document_title: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

question_text: who plays janet in rocky horror picture show

text: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

text: Plot[edit]

text: A criminologist narrates the tale of the newly engaged couple Brad Majors and Janet Weiss who find themselves lost and with a flat tire on a cold and rainy late November evening, somewhere near Denton, Ohio. Seeking a telephone, the couple walk to a nearby castle where they discover a group of strange and outlandish people who are holding an Annual Transylvanian Convention. They are soon swept into the world of Dr. Frank N. Furter, a self-proclaimed "sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania". The ensemble of convention attendees also includes servants Riff Raff, his sister Magenta, and a groupie named Columbia.

text: In his lab, Frank claims to have discovered the "secret to life itself". His creation, Rocky, is brought to life. The ensuing celebration is soon interrupted by Eddie (an ex-delivery boy, both Frank and Columbia's ex-lover, as well as partial brain donor to Rocky) who rides out of a deep freeze on a motorcycle. Eddie then proceeds to seduce Columbia, get the Transylvanians dancing and singing and intrigue Brad and Janet. When Rocky starts dancing and enjoying the performance, a jealous Frank kills Eddie with a pick. Columbia screams in horror, devastated by Eddie's death. Frank justifies killing Eddie as a "mercy killing" to Rocky and they depart to the bridal suite.

text: Brad and Janet are shown to separate bedrooms, where each is visited and seduced by Frank, who poses as Brad (when visiting Janet) and then as Janet (when visiting Brad). Janet, upset and emotional, wanders off to look for Brad, who she discovers, via a television monitor, is in bed with Frank. She then discovers Rocky, cowering in his birth tank, hiding from Riff Raff, who has been tormenting him. While tending to his wounds, Janet becomes intimate with Rocky, as Magenta and Columbia watch from their bedroom monitor.

text: After discovering that his creation is missing, Frank returns to the lab with Brad and Riff Raff, where Frank learns that an intruder has entered the building. Brad and Janet's old high school science teacher, Dr. Everett Scott, has come looking for his nephew, Eddie. Frank suspects that Dr. Scott investigates UFOs for the government. Upon learning of Brad and Janet's connection to Dr. Scott, Frank suspects them of working for him. Frank, Dr. Scott, Brad, and Riff Raff then discover Janet and Rocky together under the sheets in Rocky's birth tank, upsetting Frank and Brad. Magenta interrupts the reunion by sounding a massive gong and stating that dinner is prepared.

text: Rocky and the guests share an uncomfortable dinner, which they soon realize has been prepared from Eddie's mutilated remains. Janet runs screaming into Rocky's arms, provoking Frank to chase her through the halls. Janet, Brad, Dr. Scott, Rocky, and Columbia all meet in Frank's lab, where Frank captures them with the Medusa Transducer, transforming them into nude statues. After dressing them in cabaret costume, Frank "unfreezes" them, and they perform a live cabaret floor show, complete with an RKO tower and a swimming pool, with Frank as the leader.

text: Riff Raff and Magenta interrupt the performance, revealing themselves and Frank to be aliens from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania. They stage a coup and announce a plan to return to their home planet. In the process, they kill Columbia and Frank, who has "failed his mission". An enraged Rocky, impervious to Riff Raff's laser gun, gathers Frank in his arms, climbs to the top of the tower, and plunges to his death in the pool below. Riff Raff and Magenta release Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott, then depart by lifting off in the castle itself. The survivors are then left crawling in the dirt, and the narrator concludes that the human race is equivalent to insects crawling on the planet's surface, "lost in time, and lost in space... and meaning".

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Tim Curry as Dr. Frank N. Furter, a scientist.
Susan Sarandon as Janet Weiss, a heroine.
Barry Bostwick as Brad Majors, a hero.
Richard O'Brien as Riff Raff, a handyman.
Patricia Quinn as Magenta, a domestic.
Nell Campbell as Columbia, a groupie.
Jonathan Adams as Dr. Everett V. Scott, a rival scientist.
Peter Hinwood as Rocky Horror, a creation.
Meat Loaf as Eddie, an ex-delivery boy.
Charles Gray as The Criminologist, an expert.
Jeremy Newson as Ralph Hapschatt
Hilary Labow as Betty Munroe

text: Production[edit]

text: Concept and development[edit]

text: Richard O'Brien was living as an unemployed actor in London during the early 1970s. He wrote most of The Rocky Horror Show during one winter just to occupy himself.[6][7] Since his youth, O'Brien had loved science fiction and B horror movies. He wanted to combine elements of the unintentional humour of B horror movies, portentous dialogue of schlock-horror, Steve Reeves muscle flicks, and fifties rock and roll into his musical.[8] O'Brien conceived and wrote the play set against the backdrop of the glam era that had manifested itself throughout British popular culture in the 1970s.[9] Allowing his concept to come into being, O'Brien states "glam rock allowed me to be myself more".[10]

text: O'Brien showed a portion of the unfinished script to Australian director Jim Sharman, who decided to direct it at the small experimental space Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, Chelsea, London, which was used as a project space for new work.[6] O'Brien had appeared briefly in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar, directed by Sharman, and the two also worked together in Sam Shepard's The Unseen Hand. Sharman would bring in production designer Brian Thomson.[11] The original creative team was then rounded out by costume designer Sue Blane, musical director Richard Hartley, and stage producer Michael White, who was brought in to produce. As the musical went into rehearsal, the working title, They Came from Denton High, was changed just before previews at the suggestion of Sharman to The Rocky Horror Show.[6][12]

text: Having premiered in the small sixty-seat Royal Court Theatre, it quickly moved to larger venues in London, transferring to the 230-seat Chelsea Classic Cinema on Kings Road on 14 August 1973, before finding a quasi-permanent home at the 500-seat King's Road Theatre from 3 November 1973, running for six years.[13] The musical made its U.S. debut in Los Angeles in 1974 before being played in New York City as well as other cities.[11] Producer and Ode Records owner Lou Adler attended the London production in the winter of 1973, escorted by friend Britt Ekland. He immediately decided to purchase the U.S. theatrical rights. His production would be staged at his Roxy Theatre in L.A.[14] In 1975, The Rocky Horror Show premiered on Broadway at the 1,000-seat Belasco Theatre.[15]

text: Filming and locations[edit]

