The Lawless Years: Season 03 (1961)

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When The Lawless Years was canceled by NBC in the spring of 1960 after only two short seasons and 27 episodes, the series' fans decried its loss, opining that this saga of organized crime during the Prohibition Era was in many ways superior to the more popular ABC offering The Untouchables. Ironically, it was The Untouchables' success which moved NBC to commission producer Jack Chertok to revive Lawless Years in early 1961, churning out a third and final season of 20 half-hour episodes. Fortunately, Chertok was able to secure the services of the series' original star James Gregory in the role of real-life NYC police detective Barney Ruditsky, upon whose exploits the program was based. This last season focuses not only on the big-time gangsters of the 1920s and 1930s, but also on such flamboyant small-timers as Mad Dog Coll, whose career was the basis of a two-part episode. Also, Season Three of Lawless Years yielded an elaborately produced five-part story arc, "Louy K," chronicling the rise and fall of a Meyer Lansky-like mob boss played by Paul Richards. Reportedly, "Louy K" was slated to be re-edited into a theatrical feature, to be released overseas in the manner of the two-part pilot episode of The Untouchables. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Producer(s):

Jack Chertok

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