Doug Llewelyn

Last updated

Doug Llewelyn
Doug Llewelyn Peoples Court Promo photo.png
Born
Douglas Steele Llewelyn

(1938-11-26) November 26, 1938 (age 86)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Alma mater University of South Carolina
Occupations
  • Reporter
  • television personality
Years active1960-present
Known for The People's Court
Spouse
Dale Waterson
​
(m. 1962)​
Children2

Douglas Steele Llewelyn (born November 26, 1938) is an American television personality, best known as the original host of the court show The People's Court from 1981 to 1996. Previously a news reporter, Llewelyn has produced numerous television specials, including The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults in 1986, and launched Judge Judy in 1996. Llewelyn subsequently returned to hosting The People's Court from 2016 to 2023.

Contents

Early life and early career

Llewelyn was born in Maryland in 1938 and later moved to Lancaster, South Carolina with his family, and attended the University of South Carolina. [1] [2] He became an announcer at a South Carolina station while still in high school, and then moved to New York City, working as a page for Perry Como, and later moving to work for Chet Huntley in the news room. He also worked in New York as a producer for the Long John Nebel Show on WNBC Radio, and as a radio reporter for Armed Forces Radio. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Career

After eight years working in New York, Llewelyn moved to the Washington, D.C. market, working at WDCA-TV (an independent station), and then WTOP (a CBS affiliate), as a news reporter on TV and radio. He was eventually hosting a talk show called "Nine in the Morning", and producing specials under the title "Doug's World". [4] [1] In 1976, he moved to KNXT (now KCBS-TV), the Los Angeles CBS network station, and began co-hosting the show "Noontime." [4] [7]

In 1981, he was chosen to be the courtroom reporter for a new syndicated court room series, The People's Court . [8] Llewelyn would introduce the litigants of each case, get audience input before a verdict, and interview the litigants as they exited the courtroom. The success of the show made Llewelyn well known, including for his catchphrase at the end of every episode, "Don’t take the law into your own hands — you take 'em to court". [9] [10] However, he concluded some episodes by saying, "If someone files a lawsuit against you and yet you're convinced you've done nothing wrong, don't be intimidated. The best policy is to go to court and stand up for your rights."

In 1986, Llewelyn was a producer of The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults , which became the highest-rated ever syndicated television show at the time. Though he was a primary arranger behind the program, he did not want to host it himself, leading to the search for a "big name", and landing on Geraldo Rivera. [1] [11] [12] He also produced the Return to Titanic live special in 1987. [13] [14]

After the first run of The People's Court ended, and after doing coverage for the O.J. Simpson trial, Llewelyn helped create the Judge Judy show in 1996, and was a supervising producer during its first season. [1]

Llewelyn rejoined The People's Court in the reporter role in 2016, taking over for Curt Chaplin, who was reporter from 1997 to 2016 as well as narrator; however Chaplin remained in the narrator role even after Llewelyn's return. [15] He remained on the show until its cancellation in July 2023.

Other work

Llewelyn has had cameo appearances in a number of films, TV shows, music videos, and has appeared in many commercials. He is the announcer in the 1992 music video for the Nirvana song In Bloom, and appears in the 1994 "Weird Al" Yankovic video for "Headline News". [16] [17] Other cameos include playing a parade announcer in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) and store manager in Ice Cream Man (1995) (including a line where he says "by the way, you're not going to take us to court, are you?").

Away from the television screen, Llewelyn also co-created a business in 1980 called the "Electronic Press Kit" for movies. They did press kits for over 200 movies, including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), where director Steven Spielberg would also ask Llewelyn about People's Court cases he'd seen. [1] [13] [5] He later moved into doing in-house television segments for companies. [18]

Personal

Llewelyn has lived in Hendersonville, North Carolina since around 1997. [1] He has two grown daughters with his wife, Dale. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hendersonville, North Carolina</span> City in North Carolina, United States

Hendersonville is a city in and the county seat of Henderson County, North Carolina, United States, located 22 miles (35 km) south of Asheville. Like the county, the city is named for 19th-century North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Leonard Henderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geraldo Rivera</span> American attorney, journalist and talk show host (born 1943)

Geraldo Rivera is an American journalist, attorney, author, and political commentator who worked at the Fox News Channel from 2001 to 2023. He hosted the tabloid talk show Geraldo from 1987 to 1998. He gained publicity with the live 1986 TV special The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults. Rivera hosted the news magazine program Geraldo at Large, hosts the occasional broadcast of Geraldo Rivera Reports. He served as a rotating co-host of The Five from 2022 to 2023. As of February 2024, Rivera retains the spot of correspondent-at-large with NewsNation.