text: The film was shot at Bray Studios and Oakley Court, a country house near Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, and at Elstree Studios[16] for post production,[17] from 21 October to 19 December 1974. Oakley Court, built in 1857 in the Victorian Gothic style, is known for a number of Hammer films.[18][19] Much of the location shooting took place there, although at the time the manor was not in good condition.[20] Much of the cast were from the original London stage production, including Tim Curry, who had decided that Dr Frank N. Furter should speak like the Queen of England, extravagantly posh.[10] Fox insisted on casting the two characters of Brad and Janet with American actors, Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon.[11] Filming took place during autumn, which made conditions worse. During filming, Sarandon fell ill with pneumonia.[8] Filming of the laboratory scene and the title character's creation occurred on 30 October 1974.[21]

text: The film is both a parody and tribute to many of the science fiction and horror movies from the 1930s up to the 1970s.[6] The film production retains many aspects from the stage version such as production design and music, but adds new scenes not featured in the original stage play.[11] The film's plot, setting, and style echo those of the Hammer Horror films, which had their own instantly recognizable style (just as Universal Studios' horror films did).[22] The originally proposed opening sequence was to contain clips of various films mentioned in the lyrics, as well as the first few sequences shot in black and white, but this was deemed too expensive and scrapped.[11]

text: Costumes, make-up, and props[edit]

text: In the stage productions, actors generally did their own make-up; however, for the film, the producers chose Pierre La Roche, who had previously been a make-up artist for Mick Jagger and David Bowie, to redesign the make-up for each character.[23] Production stills were taken by rock photographer Mick Rock, who has published a number of books from his work.[24] In Rocky Horror; From Concept to Cult, designer Sue Blane discusses the Rocky Horror costumes' influence on punk music style. "[It was a] big part of the build-up [to punk]." She states that ripped fishnet stockings, glitter, and coloured hair were directly attributable to Rocky Horror.[6]

text: Some of the costumes from the film had been originally used in the stage production. Props and set pieces were reused from old Hammer Horror productions and others. The tank and dummy used for Rocky's birth originally appeared in The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958). These references to earlier productions, in addition to cutting costs, enhanced the cult status of the film.[25]

text: Costume designer Sue Blane was not keen on working for the film until she became aware that Curry, an old friend, was committed to the project. Curry and Blane had worked together in Glasgow's Citizens Theatre in a production of The Maids, for which Curry had worn a woman's corset. Blane arranged for the theatre to loan her the corset from the other production for Rocky Horror.[26] Blane admits that she did not conduct research for her designing, had never seen a science fiction film, and is acutely aware that her costumes for Brad and Janet may have been generalizations.

text: "When I designed Rocky, I never looked at any science fiction movies or comic books. One just automatically knows what spacesuits look like, the same way one intuitively knows how Americans dress. I had never been to the United States, but I had this fixed idea of how people looked there. Americans wore polyester so their clothes wouldn't crease, and their trousers were a bit too short. Since they're very keen on sports, white socks and white T-shirts played an integral part in their wardrobe. Of course, since doing Rocky I have been to the United States and admit it was a bit of a generalization, but my ideas worked perfectly for Brad and Janet."[26]

text: The budget for the film's costumes was US$1,600,[26] far more than the stage production budget, but having to double up on costumes for filming was expensive. For filming, corsets for the finale had to be doubled for the pool scene, with one version drying while the other was worn on set. While many of the costumes are exact replicas from the stage productions, other costumes were new to filming, such as Columbia's gold sequined swallow-tail coat and top hat and Magenta's maid's uniform.[26]

text: Blane was amazed by the recreation and understanding of her designs by fans.[26] When she first heard that people were dressing up, she thought it would be tacky, but was surprised to see the depth to which the fans went to recreate her designs. Rocky Horror fan Mina Credeur, who designs costumes and performed as Columbia for Houston’s performance group, states that "the best part is when everyone leaves with a big smile on their face", noting that there's "such a kitschiness and campiness that it seems to be winking at you".[27] The film still plays at many theatre locations and Rocky Horror costumes are often made for Halloween, although many require much time and effort to make.[28]

text: Title sequence[edit]

text: The film starts with the screen fading to black and oversized, disembodied female lips appear overdubbed with a male voice,[25][29] establishing the androgynous theme to be repeated as the film unfolds.[30] The opening scene and song, "Science Fiction/Double Feature", consists of the lips of Patricia Quinn (who appears in the film later as the character Magenta [in addition to the latter, appeared as 'Trixie' the Usherette in the original London production who sang the song]), but has the vocals of actor and Rocky Horror creator, Richard O'Brien (who appears as Magenta's brother Riff Raff). The lyrics refer to science fiction and horror films of the past and list several film titles from the 1930s to the 1970s, including The Day the Earth Stood Still, Flash Gordon, The Invisible Man, King Kong, It Came from Outer Space, Doctor X, Forbidden Planet, Tarantula, The Day of the Triffids, Curse of the Demon, and When Worlds Collide.[6] The disembodied lips of model Lorelei Shark[31] are featured on posters and other merchandise for the film, with the tagline "A Different Set of Jaws", a spoof of the poster for the film Jaws (which was also released in 1975).[25]

text: Music[edit]

text: The soundtrack was released in 1975 by Ode Records and produced by Richard Hartley. The album peaked at No. 49 on the Billboard 200 in 1978.[32] It reached No. 12 on the Australian albums chart[33] and No. 11 on the New Zealand albums chart.[34] The album is described as the "definitive version of the [Rocky Horror] score."[35]

text:
"Science Fiction/Double Feature" – The Lips (those of Patricia Quinn; voice of Richard O'Brien)
"Dammit Janet" – Brad, Janet, and Chorus
"There's a Light (Over at the Frankenstein Place)" – Janet, Brad, Riff Raff, and Chorus
"The Time Warp" – Riff Raff, Magenta, The Criminologist, Columbia, and Transylvanians
"Sweet Transvestite" – Frank
"The Sword of Damocles" – Rocky and Transylvanians
"I Can Make You a Man" – Frank with Brad, Janet, Riff Raff, Magenta, and Columbia
"Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul" – Eddie and Transylvanians
"I Can Make You a Man (Reprise)" – Frank, Janet, and Transylvanians
"Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me" – Janet with Magenta, Columbia, Rocky, Brad, Frank, and Riff Raff
"Once in a While" (deleted scene) – Brad
"Eddie" – Dr. Scott, The Criminologist, Janet, Columbia, Frank, Rocky, Brad, Riff Raff, and Magenta
"Planet Schmanet Janet (Wise Up Janet Weiss)" – Frank
"Planet Hot Dog" – Janet, Brad, and Dr. Scott
"Rose Tint My World" – Columbia, Rocky, Janet, and Brad
"Fanfare/Don't Dream It, Be It" – Frank with Brad, Janet, Rocky, and Columbia
"Wild and Untamed Thing" – Frank with Brad, Janet, Rocky, Columbia, and Riff Raff
"I'm Going Home" – Frank and Chorus
"The Time Warp (Reprise)" – Riff Raff and Magenta
"Super Heroes" (only present in the original UK release) – Brad, Janet, and Chorus
"Science Fiction/Double Feature (Reprise)" – The Lips

