Last Updated on December 21, 2009
Judge Judy is a pussycat compared to Judge Joseph Wapner, the original jurist who presided over The People’s Court in the 1980s.  A lot of younger viewers probably have no memories of the gray-haired judge who was stern to litigants he felt were in the wrong.
“It was a happy marriage of my love of the law and the entertainment industry,” Wapner said of the show, which premiered in 1981.
Wapner retired a second time when that version of the court show left the air.  (Although he would make a return on Animal Planet presiding over pet-related small claims court cases.)
Now he’s coming out of retirement again, for a single day, on Friday the 13th of November.  It will be part of a big week for the judge:  not only is he getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but he’s turning 90!
Happy birthday to His Honor, and woe be unto any litigant who isn’t prepared for court that day!
And just for fun, here’s a clip of some old school Wapner in action!
What ever happened to Doug Llewelyn, that reporter? I seem to recall he was a rather poor reporter, and for me, detracted from the proceedings. I must admit, however, that Wapner set the bar. He was the Man.
I searched for him at imdb.com, and the last appearance they have for him was in 2003. I’d say People’s Court was definitely his major ticket.
It also says he was born in South Carolina. Who knew?!?
Ninety years old! WOW!