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Matlock was an American television legal drama starring Andy Griffith as attorney Ben Matlock. The format of the show was very similar to that of Perry Mason, with Matlock figuring out who the murderer is and then confronting them in a dramatic courtroom scene near the end; although whereas Mason usually exculpated his clients at a pretrial hearing, Matlock usually secured an acquittal at trial, from the jury. The show ran from 1986 to 1992 on NBC, then 1992 until 1995 on ABC. The show can currently be seen in syndication and is distributed by Viacom. In the US, Superstation WGN and Hallmark play the reruns daily.
Background
The show features Ben Matlock as a renowned, folksy, yet cantankerous defense attorney who is worth every penny of his $100,000 fee. Known for visiting the scene of the crime to discover clues otherwise overlooked and his down-home style of coming up with viable, alternative theories of the crime in question (usually murder) while sitting in his office playing the banjo or polishing his shoes, Griffith's character also had conspicuously finicky fashion sense. Ben Matlock always appeared in court wearing his trademark gray suit (though the necktie he always wore would be different) and, over the nine seasons, was seen behind the wheel of two generations of the Ford Crown Victoria—always an all gray model. Matlock studied law at Harvard, based his law practice in Atlanta, Georgia and lived in a farmhouse in some neighboring suburb.
Throughout the series, three different women played Matlock's daughters, all of whom worked on cases as his co-counsel. Linda Purl played Charlene Matlock in the March 1986 pilot episode/TV movie "Diary of A Perfect Murder". Linda Purl starred in this role for the rest of the first season. After Matlock's hired associate counsel Michelle Thomas (Nancy Stafford) left the show at the end of season six, Brynn Thayer joined the cast as Leanne MacIntyre, another daughter. In the second to last episode of season six, Matlock's daughter Leanne arrived as an attorney, successful in her own right, who returned home to work with her father for a while after breaking up with her former husband. Leanne's ex-husband Peter MacIntyre (Robert Desiderio) appeared in a season seven episode entitled "The Debt" when he needed her help to defend himself against a murder charge.
Although never officially confirmed, a widespread rumor suggests that the character of Ben Matlock was largely based on well-known Atlanta attorney Bobby Lee Cook. Cook, whose practice also includes representation of plaintiffs for personal injuries, is frequently called the dean of Georgia criminal defense attorneys.
Notable guest stars
Griffith's old partner in comedy Don Knotts first appeared in a 1988 episode of the series. Titled "The Lemon", Knotts played Ben's new neighbor Les "Ace" Calhoun, a "King of Plastic" who is framed for the murder of the "cowboy" car salesman who talked him into buying a car that later breaks down. In the beginning of the show when he and Ben meet for the first time, he calls Ben "Benge", a reference to their old days in The Andy Griffith Show when Knotts' character Barney Fife sometimes called Andy "Ange". Knotts would continue to make appearances as Les Calhoun on the series until the show's first cancellation in 1992. He even had a small role in two Matlock TV movies ("The Picture" in 1992, and "The Ambassador" in 1988)
Country music star Randy Travis appeared in a 1992 (season six) episode "The Big Payoff" as character Billy Wheeler. In "The Mark" (a season seven episode), Travis reprised the role of Matlock's old friend Billy Wheeler, an aspiring country singer who wins the lottery and shortly thereafter finds himself framed for the murder of his cheating business partner. Both Travis and Griffith originate from the same state, North Carolina.
Long before he would take the memorable small role as D.A Fletcher in the 1990 movie Dick Tracy, TV legend Dick Van Dyke had a villainous guest starring role in the first regular episode of Matlock. He played a judge who murdered his lover and then presided over the murder trial where Ben was trying to clear someone's name for the crime. Van Dyke would later hire Griffith to reprise his Matlock role in 2001 on an episode of his own series Murder.
Matlock's fellow investigators
Matlock had four investigators working for him over the course of the series' nearly nine year run. First Tyler Hudson (Kene Holliday) in seasons one through three and later Conrad McMasters (Clarence Gilyard Jr.) during seasons four through six. In season seven (1993) Daniel Roebuck's Cliff Lewis character became the regular sleuth. For the ninth season, Carol Huston's Jerri Stone became the sleuth. Roebuck, of The Fugitive fame, and Warren Frost (Cliff's father Billy Lewis) became regular cast members until the conclusion of the ninth season and the series in 1995. Roebuck appeared on at least four previous occasions playing characters Dr. Bobby Shaw ("The Doctors", 1987), Alex Winthrop ("The Ambassador", 1988 and "The Priest" 1989), and Assistant District Attorney Sadowsky ("The Assassination", 1992).
Jake and the Fatman was a spin-off based on a character that originated in The Don, a two part Matlock episode from season one. In The Don, Conrad played prosecutor James L. McShane. Styles played Paul Baron, the son of Matlock's client. Executive Producer Dean Hargrove was responsible for both Matlock and Jake and the Fatman and worked as a writer or producer on a host of other familiar TV mystery shows like Columbo, McCloud, Diagnosis Murder, Father Dowling Mysteries, and Perry Mason.
Matlock in popular culture
- Matlock is a running joke on The Simpsons, where the show has a huge cult following amongst the senior citizens of the town of Springfield. In one episode, the Simpsons' house is almost destroyed to make way for a "Matlock Expressway", while in another a frail Andy Griffith is mobbed and thrown to the ground by a crowd of obsessive elderly fans. In another scene, with Grampa Simpson quickly boarding the Springfield Retirement Castle shuttle bus with the show set to air in five minutes, a passenger tells him to hurry, exclaiming that "each Matlock could be our last".
- The series is unique in courtroom dramas in that the main character Ben Matlock, except in a few rare cases, never loses the cases he tries.
- In the Adult Swim show The Venture Bros., a character in the first season finale, Tiny Attorney, is a parody of Matlock and of Kuato of the movie Total Recall.
See also
External links
- Andy Griffith as Ben Matlock An unofficial Matlock website
- Ben Matlock at TV Acres A page dedicated to Ben Matlock, including notable case synopses and list of Simpsons quotes.
1980s TV shows in the United States | 1990s TV shows in the United States | ABC network shows | Matlock | NBC network shows | Television shows set in Georgia (U.S. state)
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"Matlock (TV series)"