text: Release[edit]

text: The film opened in the United Kingdom at Rialto Theater in London 14 August 1975 and in the United States on 26 September at the UA Westwood in Los Angeles, California. It did well at that location, but not elsewhere.[36] Before the midnight screenings' success, the film was withdrawn from its eight opening cities due to very small audiences, and its planned New York City opening on Halloween night was cancelled.[37] Fox re-released the film around college campuses on a double-bill with another rock music film parody, Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise, but again it drew small audiences.[37]

text: With Pink Flamingos (1972) and Reefer Madness (1936) making money in midnight showings nationwide, a Fox executive, Tim Deegan, was able to talk distributors into midnight screenings,[30] starting in New York City on April Fools' Day of 1976.[37] The cult following started shortly after the film began its midnight run at the Waverly Theater in New York City.,[36] then spread to other counties in NYC, and to Uniondale, L.I. Rocky Horror was not only found in the larger cities but throughout the United States where many attendees would get in free if they arrived in costume. The western division of the film's release included The U.A. Cinemas in Fresno and Merced, The Cinema J in Sacramento, California, and the Covell in Modesto. In New Orleans, an early organised performance group was active with the release there as well as in such cities as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Chicago (at the Biograph Theater). Before long nearly every screening of the film was accompanied by a live fan cast.[36]

text: The film is considered to be the longest-running release in film history.[38] It has never been pulled by 20th Century Fox from its original 1975 release, and it continues to play in cinemas.[39][40]

text: Home media[edit]

text: A Super 8 version of selected scenes of the film was made available.[41] In 1983, Ode Records released "The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Audience Par-Tic-I-Pation Album", recorded at the 8th Street Playhouse. The recording consisted of the film's audio and the standardised call-backs from the audience.[42]

text: A home video release was made available in 1987 in the UK.[43] In the US, the film (including documentary footage and extras) was released on VHS in 1990, retailing for $89.95[44] and had its US broadcast premiere on the Fox Broadcasting Company, including audience participation edited into the film, on 25 October 1993.

text: The film was released on DVD in 2000 for the film's 25th anniversary. A 35th Anniversary edition Blu-ray was released in the US on 19 October 2010. The disc includes a newly created 7.1 surround sound mix, the original theatrical mono sound mix, and a 4K/2K image transfer from the original camera negative. In addition, new content featuring karaoke and a fan performance were included.[45]

text: Reception, reaction and legacy[edit]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert noted that when first released, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was "ignored by pretty much everyone, including the future fanatics who would eventually count the hundreds of times they'd seen it". He considered it more a "long-running social phenomenon" than a movie, rating it 2.5 out of 4 stars.[46] Bill Henkin noted that Variety thought that the "campy hijinks" of the film seemed labored, and also mentioned that the San Francisco Chronicle's John Wasserman, who had liked the stage play in London, found the film "lacking both charm and dramatic impact". Newsweek called the film "tasteless, plotless and pointless" in 1978.[47]

text: Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 80% based on 41 reviews.[48] A number of contemporary critics find it compelling and enjoyable because of its offbeat and bizarre qualities; the BBC summarised: "for those willing to experiment with something a little bit different, a little bit outré, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has a lot to offer".[49] The New York Times called it a "low-budget freak show/cult classic/cultural institution" and considered the songs featured in the film to be "catchy".[50] Geoff Andrew of Time Out noted that the "string of hummable songs gives it momentum, Gray's admirably straight-faced narrator holds it together, and a run on black lingerie takes care of almost everything else", rating it 4 out of 5 stars.[51] Dave Kehr of Chicago Reader on the other hand considered the wit to be "too weak to sustain a film" and thought that the "songs all sound the same".[52]

text: In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[53][54]

text: Cult phenomenon[edit]

text: New York City origins[edit]

text: The Rocky Horror Picture Show helped shape conditions of cult film's transition from art-house to grind-house style.[55] The film developed a cult following in 1976 at the Waverly Theatre in New York, which developed into a standardised ritual. According to J. Hoberman, author of Midnight Movies, it was after five months into the film's midnight run when lines began to be shouted by the audience. Louis Farese Jr., a normally quiet teacher who, upon seeing the character Janet place a newspaper over her head to protect herself from rain, yelled, "Buy an umbrella, you cheap bitch". Originally Louis and other Rocky Horror pioneers, including Amy Lazarus, Theresa Krakauskas, and Bill O'Brian, did this to entertain each other, each week trying to come up with something new to make each other laugh. This quickly caught on with other theater goers and thus began this self-proclaimed "counter point dialogue", which became standard practice and was repeated nearly verbatim at each screening.[7] Performance groups became a staple at Rocky Horror screenings due in part to the prominent New York City fan cast.[36] The New York City cast was originally run by former schoolteacher and stand-up comic Sal Piro and his friend Dori Hartley. Hartley who portrayed Dr. Frank N. Furter, was one of several performers, including Will Kohler as Brad Majors, Nora Poses as Janet, and Lilias Piro as Magenta in a flexible rotating cast.[36] The performances of the audience was scripted and actively discouraged improvising, being conformist in a similar way to the repressed characters.[56]

text: On Halloween in 1976, people attended in costume and talked back to the screen, and by mid-1978, Rocky Horror was playing in over 50 locations on Fridays and Saturdays at midnight. Newsletters were published by local performance groups, and fans gathered for Rocky Horror conventions.[37] By the end of 1979, there were twice-weekly showings at over 230 theatres.[37] The National Fan Club was established in 1977 and later merged with the International Fan Club. The fan publication The Transylvanian printed a number of issues, and a semi-regular poster magazine was published as well as an official magazine.[55]

text: Los Angeles, Hollywood[edit]

text: The Los Angeles area performance groups originated in 1977 at the Fox Theatre, where Michael Wolfson won a look-alike contest as Frank N. Furter, and won another at the Tiffany Theater on Sunset Boulevard. Wolfson's group eventually performed in all of the L.A. area theaters screening Rocky Horror, including the Balboa Theater in Balboa, The Cove at Hermosa Beach, and The Sands in Glendale. He was invited to perform at the Sombrero Playhouse in Phoenix, Arizona.

