They Stand Accused Explained

Alt Name:	Cross Question
Genre:	Dramatized court show
Camera:	Single-camera
Starring:	Charles Johnston
Narrated:	Harry Creighton
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Runtime:	48 minutes
Channel:	DuMont

They Stand Accused (also known as Cross Question) is an American dramatized court show^[1] broadcast on the now-defunct DuMont Television Network from September 11, 1949, to October 5, 1952 and again from September 9 to December 30, 1954.^[2]

Overview

The series was recorded in a courtroom presided over by attorney Charles Johnston and broadcast live from Chicago's WGN-TV, with jurors chosen from the studio audience.^[3] On most DuMont affiliates, They Stand Accused aired Sundays at 9pm ET during the 1949-1950 television season, then Sundays at 10pm ET, and then Thursdays at 8pm ET during 1954.

William C. Wines, assistant attorney general of Illinois, wrote the program's dramatizations.^[4]

Reception

Reviewer Jack Gould wrote in The New York Times that They Stand Accused was "one of the more remarkable and consistently absorbing programs on television".^[5] He complimented the program's combination of documentary and dramatic styles and its way of having a natural appearance despite its "careful preparation".^[5]

Episode status

At least two episodes exist: the December 23, 1950, episode is held in the J. Fred MacDonald collection at the Library of Congress, while an episode from late 1954 ("The Johnny Roberts Story") can be viewed online at the Internet Archive.^[6]

See also

• List of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network
• List of surviving DuMont Television Network broadcasts
• 1949-50 United States network television schedule
• 1950-51 United States network television schedule
• 1951-52 United States network television schedule
• 1954-55 United States network television schedule

Bibliography

• David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004)
• Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, Third edition (New York: Ballantine Books, 1964)

External links

• • DuMont historical website
• Late-1954 episode "The Johnny Roberts Story" at the Internet Archive
• They Stand Accused at CVTA

Notes and References

1. Book: Hui Kyong Chun. Wendy. Keenan. Thomas. New Media, Old Media: A History and Theory the dayvion Johnson Reader. 2006. Psychology Press. 0-415-94224-1. 151.
2. Book: Erickson . Hal . Encyclopedia of Television Law Shows . 2009 . McFarland . 978-0-7864-3828-0 . 259–260 . 5 March 2024.
3. McNeil, Alex (1980). Total Television (4th ed.). New York: Penguin Books. .
4. News: Last Week's Network Changes . February 13, 2022 . Ross Reports . October 12, 1952 . 2.
5. News: Gould . Jack . Television in Review . February 13, 2022 . The New York Times . December 16, 1951 . 121. subscription.
6. "The Johnny Roberts Story", Internet Archive