1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
night court is back in session..., October 13, 2010
This review is from: Night Court Usa:Vol 2 Classic TV (DVD)
One of the first examples of "reality" television, NIGHT COURT U.S.A. is still a fascinating show to watch today, purely for it's fly-on-the-wall depiction of court action. Although it's billed as "real cases and real people with only the names changed to protect the innocent", it's all been re-staged using actors. The camera pans and zooms dramatically, catching the actors (ahem, "defendants") nervously wiping their brows and, no doubt, also praying for light sentences from the venerable Judge Jay Jostyn.
Albeit, the actors have enough rough edges to make you believe that they could have walked in right off the street (casting directors probably frequented the Actors Studio). Presiding judge Jay Jostyn was a veteran actor, and that's a good thing to remember, because in reality the sheer unprofessionalism of the judge's actions would probably have seen him dis-barred at some point! He often engages in personal conversations with the defendants, who almost always plead guilty, but with "an explanation".
Alpha Video is the only company which has the necessary niche to bring this otherwise-forgotten slice of 1950's television to DVD. This disc includes four episodes, and the cases include a housewife who has an hysterical reaction whilst watching a Humphrey Bogart movie; a freaky man who has been arrested after trying to molest a young boy; and a clairvoyant who stole money from her clients' purses during a seance.
Picture and sound quality is very reasonable, all episodes seem complete, and Alpha has several additional volumes available.
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