text: At the Tiffany Theatre, the audience performance cast had the theater's full cooperation; the local performers entered early and without charge. The fan playing Frank for this theatre was a transgender performer,[36] D. Garret Gafford, who was out of work in 1978 and trying to raise the funds for a gender reassignment while spending the weekends performing at the Tiffany.[57]. Presently, The live action rendition of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is available for attendance in various locations in Los Angeles, typically Saturday nights at Midnight.

text: San Francisco[edit]

text: In 1978 San Francisco, Rocky Horror moved from an earlier location to the Strand Theatre located near the Tenderloin on Market Street.[58] The performance group there, Double Feature/Celluloid Jam, was the first to act out and perform almost the entire film, unlike the New York cast at that time. The Strand cast was put together from former members of an early Berkeley group, disbanded due to less than enthusiastic management. Frank N. Furter was portrayed by Marni Scofidio, who, in 1979, attracted many of the older performers from Berkeley. Other members included Mishell Erickson and her twin sister Denise Erickson as Columbia and Magenta, Kathy Dolan as Janet, and Linda "Lou" Woods as Riff Raff. The Strand group performed at two large science fiction conventions in Los Angeles and San Francisco, were offered a spot at The Mabuhay, a local punk club, and performed for children's television of Argentina.[36]

text: Fan following[edit]

text: Rocky Horror is one of the last few western rites left that pertain to the carnivalesque.[59] Annual Rocky Horror conventions are held in varying locations lasting days. Tucson, Arizona has been host a number of times, including 1999 with "El Fishnet Fiesta", and "Queens of the Desert" held in 2006.[60] Vera Dika wrote that to the fans, Rocky Horror is ritualistic and comparable to a religious event, with a compulsive, repeated cycle of going home and coming back to see the film each weekend.[7] The audience call backs are similar to responses in church during a mass.[7] Many theatre troupes exist across the United States that produce shadow-cast performances where the actors play each part in the film in full costume and props as the movie plays on the big screen in a movie theatre.[61][62] These showings are typically once a week or once a month on a Saturday at midnight.

text: The film has a global following and remains popular.[63] Sub cultures such as Rocky Horror have also found a place on the internet.[64] Audience participation scripts for many cities are available to download on the Internet.[25] The internet has a number of Rocky Horror fan run websites with various quizzes and information specializing in different content allowing fans to participate at a unique level.[30]

text: Cultural influence[edit]

text: The Rocky Horror Picture Show has been featured in a number of other feature films and television series over the years. Episodes of The Simpsons, The Venture Bros., The Boondocks, Glee, The Drew Carey Show, That '70s Show, and American Dad! spotlight Rocky Horror, as well as films like Vice Squad, Halloween II (2009), and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.[44] The 1980 film Fame featured the audience reciting their callback lines to the screen and dancing the Time Warp,[65] the dance from the stage show and film, which has become a novelty dance at parties.[66]

text: "The Rocky Horror Glee Show" aired on 26 October 2010, as part of the second season of the TV series Glee, which recreated several scenes from the film, including the opening credits. It featured Barry Bostwick and Meat Loaf in cameo roles.[67]

text: "Bisexuality, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Me", by Elizabeth Reba Weise, is a piece in Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out (1991), an anthology edited by Loraine Hutchins and Lani Ka'ahumanu which is one of the seminal books[68][69] in the history of the modern bisexual rights movement.[70]

text: The Rocky Horror Picture Show remains a cultural phenomenon in both the U.S. and U.K.[71][72] Cult film participants are often people on the fringe of society that find connection and community at the screenings[73] although the film attracts fans of differing backgrounds all over the world.[74]

text: Comments and jokes shouted out by the audience can also be seen in the "riffing" of awful films in Mystery Science Theater 3000 and its spinoffs RiffTrax and Cinematic Titanic. These have also been featured in theatre appearances by the cast, reacting to movies being shown.

text: Sequels[edit]

text: In 1981, Sharman reunited with O'Brien to do Shock Treatment, a stand-alone feature that was not a direct sequel to the original film.[2] This film reunites characters Brad and Janet and was originally conceived and written to depict the characters filmed in normal settings until the production changed to work around a Screen Actor's Guild strike. The eventual production would now entail the full film being shot entirely within a sound stage and purposely blending that into the story line. Shock Treatment has a cult following but not nearly as strong as the first film, and was a commercial failure in no small part due to the principal cast of Curry, Sarandon and Bostwick not returning.[75]

text: Ten years later, O'Brien wrote another script intended as a direct sequel to the cult classic entitled Revenge of the Old Queen.[76] Producer Michael White had hoped to begin work on the production and described the script as being "in the same style as the other one. It has reflections of the past in it."[77] Although the script has not been published, bootleg copies can be read on the Internet. The script is currently owned by Fox, which produced the two original films. Most individuals associated with the project, including O'Brien, agree that the film will probably never be made, owing to the failure of Shock Treatment and the aging of the cast.[78]

text: In 2014, it was announced that O'Brien would produce Shock Treatment for the theatrical stage. The production will premiere at the King’s Head theatre in Islington, London in the United Kingdom in the spring of 2015.[79][timeframe?]

