The Trials of O'Brien

7.0(5)|1965-09-18|1 seasons, 22 episodes

DramaComedy

Overview

The Trials of O'Brien is a 1965 television series starring Peter Falk as a sordid Shakespeare-quoting lawyer and featuring Elaine Stritch as his secretary and Joanna Barnes as his ex-wife. The series ran for only 22 episodes. Among its guest stars: Milton Berle, Robert Blake, David Carradine, Faye Dunaway, Britt Ekland, Tammy Grimes, Buddy Hackett, Gene Hackman, Frank Langella, Angela Lansbury, Cloris Leachman, Roger Moore, Rita Moreno, Estelle Parsons, Joanna Pettet, Brock Peters, Tony Roberts and Martin Sheen. Falk often said that he actually liked this financially unsuccessful series much better than his later smash-hit Columbo.

Episodes

Season 1(22)

S1E1 · 1965-09-18 · 48m

Over Defense is Out

O'Brien represents a client who was charged with murder after being released from prison. Guest star: Vincent Gardenia

S1E2 · 1965-09-25 · 48m

Bargain Day on the Street of Regret

O'Brien wins the contract of boxer Joe Rooney (Robert Blake) in a dice game, but the pugnacious Rooney is in jail for stealing money from his former manager. Guest Stars include Hershel Bernardi (star of series ""Arnie"", a Broadway ""Fiddler"", and much more), Tony Musante (""Toma"") and Albert Dekker (""Dr.Cyclops"", ""Experiment Perilous"", probably one of his last roles before his strange auto-erotic death) and the lovely, talented Judi West (""Fortune Cookie""), in her television debut, as Joe's girlfriend.

S1E3 · 1965-10-02 · 48m

Notes on a Spanish Prisoner

Eva Grimaldi (Mary Tahmin) cons the con: she borrows $2500 from her boyfriend Ollie Maxwell (Buddy Hackett) to ransom her millionaire father, who is being held prisoner in Latin America.

S1E4 · 1965-10-09 · 48m

Never Bet on Anything That Talks

O'Brien's English bookie is charged in the death of an accountant, but the person who can clear him is nowhere to be found.

S1E5 · 1965-10-16 · 48m

What Can Go Wrong

After discovering that a man is dating his ex-wife (Joanna Barnes), O'Brien delightedly sets him up as a "pigeon" in order to trap a killer. Guest stars: Roger Moore and Michael Constantine.

S1E6 · 1965-10-23 · 48m

Goodbye and Keep Cool

A woman (Cloris Leachman) is accused of murdering her husband, and retains O'Brien to defend her. Guest star: Robert Loggia.

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Top Cast

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Peter Falk

Daniel O'Brien

Elaine Stritch

Miss G

Joanna Barnes

Katie O'Brien

David Burns

The Great McGonigle