The People's Court
Genre	Judicial
Created by	John Masterson
Presented by	Doug Llewelyn (1981-1993) Carol Martin (1997-1998) Harvey Levin (1997-Present)
Starring	Joseph A. Wapner (1981-1993) Rusty Burrell (1981-1993) Ed Koch (1997-1999) Jerry Sheindlin (1999-2001) Marilyn Milian (2001-Present) Josephine Ann Longobardi (1997-2001) Davy Jones (2001) Douglas MacIntosh (2001-Present)
Narrated by	Jack Harrell (1981-1993) Curt Chaplin (1997-Present)
Country of origin	United States
Production
Produced by	John Rhinehart Jim Crum
Executive producer(s)	Ralph Edwards Stu Billett
Running time	30 min per episode (1981-1993) 1 hour per episode (1997-Present)
Broadcast
Original channel	Syndicated
Original run	1981 – present

Judge Joseph Wapner, who presided over cases from 1981 to 1993.

The People's Court was the first widely popular American "judge show" in which actual small claims court cases are heard, though the case in the televised context is a binding arbitration. It first ran in syndication from 1981 to 1993 for 2,484 episodes. Reruns continued to air in syndication from 1993-1995. It has currently run in its present format since 1997; the new version aired its 1,000th episode in 2003. It films in New York City. Reruns of the original series can be found on AOL's In2TV service. The judiciary, also referred to as the judicature, consists of justices, judges and magistrates among other types of adjudicators. ... Judge Marilyn Milian, the current judge, has presided over cases since 2001. ... Carol Martin nee Pilkington (born 31st October 1957) was the first Aboriginal woman to be elected to any Australian Federal, State or Territory Parliament. ... Harvey Robert Levin is a producer, lawyer, legal analyst, and investigative reporter. ... Judge Wapner Judge Joseph A. Wapner (born November 15, 1919 in Los Angeles, California) pioneered real-life courtroom television with The Peoples Court, which ran in syndication from 1981 to 1993 for 2,484 episodes. ... Judge Joseph Wapner, who presided over cases from 1981 to 1993. ... Edward Irving Koch (born December 12, 1924; pronounced to rhyme with Scotch) was a United States Representative from 1969 to 1977 and the Mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989. ... Judge Gerald (Jerry) Sheindlin was a judge on The Peoples Court from 1999 to 2001. ... Judge Marilyn Milian, the current judge of The Peoples Court, has presided over cases since 2001. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Ralph Livingstone Edwards (January 13, 1913 – November 16, 2005) was a television host and producer. ... In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows to multiple stations, without going through a broadcast network. ... This is a list of television-related events in 1981. ... Judge Joseph Wapner, in a scene from The Peoples Court on I Love the 80s. ... Judge Joseph Wapner, in a scene from The Peoples Court on I Love the 80s. ... Small claims courts are courts of limited jurisdiction that hear civil cases between private litigants. ... Arbitration is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, wherein the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons (the arbitrators or arbitral tribunal), by whose decision (the award) they agree to be bound. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... “New York, NY” redirects here. ... It has been suggested that AOL search data scandal be merged into this article or section. ... . ...

The series was executive produced by Ralph Edwards, who also created and hosted the popular documentary show This Is Your Life, and Stu Billett, who later went on to create Moral Court. Ralph Livingstone Edwards (January 13, 1913 – November 16, 2005) was a television host and producer. ... This Is Your Life was a television documentary series hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards. ... Moral Court was a court show that was hosted by Larry Elder and ran from 2000 to 2001. ...

Overview

Original version

The judge from the show's first twelve years was Joseph Wapner. Rusty Burrell was his bailiff, Jack Harrell was the announcer, and Doug Llewelyn was the host and court reporter, who would announce the matter of the dispute at the beginning of each "trial". He would also interview the plaintiff and the defendant after the court ruling, to gauge their responses to the verdict. Llewelyn would often end each episode with a jaunty "Don't take the law into your own hands: you take 'em to court," which became something of a 1980s catch phrase. Judge Wapner Judge Joseph A. Wapner (born November 15, 1919 in Los Angeles, California) pioneered real-life courtroom television with The Peoples Court, which ran in syndication from 1981 to 1993 for 2,484 episodes. ... Bailiff (from Late Latin bajulivus, adjectival form of bajulus) is a governor or custodian (cf. ... This article cites very few or no references or sources. ... A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ...

The cases often had witty, pun-related names, such as "The case of the Overdone Underthings" and "A Head with a Beer on It."

Occasionally, if an episode wrapped up a few minutes early, Judge Wapner would field questions from the courtroom observers, or there would be commentary from legal consultant Harvey Levin, in which Levin would explain the legal reasoning behind Judge Wapner's decisions. Harvey Robert Levin is a producer, lawyer, legal analyst, and investigative reporter. ...