text: Remake[edit]

text: On 10 April 2015, it was announced that the Fox Broadcasting Company would air a modern-day reimagining of the film, titled The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again.[80][81] On 22 October 2015, it was announced that the role of Dr. Frank N. Furter would be played by actress Laverne Cox.[82] Ryan McCartan and Victoria Justice play the roles of Brad and Janet, alongside Reeve Carney as Riff Raff and singer/model Staz Nair as Rocky.[83] Adam Lambert portrays Eddie.[84] Tim Curry, who portrayed Dr. Frank N. Furter in the film, portrays The Criminologist.[85] On 1 February 2016, it was announced that Broadway veteran Annaleigh Ashford would portray Columbia.[86] On 5 February 2016, Ben Vereen joined the cast as Dr. Everett von Scott.[87]

text: Kenny Ortega, best known for the High School Musical franchise and Michael Jackson's This Is It, directed, choreographed and executive-produced the remake; Lou Adler, who was an executive producer of the original film, has the same role for the new film. The film premiered on Fox on 20 October 2016.[88]


document_title: When in Rome, do as the Romans do

question_text: who said when in rome do as the romans do

root

text: When in Rome, do as the Romans do

text: Look up when in Rome, do as the Romans do in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

tag: table

text:
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series I

text: When in Rome, do as the Romans do[1] (often shortened to when in Rome...)[2] or a later version when in Rome, do as the Pope does,[3] a proverb attributed to Saint Ambrose, means that it is advisable to follow the conventions of the area in which you are residing or visiting.[1]

tag: p

text: Saint Monica and her son, Saint Augustine, found out that Saturday was observed as a fast day in Rome, where they planned to visit. It was not a fast day in Milan, where they lived. They consulted Saint Ambrose who said "When I am here (in Milan) I do not fast on Saturday, when in Rome I do fast on Saturday." That reply is said to have brought about the saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."[4][5]


document_title: Garage door

question_text: what is the weight of a garage door

question_tokens: what is the weight of a garage door

text: Garage door

text: Description[edit]

text: A typical version of an overhead garage door used in the past would have been built as a one-piece panel.[1] The panel was mounted on each side with unequal parallelogram style hinge lifting mechanism. Newer versions of overhead garage doors are now generally built from several panels hinged together that roll along a system of tracks guided by rollers.[1] The weight of the door may be 400 lb (181.4 kg) or more, but is balanced by either a torsion spring system or a pair of extension springs.[2] A remote controlled motorized mechanism for opening garage doors adds convenience, safety, and security.[3]

text: History[edit]

text:
The history of the garage door could date back to 450 BC when chariots were stored in gatehouses, but in the U.S. it arose around the start of the 20th century.
As early as 1902, American manufacturers—including Cornell Iron Works—published catalogs featuring a "float over door." Evidence of an upward-lifting garage door can be found in a catalog in 1906.[4]

text: Single panel garage doors[edit]

text: Single panel doors are constructed from one monolithic panel. From the closed position a single panel door swings up and overhead with a hinge on each side (known as jamb type hardware) to the fully open position. A disadvantage of monolithic panel doors is that the swing up arc of the door occurs partially outside the garage. This means a vehicle must stop and park several feet in front of the door to avoid being hit by the garage door when it is opened.

text: Single panel doors can also be installed with (one piece track type hardware) that folds the door back with a single horizontal track on each side (which is mounted at the top of the wood frame) and a roller, (mounted to the top of the door on each side. A hinge on each side that attaches to the bottom of each side of garage door. Using track hardware, a car can be parked much closer to the door, as the whole door, when in the open position, rests completely inside of the garage door header. Track type hardware has much less arc when raising and lowering the garage door as opposed jamb type hardware.[citation needed]

text: Sectional garage doors[edit]

text: Sectional doors are usually constructed of three to eight panels and slide up and overhead. Sectional doors occupy exactly the same amount of internal garage space as a monolithic door. Sectional doors have two advantages over single panel monolithic doors:

text:
Sectional doors do not require any space outside the garage to open. A vehicle may park very close to the garage before opening the door.
Each panel of a sectional door has its own connection to the door track. This increases reliability and robustness compared to monolithic doors, which have only a few track connections for the whole panel.

tag: ul

text: Garage doors can be made out of many materials, but steel, aluminum, wood, copper, glass, and vinyl (polyethylene) are the most popular materials. Some manufacturers incorporate foamed-in-place polyurethane insulation within the monolithic panel and sectional garage doors.

text: The side sliding sectional door[5]

text:
A lot of space under the garage ceiling.
Can use the entire ceiling of the garage.
Fast access to the garage

text: Roller doors[edit]

text: Roller doors ("Sheet Doors"-USA) are usually constructed of corrugated steel. They evolved from cover window and door coverings.[4] Other materials can be used (e.g.; transparent corrugated fibreglass) where strong impact resistance is not required. Corrugations give the door strength against impacts. A typical single car garage roller door has a preloaded spring inside the rolling mechanism. The spring reduces the effort required to open the door. Larger roller doors in commercial premises are not sprung (except USA) and use a manual pulley and chain system or a geared motor to raise and lower (roll up and roll down) the door. Roller doors cannot be effectively insulated.

text: In the UK (and other parts of the EU), 'insulated' roller garage doors are available, using an aluminium lathe filled with polyurethane foam for thermal and acoustic insulation.

text:
In terms of thermal insulation, the roller door has a typical insulation value of 4.9 to 5.2. A sheet steel garage door has a typical insulation value of 6.1 to 6.4.
Application that need more thermal insulation typically use foam filled sectional garage door, which provide typical insulation values of 2.7 to 1.3.

text: Garage door materials[edit]

text:
Aluminum garage doors are low-cost, light, rust-proof, and feature low-maintenance. They are prone to denting because aluminum is not strong and they are energy-inefficient since aluminum is a highly conductive material.
Fiberglass and vinyl garage doors are composite units, combining a steel core behind a fiberglass or vinyl skin. They have also polyurethane insulated base sections, or other type of foam insulation. These premium doors can match steel garage doors, and be a realistic imitation of wood (namely fiberglass units), but they may be more expensive than steel units.
Steel doors have become common and are available in a variety of sizes and styles, provide strength and security, are cost-competitive, and may have optional insulating value. Extra strength is available with two or three layers of galvanized steel with a low gauge number (23-24 gauge steel panels).[6]
Wood garage doors offer aesthetic appeal, but they are high-maintenance and may be expensive. Low-priced wood garage doors may warp and break easily.

text: Steel stamped construction[edit]

text: A common material for a new garage door is steel sheet formed to look like a raised panel wooden door. Steel doors are available in uninsulated, insulated, and double skin steel. A design mimicking carriage house doors has become popular since about 2002, and many manufacturers clad the exterior of a steel door with composite, vinyl boards, or DecamTrim to give it the appearance of wood. A more economical alternative for garage doors is steel stamped construction.[7]

text: Insulation[edit]

text: In situations involving residential attached garages where the insulating value and the energy efficiency of a garage door is important to prevent overheating and freezing problems, as well as for comfort and energy savings.

