Sam Benedict is an American legal drama that aired on NBC from September 1962 to March 1963. The series was created and executive produced by E. Jack Neuman, and produced by William Froug. The series starred Edmond O'Brien in the title role, with Richard Rust as his assistant Hank Tabor, and Joan Tompkins as his secretary Trudy Wagner.
The character Sam Benedict is based on real-life lawyer Jake Ehrlich, who served as technical consultant for the series. According to Hal Erickson in his 2009 Encyclopedia of Television Law Shows, "Beyond his salty delivery of lines and bulldozer courtroom demeanor, Sam Benedict shared with Jake Ehrlich an up-from-poverty background (including a short stint as a prizefighter!), and a sincere empathy for underdog clients."
Contents
Guest stars
Inger Stevens
Vera Miles
Fred Aldrich
Elizabeth Ashley
Phyllis Avery
Larry Blyden
Anthony Call
Spencer Chan
James Chandler
Sidney Clute
Fred Coby
Hazel Court
Yvonne Craig
Ken Drake
Howard Duff
Ross Elliott, four episodes as Marty Rhodes
Stefan Gierasch
Sam Gilman
Gloria Grahame
Arthur Hanson
Ellen Holly
Marsha Hunt
Diana Hyland
Jean Inness
Ray Kellogg
Nancy Kelly
Jess Kirkpatrick
Otto Kruger
Elizabeth MacRae
Joyce Meadows
Burgess Meredith
Gary Merrill
Gregory Morton
John Nolan
Richard O'Brien
Maria Palmer
Michael Parks
Joseph V. Perry
Claude Rains
Ken Renard
Stephen Roberts
Ruth Roman
Cosmo Sardo
Joseph Schildkraut
Barbara Stuart
Kelly Thordsen
George Tobias
Arthur Tovey
Disclaimer in end credits
"Sam Benedict is based on the real living character of J. W. (Jake) Ehrlich but the stories are fictional."
Home media
On November 22, 2016, Warner Bros. released Sam Benedict – The Complete Series on DVD via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.