] Studios
The People's Court currently tapes episodes at MTI Television City on the 8th Floor in New York. The 1981-93 version was taped at the studios of Gene Autry's Golden West Broadcasters in Los Angeles, later moving to The Production Group.
[edit] Parody
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 Cyrillic "Я" in place of the "R" in "Court".
[edit] British version
A British version of the show was produced by SMG Productions (STV) to replace Trisha Goddard's talk show on ITV1 in 2005. The court reporter was Carol Smilie, the male judge was Jerome Lynch and the female judge was Rhonda Anderson. The show failed in the UK, and wasn't re-commissioned.
[edit] Trivia
- The aired episodes are spliced together from when they are filming. This is why the judge's blouse color frequently changes throughout the course of the show.
- Certain aspects of the show have been parodied by other television shows. The show's opening, where the announcer introduces the litigants in a dramatic, farcical fashion, is commonly imitated. Judge Milian's mannerisms and catchphrases have also been the principal subjects of comedy sketches on shows such as MADtv.
- The show was referenced repeatedly in the 1988 film Rain Man. In the movie, autistic Raymond Babbit (Dustin Hoffman) compulsively watches the show and often recites the entire opening monologue. He referred to the show often as "Wapner", in reference to the presiding judge, Joseph Wapner, during the time it was filmed.
- The theme music was composed by Alan Stanley Tew (British PRS, affil. BMI)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official People's Court Website
- People's Court at itv.com
- Doug Llewelyn at the Internet Movie Database
Categories: Articles with large trivia sections | 1981 television program debuts | Television series by Warner Bros. Television | 1980s American television series | 1990s American television series | 2000s British television series | 2000s American television series | ITV television programmes | SMG Productions | Judicial shows | First-run syndicated television programs | 1993 television program series endings | 1997 television program debuts