text: Some manufacturers advertise very high insulating values for some of their garage doors (R-15 to R-17), but it may be true for only for some central sections. The actual R-values – for the entire door – are often 1/2 or 1/3 of the advertised value.

text: Torsion spring lift mechanism[edit]

text: A torsion spring counterbalance system consists of one or two tightly wound up springs on a steel shaft with cable drums at both ends. The entire apparatus mounts on the header wall above the garage door and has three supports: a center bearing plate with a steel or nylon bearing and two end bearing plates at both ends. The springs themselves consist of the steel wire with a stationary cone at one end and a winding cone at the other end. The stationary cone is attached to the center bearing plate. The winding cone consists of holes every 90 degrees for winding the springs and two set screws to secure the springs to the shaft. Steel counterbalance cables run from the roller brackets at the bottom corners of the door to a notch in the cable drums. When the door is raised, the springs unwind and the stored tension lifts the door by turning the shaft, thus turning the cable drums, wrapping the cables around the grooves on the cable drums. When the door is lowered, the cables unwrap from the drums and the springs are rewound to full tension.[8]

text: Life of torsion spring[edit]

text: Garage door manufacturers typically produce garage doors fitted with torsion springs that provide a minimum of 10,000 to 15,000 cycles and are guaranteed for three to seven years. One cycle is a single opening and closing sequence. Most manufacturers offer a 30,000 cycle spring. However, it is important to remember that if the weight of the garage door is increased by adding glass, additional insulation, or even several coats of paint, the life of the torsion spring may be greatly reduced. Additionally, springs at highly humid environments, such as coastal regions tend to have a significantly shorter cycle life, due to the corrosive cracking.

text: Other factors like poor garage door maintenance, loose tracks, or components shorten torsion spring life. Owners are advised to avoid applying grease to garage door tracks because that makes the wheels "skate" in the track instead of turning on their bearings. Only bearings, hinges, and spring wire require lubricant.

text: Extension spring lift mechanism[edit]

text: An extension spring counterbalance system consists of a pair of stretched springs running parallel to the horizontal tracks. The springs lift the door through a system of pulleys and counterbalance cables running from the bottom corner brackets through the pulleys. When the door is raised, the springs contract, thus lifting the door as the tension is released. Typically these springs are made of 11 gauge galvanized steel, and the lengths of these springs are based on the height of the garage door in question. Their lifting weight capacity can best be identified by the color that is painted on the ends of the springs.

text: Maintenance[edit]

text:
Maintenance of garage door is described in the manufacturer's instructions and consists of periodic checks for correct operation, visual inspection of parts, and lubrication.
[9][10]

text: Safety[edit]

text: Garage doors cause injury and property damage (including expensive damage to the door itself) in several different ways. The most common causes of injury from garage door systems include falling doors, pinch points, improperly adjusted opener force settings and safety eyes, attempts at do-it-yourself repair without the proper knowledge or tools, and uncontrolled release of spring tension (on extension spring systems).

text: A garage door with a broken spring, or the wrong strength spring, can fall. Because the effective mass of the door increases as the garage door sections transfer from the horizontal to vertical door tracks, a falling garage door accelerates rapidly. A free falling garage door can cause serious injury or death.

text: The sections and rollers on garage doors represent a major pinch hazard. Children should never be allowed near a moving garage door for this reason. On manually operated garage doors, handles should be installed vertically, to promote "vertical orientation of the hand".

text: Mechanical garage door openers can pull or push a garage door with enough force to injure or kill people and pets if they become trapped. All modern openers are equipped with “force settings” that make the door reverse if it encounters too much resistance while closing or opening. Any garage door opener sold in the United States after 1992 requires safety eyes—sensors that prevent the door from closing if obstructed. Force settings should cause a door to stop or reverse on encountering more than approximately 20 lbs (9.07 kg) of resistance. Safety eyes should be installed a maximum of six inches above the ground. Many garage door injuries, and nearly all garage door related property damage, can be avoided by following these precautions.

text: Certain parts, especially springs, cables, bottom brackets, and spring anchor plates, are under extreme tension. Injuries can occur if parts under tension are removed.

text: Extension spring systems should always be restrained by a safety cable that runs through the middle of the spring, tying off to a solid point at the rear and front of the horizontal door track. Extension springs represent a hazard to bystanders when a spring, pulley, or cable breaks under tension. Metal parts from extension spring systems can suddenly be launched.


document_title: Judge Judy

question_text: how many episodes of judge judy per year

question_tokens: how many episodes of judge judy per year

text: Judge Judy

text: Court show background[edit]

text: Origins[edit]

text: Sheindlin's pre-court show reputation as one of the toughest family court judges in the country was the topic of a February 14, 1993 edition of The Los Angeles Times written by—perhaps the man responsible for initiating her entertainment career—Josh Getlin (copy of the article here).[15][16] On May 21, 1993, Joseph Wapner was released from The People's Court. Sheindlin called up the program and said, "You know, if he doesn't want to do this show any more, I can do it." The receptionist snapped, "Are you crazy, lady?" and hung up.[17] Getlin's Los Angeles Times article on Sheindlin caught the attention of 60 Minutes, which aired a segment on her on October 24, 1993.[18] The segment brought her national recognition and first led to an offer for her to write her own book. Sheindlin accepted the book offer, writing Don't Pee On My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining.

text: In 1995 two former People's Court producers, Kaye Switzer and Sandi Spreckman (now involved in a lawsuit against Sheindlin and CBS as of January 2018, claiming they are owed compensation for discovering her[19]), asked Sheindlin if she would like to preside over her own courtroom series,[20] and she eventually accepted.[20] Sheindlin and her producers originally wanted the show title to be "Her Honor" but the production company, Big Ticket Television, decided on calling it "Hot Bench" instead,[21][22] even promoting the show as "Hot Bench With Judge Judy" for some time prior to the show's début.[23] However, Big Ticket ultimately decided on "Judge Judy".[24]

text: Petri Hawkins-Byrd, the court show's bailiff, was also Sheindlin's bailiff throughout her career in the Manhattan Family Court system. When Byrd found out about Sheindlin's show, he sent her a congratulatory letter, stating, "If you ever need a bailiff, I still look good in uniform." She phoned Byrd at his home in California to accept his offer and he has been the show's bailiff since its debut. Byrd is the longest-running bailiff in courtroom programming history. Sheindlin has stated that the show's producers desired different individuals for the role, but she refused.

