Brian Baxter’s obituary of Bradford Dillman omitted mention of probably the best of his TV series, Court Martial (1965-66), which ran for only 26 episodes. Derived from The Case Against Paul Ryker, a 1963 two-part episode in the American series NBCTV Kraft Suspense Theatre, Court Martial, set in the US army judge advocate’s office in the second world war, again paired Dillman as Captain David Young with Peter Graves as Major Frank Whittaker.
The original 1963 programme, after some re-editing and re-titled as Sergeant Ryker, was subsequently released as a feature film in 1968, by which time Lee Marvin, who played Ryker, was a leading cinema star. Despite its short run, Court Martial was critically acclaimed and received the TV award for best dramatic series in 1966 from the British Society of Film and Television (now Bafta).
