Divorce Court is a judge show about cases
which only involve
divorcing couples. Out of
the shows currently airing in the court-themed genre,
Divorce
Court is the oldest. The series has lived three lives in
syndication, from 1957 to
1969, from 1985 to 1992 and currently since 1999.
The earliest version had a total of twelve seasons, running from
1957 to
1969, with Judge
Voltaire Perkins presiding and
Colin Male as the courtroom announcer. A
second version debuted in the spring of
1985,
with Judge
William B. Keene deciding cases and
Jim Peck, the former game show host as the
courtroom reporter and announcer; this version ran for seven
seasons until 1992.
Judge Keene was the
presiding judge at the murder trial of
Charles Manson from December 1969 to April
1970 when he was replaced due to a motion of prejudice filed by
Manson and was accepted by Judge Keene. The current version began
in
1999, featuring Judge
Mablean Ephriam from 1999 to 2006, and Judge
Lynn Toler beginning in September 2006.
Altogether,
Divorce Court has had a total of twenty-nine
seasons and is the longest-running court show. It has also more
judges than any other court show, and has been
revived more than any other court show.
Format
1957-69 and 1985-92 versions
While touted as presenting real cases to television audiences, the
stories from earlier versions of
Divorce Court were
actually reenactments of divorce cases presented by actors.
Actors portrayed the
litigants - the
plaintiff, who initiated the divorce
proceedings; the
defendant, who either
sought a
reconciliation or
sought a divorce decree of his/her own; and a number of
witnesses, who testified on behalf of one of the
litigants. Meanwhile student
attorneys would
argue the cases.
Each episode followed a basic formula, as follows:
- Each attorney giving opening statements.
- The litigants, along with one or two supporting witnesses,
giving their side of the story and enduring cross-examination.
- The judge's decision, followed by appropriate reactions by each
side.
Many of the stories had standard marital issues: mental and/or
physical
abuse,
adultery,
desertion and
other
irreconcilable
differences. As with most courtroom-based television programs
through the ages (and to keep audiences interested), the stories
were hardly the sort of the unloved wife's affair with the
milkman or the husband's meddlesome mother
interfering with and ultimately ruining the marriage. Rather,
Divorce Court tended to present more sensational cases
with "
shock value." Some examples
include:
- A father who deliberately involved his children in "accidents"
so he could collect on the insurance. He would pay them off by
offering them presents and other rewards.
- The woman who hosted male-stripper parties overnight while her
husband was "working late" and suspected of having an affair of his
own.
- A couple who hosted a family-oriented television talk show which, through the husband's efforts,
eventually degenerates into a sleazy, Jerry Springer-type show.
Sometimes, the judge would interview minor children involved in
cases where
child custody was an
issue.
Divorce Court was one of the first television programs to
explore serious issues, including
racism,
alcohol and
drug
abuse,
war,
cancer,
grief,
pornography,
gambling and
incest,
to name a few.
During the latter seasons of the 1985-92 version, some divorce
proceedings were played out over multiple shows, as though it were
a major criminal trial. Some litigants spent a majority of a show
on the witness stand (rather than the usual five-minutes of
testimony and one-minute cross-examination). The court reporters
sometimes interviewed the litigants prior to each show. On some
episodes, one or both of the attorneys would be portrayed by actors
and become part of the show's plot (for example, one 1992 episode
had a subplot where a litigant was sleeping with her
attorney).
Occasionally, higher-profile cases would involve celebrities
portraying themselves, for example
Charles Nelson Reilly starred as
himself in a 1989 episode.
Current version (1999-present)
Divorce Court was revamped for a twentieth season, after
its first run of twelve seasons and its second run of seven
seasons. The current version of
Divorce Court, entering
its eleventh season in fall 2009, is markedly different from its
predecessors.
For instance, real couples - who had previously filed for
divorce - argue their cases before the court; one
was presented each day. Most cases involved
betrayal, infidelity and trust-related
issues.
After both sides had presented their arguments, the judge ruled.
Her decision includes finding in favor of one of the litigants (or,
more often than not, declaring a joint decree); and resolving
issues such as
alimony and asset division.
The judge's decisions are legally binding. As such, the modern
version of "Divorce Court" is essentially a form of
binding arbitration.
In some instances the judge may withhold a decision to give the
couple ample time to consider a reconciliation. Occasionally the
show may revisit an episode where time to explore reconciliation
was offered to determine if the delay remedied or worsened the
marriage.
In
2006, the show was renewed for an eighth
season; however, Judge
Mablean
Ephriam and
20th Television were
unable to come to terms on a contract extension. During her many
years presiding over Divorce Court, Mablean Ephraim was very
humorous, mainly because of her noticeably quirky voice and shocked
reactions to the litigant's outrageous behavior.
Lynn Toler, a former judge in Cleveland
Heights, Ohio
and judge of Power of Attorney in the
series' last half season, took over the bench for the eighth season
of Divorce Court, which premiered September 11, 2006.
[187588]
The bailiff in this current version is Sgt.
Joseph Catalano, a former 30-year veteran of
the
San
Bernardino County Sheriff's Department(California), He retired
in 2008.
His son, Joe, Jr. (also a deputy w/ that
agency) was assigned to the Barstow
regional station, but since the series was gaining
popularity, he was re-assigned to an undisclosed location for his
safety. Joe, Jr. was the bailiff on
Power of Attorney during
its run.
Both shows were produced in the same studio in Burbank, CA.
However,
the flag of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
is displayed behind the bench alongside the
U.S. flag during shows aired in January 2009. The show now tapes in
Hollywood
, CA.
The announcer since the current show's inception has been
Jimmy Hodson, who is also a successful
voiceover actor for
FSN,
Fox Sports and
Fox Soccer Channel. He also narrates
movie trailers, commercials and documentaries and was the on camera
host and creator of two national music video shows,
Real
Videos from 1984-6, and
Videosyncrasy from 1990-1991.
He was also
Magic Johnson's announcer
and comedy cast member on
The Magic Hour in
1998.
Mark Koberg took over as Executive Producer in 2007, and Angela
Smith was appointed Senior Supervising Producer.
Diondra Bolling and Lori Read serve at the series Senior Producers.
While Tamika Blaize is the Coordinating Producer; with Christal
Ransom, Sybil Curry and Martha Owens serving as Producers. While
Wendy Saatjian serves as booking producer. Every episode has been
directed by Steve Grant.
Associate producers are: Quincy Thomas, Gerald Jones, Kelly Green,
Tiffany Baker, Joel Sturdivant, Michelle Barnard, Aziza
Taylor.
Episode Status
The current episodes of the Toler version are original syndicated
shows. However, repeats of the 1st Toler season(2006-07) are on the
Fox Reality Channel. Various
episodes of the Epriham version are being broadcast on
TV One and
TV One on Demand.
References
External links
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