Word: bailiff
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...American in a leading role. When the N.A.A.C.P. complained, the network honchos admitted the problem and began scrambling to add minority roles. NBC's ER brought on a black woman doctor and an Asian medical student, for example, while CBS's new series Judging Amy tossed in a black bailiff...
...cause c?l?bre of this outcry involves one Ronnie Hawkins, a defendant in Long Beach, Calif., who was deemed disruptive in court by a judge last June. The judge ordered Hawkins zapped by the bailiff, and the tempest was on. But is it teacup-size? Supporters of the belts say they're the best and safest way to restrain a crazed defendant, and that they're used only for that purpose, never for punishment (that would be torture). But the watchdogs worry that when the belts are used not only in the courts but in jails by prison guards, the possibilities...
Almost as earnest is the father of judge shows, Joseph Wapner. From 1981 to 1993, his sessions of The People's Court entertained with silliness, not heated conflict. On Judge Wapner's Animal Court, the 78-year-old magistrate is back with his trusty bailiff, Rusty Burrell, only this time every case involves animals. Wapner's careful, evidence-obsessive yet laid-back style is only enhanced by a caged chow sitting in front of the defendant. "These are very serious cases, and people get very emotional about their animals," he says, "more emotional than they do about money or people...
That's easy for him to do, for Dreverhaven is an all-powerful figure. He is a bailiff enriching himself by collecting everyone's bad debts, and his tentacles reach everywhere. He is never too busy, though, to keep a baleful eye on his son, eventually ensnaring the lad in debt and squeezing him mercilessly for the money...
...acting is competent, with Young Lee giving a particularly hilarious performance as the Bailiff, who marches up and down the aisles harassing audience members, occasionally pausing to whack Roulleau with his baton. His presence, at once menacing and amusing, keeps the audience on its toes. As the theatergoer who must suffer for our sins, Roulleau at first nonchalantly flouts the court's authority, making the audience wonder whether he really has been chosen as a random victim. Farley brings a slightly over-the-top vehemence to the role of Clamence...