text: Sheindlin appeared again on 60 Minutes on April 30, 2003. During the interview, Sheindlin stated:

text: I have a contract with the company to do the program through the 2006 season. At that point, we will have produced this program for 10 years. Right now, I would be satisfied with a good 10-year run. I think that would really be phenomenal. It would be lovely if we could end on a high note and for me to say "10 years and I still had people watching and I had a second career that was a blast."[21]

text: On September 14, 2015, Sheindlin began celebrating her 20th season anniversary presiding on Judge Judy. The program is the first in the court show genre to make it to 20 seasons without cancellation as well as the first to make it to this extent under one arbitrator. Her distinction as television's longest serving judge or arbitrator rewarded Sheindlin a place in the Guinness World Records on September 14, 2015.[25]

text: On-air format[edit]

text: Each episode of Judge Judy begins with an introductory preview of the main case, sensationalizing various moments of the case with dramatic music, voice-over commentary, graphics, etc. This is followed by the show's opening music video. At the beginning of each court proceeding, information regarding who is suing whom and what for is revealed originally by voice-over artist Michael Stull, who was later replaced by the show's current voice-over artist Jerry Bishop. Sheindlin typically begins each case by questioning the parties as to dates, times, locations and other facts central to the lawsuit. Monopolizing the discourse throughout the cases, Sheindlin will sometimes only listen to bits and pieces of each of the testimonies as she is quick to reply and tends to disallow responses that are not concise or made during her desire to speak.[26] Sometimes, however, Sheindlin will allow one or both of the opposing litigants to recount the entirety of their testimony. While delivering their testimony, litigants are not allowed to hesitate and must maintain fixed eye contact with Sheindlin at all times. Further, litigants are not allowed to speak out of turn or talk to each other. Small children who do not testify are usually removed from the courtroom at the start of the litigation, and unruly co-litigants and witnesses (and once an audience member who laughed too awkwardly during the proceedings) are ejected for disobeying the judge.

text: Like most modern court shows, cases on Judge Judy imitate small claims court cases in which civil trials (non-criminal cases) are heard and ruled on. Typically Sheindlin handles cases among former lovers, disputing neighbors, or family and friend relations.[27] Disputes generally revolve around issues such as broken engagements, unpaid personal loans, contract breaches, personal injuries from other litigants or their pets, minor property damages (e.g., fender benders, carpet stains, etc.), the fate of jointly purchased household appliances and rightful ownership of property.[27] As is standard practice in small claims court and most reality court shows alike, Judge Judy proceedings operate in the form of a bench trial (as opposed to its more common counterpart, the jury trial). Moreover, lawyers are not present and litigants must defend themselves.[28]

text: When the show goes into the first two commercial breaks, the voice-over sounds, stating "Judge Judy continues in a moment", followed by a preview of the remainder of the ongoing case, sometimes along with the following case, is typically shown. When the show comes out of the first two commercial breaks, the voice-over sounds, stating "Real cases, Real people, Judge Judy", followed by a verbal recap of the ongoing case. When the show comes out of the last commercial break, the voice-over sounds again, this time providing the show's telephone number and website to submit cases.[4] Generally each show presents two cases, but infrequently, an episode will present a single long case, three shorter ones, or even four shorter ones.

text: After expressing her views of the circumstances and behaviors of the litigants with regards to their testimonies, Sheindlin renders the judgment either by finding for the plaintiff (typically with the statement, "Judgment for the plaintiff in the amount of x dollars. We're done."), by dismissing the case, or by dismissing the case specifically without prejudice. Any counterclaims filed are handled similarly to this. Counterclaims are handled subsequently in the same segment, though often cursorily by Sheindlin as many counterclaims on the program have been filed out of vindictiveness as opposed to legitimacy. At the end of each case, there is typically an afterthoughts segment for the litigants. In these segments, the plaintiff(s), the defendant(s), and sometimes their witnesses deliver a monologue, expressing their feelings regarding the case directly to the viewers at home by speaking into the camcorder. Sometimes, however, these segments are omitted, especially after cases involving resentful litigants, too upset over the circumstances to remain in the studio and provide comment.[29]

text: Inner workings[edit]

text: The producers of Judge Judy hire extras from an audience service who compose the entire studio. Paid audience members are easier to control due to agreements and employment. They don't have to be trained or debriefed as much as your average person on how to act to make those in the spotlight look good. Producers also seek a certain demographic of individuals and seat them strategically throughout their audience. Most of these paid extras are aspiring actors.[16][30] Though tickets are not offered for the show, arrangements can sometimes be made with Sheindlin's production staff to allow fans of the show into the audience. The extras must not dress casually, and no logos or brand names may be visible on their clothing. Extras are also instructed to appear as if they are having discussions with each other before and after each case, so the bailiff may make such announcements as "Order! All rise."[31]

text: Audience members are not to make any noises during the proceedings and, unlike other court shows, may not applaud the judge or rightful litigant upon praiseworthy remarks; although on some occasions when Sheindlin delivers a crushing remark for a particularly egregious or ludicrous act, the audience is seen laughing or applauding without Sheindlin silencing them. For the most part, however, Sheindlin is seen bringing the audience to order (with a fountain pen; she never uses a gavel) and admonishing them for engaging in any such noise throughout the cases.

