The Lawless Years
United States
English
3
47
25 mins.
Jack Chertok Television Productions
California National Productions
April 16, 1959 –
September 22, 1961
Premise[edit]
The series depicts the activities of real-life police detective Barney Ruditsky as he fights organized crime in New York City.[2] Its original title was Ruditsky.[3]
The show has "a certain claim to authenticity . . . in its meticulous attention to period detail" and in depicting actual cases on which Ruditsky worked.[2] Unlike other police dramas of its time, The Lawless Years focuses more on character studies than on action.[4]
Production[edit]
Jack Chertok was the producer.[1] The real Ruditsky served as technical advisor.[2] California National Productions produced the series.[5]
The series was broadcast initially from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursdays. In July 1959 it moved to 8:30-9 p.m. ET on Thursdays, and in October 1959 it moved to 10:30-11 p.m. ET on Thursdays. When it returned in May 1961, it was on from 9 to 9:30 p.m. ET on Fridays.[2]
Seeking sponsors[edit]
Episodes' content made finding a sponsor difficult.[4] The series began with no sponsor because the premiere episode had one gangster killing another criminal "by plunging an ice pick into a vital spot."[6] Before that development, the trade publication Variety reported that Philip Morris was the "hottest prospect" to take on the series to advertise its Parliament and Marlboro cigarette brands.[7] Variety added that cigarette company P. Lorillard was also "in there pitching for the story" as a potential co-sponsor with Whitehall Pharmacal.
A week after that article appeared, Variety reported that NBC was offering sponsorship of The Lawless Years for a "special introductory price".[8] The $25,000-per-episode rate was "approximately $20,000 below the actual production cost of each episode."[8] The reduced rate was to be good until the fall season began, at which time the network hoped to increase the per-episode charge to $45,000.[8]
Midas Muffler Company became a sponsor in July 1959, "making its first major buy in network video" as it agreed to sponsor segments of The Lawless Years for July through September.[9]
Critical response[edit]
Critic John Crosby praised the look of the program: "the series is beautifully filmed and the settings and costumes and all the outer trimmings are marvelously authentic . . . they comprise a large part of the charm of The Lawless Years."[10] He added that the show's plots were secondary in importance to the 1920s-era settings.[10]
Newspaper journalist Hal Humphrey wrote, "The opening chapters in Ruditsky's hoodlum-infested underworld made gripping drama."[6]