The People's Court deals in small claims matters. When the show premiered in 1981, litigants could not sue for more than $1,500 (which was at the time California law in small-claims matters) As the laws in California changed, so did this amount. By the end of the original run in 1993, litigants could sue for no more than $5,000, which is now the law in most states. ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, Cambodia, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ...

Researchers for the show would examine small claims filings in Southern California and approach the plaintiff and defendant in interesting cases. The producers would offer to have Judge Wapner mediate the dispute if they would agree to dismiss their action and be bound by Judge Wapner's decision. Through this approach, the show could get real people with real cases. However, even though the show is decorated and run like a real courtroom, it is not a real court or part of any judicial system, but instead a form of binding arbitration. For the urban complex straddling the United States-Mexico border, see Bajalta California. ... Arbitration is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, wherein the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons (the arbitrators or arbitral tribunal), by whose decision (the award) they agree to be bound. ...

Interestingly, if a judgment is found for either party, the losing party does not actually need to pay the judgment as such. Instead (as is often stated in the disclaimer at the end of show) both parties are paid from a fund (set up by Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Productions) for their appearance on the show. If a monetary judgment is ordered, the losing party will have the amount of their appearance fee reduced by that amount. However, to prevent anyone from getting "easy money", both the plaintiff and defendant must have a legitimate case.

New version

Today, the small claims court deals with matters up to $7,500. The new version of the show has been headed by three judges since its premiere: former New York City mayor Ed Koch presided over the court from 1997 to 1999, and judge Jerry Sheindlin (husband of "Judge Judy" Judith Sheindlin) sat on the bench from 1999 to 2001. Since then, the judge on the program has been Marilyn Milian, who had been the only Hispanic court judge on English language television until Judge Alex got his own show. Marilyn Milian's bailiff on the show is Douglas MacIntosh. Curt Chaplin is the court reporter, as well as the show's announcer. Attorney Harvey Levin takes comments about each case from onlookers in Times Square and explains the legal reasons behind Judge Milian's rulings. Originally, during the first season, there would be additional commentary from In-Studio Anchor Carol Martin, a former news anchor for WCBS-TV in New York. Small claims courts are courts of limited jurisdiction that hear civil cases between private litigants. ... “New York, NY” redirects here. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... Edward Irving Koch (born December 12, 1924; pronounced to rhyme with Scotch) was a United States Representative from 1969 to 1977 and the Mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... Judge Gerald (Jerry) Sheindlin was a judge on The Peoples Court from 1999 to 2001. ... For the person, see Judith Sheindlin. ... Judy Sheindlin Judith Sheindlin, also known as Judge Judy (born October 21, 1942) is an American family court judge, author, and television personality. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Judge Marilyn Milian, the current judge of The Peoples Court, has presided over cases since 2001. ...  Countries where Spanish has official status. ... Judge Alex Ferrer Judge Alex is a United States syndicated courtroom television show that debuted September 12, 2005. ... Harvey Robert Levin is a producer, lawyer, legal analyst, and investigative reporter. ... Times Square Broadway at 42nd St. ... Carol Martin nee Pilkington (born 31st October 1957) was the first Aboriginal woman to be elected to any Australian Federal, State or Territory Parliament. ... It has been suggested that W2XAB be merged into this article or section. ...

Doug Llewelyn, the court reporter from 1981 to 1993.

Like "Judge Judy", Milian has become well-known for her plethora of aggressive and memorable sayings and quotes, including the following: Image File history File links Dougllewelyn. ... Image File history File links Dougllewelyn. ...

• Thank You Douglas ! (Says it before every case)
• Pay the man/lady!
• Watch this... (says before she debunks a litigants claim)
• I wouldn't believe you if your tongue came notarized!
• Who am I gonna believe, you or my lying eyes?
• I am so done! Stick a fork in me, I am done!
• What part of "Stop" didn't you understand?
• Not here, not today, and not in my courtroom!
• Did I breathe and give you the impression that I was done speaking?
• You redefine chutzpah!
• Is my English not as good as I think it is?
• This is the part of The People's Court where we do a little rough justice.
• Have you confused this with your opportunity to continue to talk?
• What part is this, Douglas? This is the part where I rule and they have to shut up and listen. I LOVE this part.

Judge Milian also occasionally tosses a Spanish saying or proverb into her cross-examination, sayings (or, in Spanish, "dichos") she learned from her mother and grandmother. (Examples: "Un clavo saca el otro" ("One nail drives out the other"), "Donde tú vas, yo ya fui, me senté, me tomé una soda, y regresé” (“Where you’re going I already went, sat down, had a soda and returned”), and "Sabe nadar sin mojarse la ropa" ("He knows how to swim without getting his clothes wet").

