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The Lawless Years
Home > Drama TV Shows > The Lawless Years

The Lawless Years

1959
The Lawless Years
The Lawless Years

The Lawless Years

7.3 | NR | en | Drama

The Lawless Years is an American crime drama series that aired on NBC from April 16 1959, to September 22, 1961. The series is the first of its kind set set during the Roaring 20s, having predated ABC's far more successful The Untouchables by six months. The series stars James Gregory and Robert Karnes.

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Seasons & Episodes

3
2
1
EP20  Ike, the Novelty King
Sep. 22,1961
Ike, the Novelty King

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EP19  Romeo and Rose
Sep. 15,1961
Romeo and Rose

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EP18  The Jonathan Wills Story
Sep. 08,1961
The Jonathan Wills Story

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EP17  Triple Cross
Sep. 01,1961
Triple Cross

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EP16  Artie Moon
Aug. 25,1961
Artie Moon

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EP15  The Vincent Gordia Story
Aug. 18,1961
The Vincent Gordia Story

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EP14  Blood Brothers
Aug. 11,1961
Blood Brothers

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EP13  The Mad Dog Coll Story (2)
Aug. 04,1961
The Mad Dog Coll Story (2)

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EP12  The Mad Dog Coll Story (1)
Jul. 28,1961
The Mad Dog Coll Story (1)

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EP11  Little Augie
Jul. 21,1961
Little Augie

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EP10  Ginny
Jul. 14,1961
Ginny

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EP9  The Kid Dropper Story
Jul. 07,1961
The Kid Dropper Story

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EP8  The Miles Miller Story
Jun. 30,1961
The Miles Miller Story

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EP7  Louy K: Part 5 the Disintegration
Jun. 23,1961
Louy K: Part 5 the Disintegration

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EP6  Louy K: Part 4 Heydays of the Organization
Jun. 16,1961
Louy K: Part 4 Heydays of the Organization

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EP5  Louy K: Part 3 Birth of the Organization
Jun. 09,1961
Louy K: Part 3 Birth of the Organization

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EP4  Louy K: Part 2 Sing Sing
Jun. 02,1961
Louy K: Part 2 Sing Sing

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EP3  Louy K: Part 1
May. 26,1961
Louy K: Part 1

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EP2  The Sonny Rosen Story II
May. 19,1961
The Sonny Rosen Story II

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EP1  The Jack 'Legs' Diamond Story
May. 12,1961
The Jack 'Legs' Diamond Story

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7.3 | NR | en | Drama , Crime | More Info
Released: 1959-04-16 | Released Producted By: NBC , Jack Chertok Television Productions Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

The Lawless Years is an American crime drama series that aired on NBC from April 16 1959, to September 22, 1961. The series is the first of its kind set set during the Roaring 20s, having predated ABC's far more successful The Untouchables by six months. The series stars James Gregory and Robert Karnes.

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Stream Online

The tv show is currently not available onine

Cast

Robert Karnes , James Gregory

Director

Jack Chertok

Producted By

NBC , Jack Chertok Television Productions

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Cast

Robert Karnes
Robert Karnes

as Max Fields

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James Gregory
James Gregory

as Barney Ruditsky

The Flight of Dragons Wait 'Till Your Mother Gets Home Detective School The Main Event Shoot Out Beneath the Planet of the Apes The Love God? The Secret War of Harry Frigg Clambake

Reviews

1bilbo I have watched nearly every episode of this series.The plots are based on the memoirs of the real life gangster squad detective and - for me - I prefer this show without the narration of the Untouchables which was spoken in capital letters throughout.This was a good series and is well worth a look, there is a realism about the way ordinary people were frightened into submission and there isn't the epilogue at the end of each episode which so ruins many shows.Each episode starts with a slide show detailing the thugs who feature and there is no sympathy from Ruditsky for any of them. What makes this series really great is the fact that the real life Barney Ruditsky was technical adviser - there is an understated realism in each episode.Believable characters and real stories - well worth a watch.
actionsub "The Lawless Years" was a mid-season replacement in the 1958-59 TV season, predating the better known "Untouchables" by about six months. As other reviews have stated, the similarities between "Lawless Years" and "Untouchables" are striking: a stubborn detective who gathers a team of unstoppable agents to fight crime during the Prohibition era.The setting for this show, however, was New York City, which here seemed to lack some of the color of Chicago. The criminals, unlike the flamboyant bad guys that populated the Second City, seemed almost interchangeable from episode to episode. Barney Ruditsky's squad was likewise void of any strong personality.The dry subtleties in "The Lawless Years" make their episodes appear like a possible pilot for "The Untouchables". (The pilot for the Eliot Ness show originally aired on Desilu Playhouse.) The reason the latter is remembered, in my opinion, is due to the stronger characterizations and better scripts on "The Untouchables"."The Lawless Years" works as an enjoyable fill-in-the-blank crime procedural, but if the viewer wants a better taste of the flavor of the Prohibition era, best to stick with "The Untouchables"
JRGach Although I never saw the show, reading through some of the cast members names is like watching the credits roll on "The Untouchables". Joseph Mell, Stanley Adams, Chuck Hicks, Robert Carricart, Bernie Fein, Dick Wilson, Norman Alden, Herman Rudin, Bartlett Robinson, Dick Bakalyan and others apparently worked for Desilu while toiling for California National. Allen H. Miner even directed episodes of both series. In fact, if I'm reading the notes correctly, Chuck Hicks (who later did stunts on CHiPS) even played the same character: Agent LaMarr Kane during TLL season one's "The Billy Boy 'Rockabye' Creel Story". The Kane character was killed off in "The Untouchables" episode entitled "The Tri State Gang", along with "Big Bill Phillips" (described to perfection by Walter Winchell as "a hulking six-foot-four ox of a man") played by "Skipper" Alan Hale. The one glaring omission is WHICH network aired "The Lawless Years". For the life of me I simply don't recall this series, despite the fact it ran three seasons. Of course that is likely because for me, at that age, "The Untouchables" was about the only thing that REALLY mattered on the 21" screen of the B&W Westinghouse console in our living room.
dougbrode Sometimes the magic happens, sometimes it doesn't. Consider this basic plot for a TV series: Back in the roaring twenties, a a tough but honest cop gathers around him an elite force and sets out to stop organized crime in a major American city. Sound familiar? Sure . . . it's The Untouchables, which premiered in 1959 on ABC with Robert Stack as Eliot Ness. Also, though, it's The Lawless Years, which began that same autumn week on 'another network.' James Gregory played Barney Ruditsky, a New York City (The Untouchables was based in Chicago) cop who likewise puts together a task force to take on the mob. But the magic didn't quite happen, because very few people watched, even as The Untouchables became an instantaneous hit. Maybe it's that the fine character actor Gregory (catch him as Angela Lasnbury's pathetic husband in THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE - no, not the abysmal remake, the original!) didn't exude the charisma and sex appeal of a born star like Stack. Maybe the members of his team weren't as interesting and/or diverse. Maybe they didn't have as strong character actors playing as intriguing villains (like Neville Brand and Bruce Gordon as Al Capone and Frank Nitti on the ABC show). Certainly, they did try to capture the tenor of the times and the atmosphere, including excellent music by Max Steiner, was terrific. Maybe it was the lack of Walter Winchell as the narrator, or the fact that at half an hour they couldn't develop as interesting situations. Any way you cut it, this show - which survived for two years - is one of those forgotten exercises in crime drama on the small screen.

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