James Lampley is an American sportscaster, news anchor, film producer, and restaurant owner. He was best known as a blow-by-blow announcer on HBO World Championship Boxing for 30 years. He covered a record 14 Olympic Games on U.S. television, most recently the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

<i>Judge Judy</i> American reality court show

Judge Judy is an American arbitration-based reality court show presided over by former Manhattan Family Court Judge Judith Sheindlin. The show featured Sheindlin as she adjudicated real-life small-claims disputes within a simulated courtroom set. Prior to the proceedings, all involved parties signed arbitration contracts agreeing to Sheindlin's ruling. The show aired in first-run syndication. As it was during its active years in production, it continues to be distributed by CBS Media Ventures in syndication, now in reruns that still draw notably high ratings.

<i>Judge Mathis</i> 1999 American TV series or program

Judge Mathis is an American arbitration-based reality court show presided over by Judge Greg Mathis, a former judge of Michigan's 36th District Court and Black-interests motivational speaker/activist.

<i>The Peoples Court</i> American arbitration-based reality court show

The People's Court is an American arbitration-based reality court show, featuring an arbitrator handling small claims disputes in a simulated courtroom set. Within the court show genre, it is the first of all arbitration-based reality-style programs, which has overwhelmingly become the convention of the genre. The original series ran from 1981 to 1993, and the revival ran from 1997 to 2023. Both versions ran in first-run syndication. The show ranks as the longest-running traditional court show and second-longest-running court show in general, having a total of 38 overall seasons as of the 2022–23 television year, behind only niche court show Divorce Court by 2 seasons.

Enterprise Radio Network was an all-sports radio network which operated briefly in 1981. It featured sports newscasts twice an hour, and sports talk during the evening and overnight.

<i>Divorce Court</i> American television show

Divorce Court is an American court show that revolves around settling the disputes of couples going through divorces. The show has had four separate runs, all in first-run syndication. Since the debut of the original series in 1957, it is one of the longest-running syndicated television programs of all time. Divorce Court also holds the record for the longest-running court show of all time, leading the second-place show The People's Court by two years.

<i>Judge Joe Brown</i> American arbitration-based reality court show starring former criminal court judge Joseph B. Brown

Judge Joe Brown is an American arbitration-based reality court show starring former Shelby County, Tennessee criminal court judge Joseph B. Brown. The series premiered on September 14, 1998 and ran through the 2012–13 television season for a total of fifteen seasons. Joe Brown was the second highest paid daytime television personality behind Judge Judy during the time the show was running.

Petri Hawkins-Byrd, also known as Bailiff Byrd or simply Byrd, is an American court show bailiff, television personality, social media personality, actor, voice actor, writer, and former New York State Court Officer.

The Performance Racing Network or PRN for short is a radio syndication network controlled by Speedway Motorsports (SMI) founded in 1981. PRN airs NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series events held at Speedway Motorsports

<i>The Mystery of Al Capones Vaults</i> 1986 television special

The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults is a two-hour live American television special that was broadcast in syndication on April 21, 1986, and hosted by Geraldo Rivera. It centered on the live opening of a walled-off underground room in the Lexington Hotel in Chicago once owned by crime lord Al Capone, which turned out to be empty except for debris. Thirty million viewers watched, making it the highest rated syndicated special in history.

Geraldo is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Geraldo Rivera. The show ran for eleven seasons from September 7, 1987, to May 8, 1998, in which it broadcast 2,163 episodes. The show premiered as a tabloid talk show, in which Rivera moderated single-issue panel discussions with everyday people. Guests discussed their personal experiences over a given topic, often controversial or sensational, with Rivera placing a heavy emphasis on audience interaction. For its final two seasons, the show reformatted into a news-oriented program under the title The Geraldo Rivera Show. The show's first three seasons were taped at the Rialto Theatre in Manhattan; production then relocated uptown to the CBS Broadcast Center, where the show was taped for the remainder of its run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Court TV</span> Digital broadcast television network

Court TV is an American digital broadcast network and former pay-television channel. It was originally launched in 1991 with a focus on crime-themed programs such as true crime documentary series, legal analysis talk shows, and live news coverage of prominent criminal cases. In 2008, the original cable channel became TruTV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mablean Ephriam</span> American judge and actress

Mablean Deloris Ephriam, Esq. is an American television personality and former Los Angeles prosecuting attorney. She is best known as the adjudicator of the courtroom series Divorce Court for seven seasons from 1999 to 2006. She was replaced by Judge Lynn Toler in the show's 2006-07 season. Ephriam is also known for her judge roles in Tyler Perry's Madea films.