Studios

The People's Court currently tapes episodes at MTI Television City on the 8th Floor in New York. The 1981-93 version was initially taped at Metromedia and, later, the studios of Gene Autry's Golden West Broadcasters in Los Angeles, before moving to The Production Group. 1970s logo for WTCN-TV (now KARE) in Minneapolis, which included the corporate logo for Metromedia; this logo was also used by KTTV in Los Angeles Metromedia Producers Corporation logo Metromedia (also often MetroMedia) was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956... Gene Autry. ...

Parody

In 1995, Judge Wapner appeared on the Fox Network's science fiction show Sliders as himself in the parallel world version of this program where, as a Soviet judge, he sentences Rembrandt Brown to 15 years in the Alaskan gulag for being a subversive. The parody show's logo uses a faux Cyrillic "Я" in place of the "R" in "Court". The Fox Broadcasting Company is a television network in the United States. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Sliders is a science fiction television series that ran for five seasons from 1995 to 2000. ... Soviet redirects here. ... Rembrandt Brown (born March 4, 1955) was a fictional character played by Cleavant Derricks on the science fiction television show Sliders. ... For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation). ... Gulag ( , Russian: ) was the government body responsible for administering prison camps across the former Soviet Union. ... Graphic designers sometimes employ faux Cyrillic typography to give a Slavic feel to English text, by replacing Latin letters with Cyrillic letters resembling them. ...

British version

A British version of the show was produced by SMG Productions (STV) to replace Trisha Goddard's talk show on ITV in 2005. The court reporter was Carol Smilie, the male judge was Jerome Lynch and the female judge was Rhonda Anderson. The show failed in the UK, and wasn't re-commissioned. SMG Productions is the network television production arm of the Scottish media group SMG plc, and incorporates Ginger Productions. ... The correct title of this article is . ... Trisha Goddard (born 23 December 1957) is an English television presenter well known for morning talk show Trisha which is aired on Channel Five. ... A talk show (U.S.) or chat show (Brit. ... It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Carol Smillie (born December 23, British television personality, best known for presenting the BBC series Changing Rooms. ...

Trivia

• The aired episodes are spliced together from when they are filming. This is why the judge's blouse color frequently changes throughout the course of the show. It also explains why there are fewer courtroom observers during the second half of the show than there are during the first half of the show.

• Certain aspects of the show have been parodied by other television shows. The show's opening, where the announcer (Jack Harrell during the first version, Curt Chaplin during the second version) introduces the litigants in a dramatic, farcical fashion, is commonly imitated. Judge Milian's mannerisms and catchphrases have also been the principal subjects of comedy sketches on shows such as MADtv.

• The show was referenced repeatedly in the 1988 film Rain Man. In the movie, autistic Raymond Babbit (Dustin Hoffman) compulsively watches the show and often recites the entire opening monologue. He referred to the show often as "Wapner", in reference to the presiding judge, Joseph Wapner, during the time it was filmed.

• The theme music was composed by Alan Stanley Tew (British PRS, affil. BMI)

• The theme music is also used in the 1977 movie "Barbara Broadcast".

• When John Masterson first devised the series in 1975, the first two people he pitched it to were Monty Hall, the producer and host of the popular game show, Let's Make a Deal, and his partner, producer-writer Stefan Hatos.

• The theme music was used in an episode of Spongebob Squarepants

• Television court shows are generally considered to be binding arbitration.

• Depending on the case, a losing defendant may not have to pay any or all of the money they owe, as the show may part all or a portion of it.

• People appearing on the People's Court generally received a $100 fee for appearing on the show, plus money for two nights hotel accomodations, and money for six meals.

MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series based on the humor magazine, Mad. ... Rain Man is a 1988 film which tells the story of a selfish yuppie who discovers that his father has left all of his estate to the autistic brother he never knew he had. ... Autism is classified by the World Health Organization and American Psychological Association as a developmental disability that results from a disorder of the human central nervous system. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Alan Tew is a songwriter, most famous for writing the song The Big One, which became famous as the theme for The Peoples Court for many years, but was actually used in an episode of the British detective show Van der Valk in the 1970s. ... The PRS (short for Performing Right Society) is the collecting society for UK songwriters, composers and music publishers. ... Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) is a collecting society that protects composers intellectual property in the communications business, especially radio. ... Monty Hall, born August 25, 1921 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as Maurice Halprin, is a Canadian-born actor, singer and sportscaster, but is best known for being the MC of popular American television game shows. ... Lets Make a Deal is a television game show airing in the United States. ... Arbitration, in the law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution — specifically, a legal alternative to litigation whereby the parties to a dispute agree to submit their respective positions (through agreement or hearing) to a neutral third party (the arbitrator(s) or arbiter(s)) for resolution. ...

See also

• Judge Hatchett
• Judge Judy

Judge Hatchett (2000- ) is a nationally-syndicated American television program produced and distributed by Sony Pictures Television. ... For the person, see Judith Sheindlin. ...

External links

• Official People's Court Website
• People's Court at itv.com
• Doug Llewelyn at the Internet Movie Database