A court show is a broadcast programming genre comprising legal dramas and reality legal programming. Court shows present content mainly in the form of legal hearings between plaintiffs and defendants, presided over in one of two formats: scripted/improvised with an actor portraying a judge; or, an arbitration-based reality format with the case handled by an adjudicator who was formerly a judge or attorney.

Billy Ray "Bill" Foster was an American television director known for his work with sitcoms. His credits, which spanned more than fifty years and encompassed hundreds of hours, included episodes of Full House, Sanford and Son, Amen, Marblehead Manor and You Again?.

Curt Chaplin is an American TV personality and baseball documentary narrator. He began his career as a radio news and sports reporter in New York City in the 1970s, later becoming a New York radio personality, working with Howard Cosell, Don Imus, Howard Stern and many others, and was the sports reporter/sidekick on WNEW-FM's popular Rock 'n Roll Morning Show from 1986 to 1991.

<i>Lauren Lakes Paternity Court</i> Television series

Lauren Lake's Paternity Court is a nontraditional court show in which family lawyer and legal analyst Lauren Lake heard and ruled on paternity cases and rendered DNA test results.

<i>Judy Justice</i> American reality TV show

Judy Justice is an American arbitration-based reality court show presided over by former Manhattan Family Court Judge Judith Sheindlin. Judy Justice is both a spin-off and continuation of courtroom series Judge Judy (1996–2021). The show features Sheindlin adjudicating real-life small-claims disputes within a simulated courtroom set. Prior to the proceedings, all involved parties sign arbitration contracts agreeing to abide by Sheindlin's ruling.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 (4 November 2007). Fascinating adventures, Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina)
  2. ↑ (12 February 1988) The Stroller, Spartanburg Herald-Journal
  3. ↑ (17 May 1961). Delivering a Message, New York Daily News , p. 14 (photograph "Pfc. Doug Llewelyn broadcasts information about Armed Forces Day") (available via paywall at newspapers.com)
  4. 1 2 3 (5 December 1976). New Co-Host, The San Bernardino Sun , TV Week, p. 18
  5. 1 2 Millwood, Joey (26 July 2013). Playhouse is Llewelyn family passion, GoUpstate.com
  6. 1 2 Sherill, Alice (6 September 1991). He's a Lancaster star, of courts, The York Observer, p. 10 (available via paywall at newspapers.com, accessed 11 September 2023)
  7. ↑ (26 December 1976), Doug Llewelyn (blurb), Long Beach Independent , p. 83 (available via paywall at newspapers.com)
  8. ↑ Duffy, Mike (16 September 1981). A Legal 'Looney Tunes' In 'The People's Court', Toledo Blade
  9. ↑ Twomey, Steve (25 November 1981). Real-life spats become entertainment, Boca Raton News
  10. ↑ Pennington, Lucinda (24 April 1982). The People's Court: Everyone's a Winner, Windsor Star
  11. ↑ Rumore, Kori (20 April 2023). ‘The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults’: Watch the highly-rated, live TV special hosted by Geraldo Rivera in 1986, Chicago Tribune
  12. ↑ (1 September 2022). The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults, One Year: 1986, Slate (podcast)
  13. 1 2 Bates, James (24 November 1987). Westgate Found Gold in Al Capone’s, Titanic’s Vaults : Firm’s Top Production Is TV Ratings, Los Angeles Times
  14. ↑ Thompson, Taylor (29 June 2023). Hendersonville's own 'People's Court' host recounts his risky submarine dive to Titanic wreckage, WLOS
  15. ↑ Nickerson, John (2 July 2016). ‘People’s Court’ reporter Doug Llewelyn, now 77, returns to show, Stamford Advocate
  16. ↑ Smith, Ernie (28 February 2017). How Judge Wapner Launched the Phenomenon of Court Shows on Modern TV, Atlas Obscura
  17. ↑ Tannenbaum, Rob and Craig Marks. I Want My MTV, p. 488 (2011) (quoting Dave Grohl as saying "we just wanted to meet Doug Llewelyn from People's Court.)
  18. ↑ Kiss, Tony (7 March 2012). From People's Court to Playhouse, Asheville Citizen-Times
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.