text: To acquire cases, the show generally uses one of the following three options:

text:
Its 60 to 65 researchers, spread out across the country, enter small claims courts and photocopy numerous cases. These photocopied cases are then sent to Judge Judy producers, who review them all in search of lawsuits they believe will make for good television. According to the show's producers, only 3% of the photocopied cases are worthy enough for television.[16]
Its telephone number posting/announcement presented on each episode for interested individuals to call in with lawsuits.
Its website whereby lawsuits can be written out and submitted into the show.[32]

text: After one of these three processes, if the producers are interested, their employees will then call both parties and ask them questions relating to their lawsuit, making sure they're suitable for Judge Judy. If the parties agree to be on the show and sign a waiver, agreeing that arbitration in Sheindlin's court is final and cannot be pursued elsewhere (unless Sheindlin dismisses the lawsuit without prejudice), their case will air on Judge Judy.[33]

text: The award limit on Judge Judy, as on most "syndi-court" shows (and most small claims courts in the U.S.), is $5,000. The award for each judgment is paid by the producers of the show from a fund reserved for the purpose.[34] Sheindlin rules by either A.) issuing a verdict of a specific dollar amount (not always in the full amount of what is requested and rarely if ever in excess of what is requested even if she believes complainants are deserving of more) or B.) by dismissing the lawsuit altogether. When ruled on in these manners, cases cannot be refiled or retried elsewhere. However, if Sheindlin specifically dismisses the lawsuit "without prejudice", that lawsuit may be refiled and retried in another forum. In some instances, Sheindlin has dismissed cases without prejudice deliberately so that complainants pursue defendants in an actual court of law so that the defendants themselves are held financially accountable, this as opposed to the show. In such cases, Sheindlin has expressed particular aversion to the defendants in question.[35] Further, Sheindlin has dismissed cases without prejudice when she has suspected both the plaintiff(s) and defendant(s) of conspiring together just to gain monetary rewards from the program.[35]

text: Both the plaintiff(s) and the defendant(s) also receive an appearance fee. The appearance fee amount has varied as between different litigants of the show: certain litigants have reported receiving a $500 appearance fee while others have reported receiving $100, and others $250.[36][37] In addition to the appearance fee amount, litigants are paid $35 a day by the show.[37] The litigants' stay lasts for the number of days that the show does taping for that week, which is two or three days. [38] In addition, the airfare (or other means of travel) and hotel expenses of the litigants and their witnesses are covered by the show, and the experience is generally treated as an all-expense-paid vacation outside of the actual court case.[37] If there is an exchange of property, Sheindlin signs an order, and a sheriff or marshal oversees the exchange.[39] Sheindlin sees only a half-page complaint and a defense response prior to the taping of the cases, sometimes only moments before.[40] Most of the cases, not including any footage deleted to meet the time constraints of the show, usually last anywhere from twelve to forty-five minutes.[41][42]

text: Judge Judy, like most court programs, is inexpensive to produce and thus creates considerable income. A budget for a week's worth of Judge Judy episodes is half the cost of a single network sitcom episode.[43]

text: Recordings and airings[edit]

text: Three days every other week (two weeks a month), Sheindlin and her producers tape the court show.[24] They usually produce ten to twelve cases for each day they tape the show. This makes for about a week's worth of episodes, all done within one day. Anywhere from thirty to thirty-six cases are taped over three days during the week. Sheindlin appeared as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 13, 2011. When asked by Kimmel how many days a month she works, Sheindlin replied, "Five days." [44]Sheindlin and her producers sometimes tape only five cases per day and two days per week.[10][45] The show has fifty-two taping days a year.[46] For each season, some 650 claims are brought to the set to be "presided" over by Judge Judy.[10] This means approximately 8,450 claims have been brought to Judy Sheindlin's Hollywood set as of the end of its thirteenth season (2008–09).

text: For the most part, cases are taped all throughout the year except for two breaks Sheindlin and all of the staff members of her show have for the year. One of the two breaks includes an extra week off in December, as the show is only taped one week out of that month because of the holidays. The other break is from mid-July (only taping one week in July) and all through August. According to members of the show, the reason for this break is that people are more interested in taking vacations than in filing lawsuits around that time.[47] When the show premieres in September, only the best episodes of the ones taped before Sheindlin's break are selected to begin out the season. Thus, the first few weeks (the first week in particular) will consist of what the show feels to be its best episodes. In Sheindlin's words, "It's like drinking wine. You don't serve the really good bottle of wine third."[48]

text: Altogether, there are 260 new episodes each season. There is at least one new episode for every weekday, with the exception of a few hiatuses during most of the summer and a couple of holidays.[49] The cases are all pre-recorded for editing purposes and will usually air one to three months after being taped. The cases are mixed up and not shown in order of when they were recorded.[50] While the cases taped in March end the seasons, the cases taped throughout April, May, June, and July start out each season in September and last through October.[51] Throughout the very beginning of each season, two new Judge Judy episodes air per day. After two weeks, this is reduced to one new airing a day, followed by a repeat. There are also various other moments throughout the year where two new episodes are shown for a few weeks. This has sometimes included January when the show returns from its winter hiatus. Two new episodes are also shown daily during the "sweeps" months of November, February, and May. Unlike other television programs, the Judge Judy season finale does not air in April or May; rather, it airs in June, July, or August. When the season finale is extended to July or August, most of the summer episodes preceding it are repeats with new episodes that are few and far in-between.

text: Two DVDs, featuring "memorable cases," have been released by the show: the first in 2007, "Judge Judy: Justice Served," and the second in 2008, "Judge Judy: Second To None."[52]

text: Location[edit]

text: Judge Judy tapes at the Sunset Bronson Studios on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California.[53] In alternating weeks, Sheindlin, who owns a home in New York among other cities/states, flies out on her private jet to tape Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.[24]

text: As of 2014, the Judge Judy set is located directly beside the set of the courtroom series Sheindlin created and produces, Hot Bench. Both shows are taped in the same studio. Previous to that, the space directly beside Sheindlin's set was used for the courtroom series Paternity Court for the 2013-14 season.[54] Prior to that, the space was used for Judge Judy's long-running former sister show Judge Joe Brown; that is, until Judge Joe Brown's 2013 cancellation. Like Judge Judy was and still is, Judge Joe Brown was also produced by Big Ticket Entertainment until its cancellation.[41] The two shows alternated taping weeks. Despite the show being taped primarily in California, it displays various images of New York City upon returning from commercial breaks, including a subway train and official signs bearing "State of New York" and "Family Court" (Sheindlin was previously a New York family court judge)[55] within the letterbox-like graphics used going to and from breaks since the ninth season. The set features a New York state flag behind Sheindlin's seat.

text: Remodeling[edit]

text: Over its existence, the show has changed very little from season to season.[56] Most modifications to the program have been done in minute detail, such as to the show's book shelf display seen near the courtroom entrance. Aesthetically, the show's theme song, graphics, and color scheme are the only aspects that have changed repeatedly over its past eighteen years.[57] The ninth season (2004–05) is one of few seasons in which the show underwent major remodeling when music for the show's opening, closing, and to/from commercial portions were modified. A modern version of a melody from Beethoven's 5th Symphony was then adopted as the show's opening theme song. This arrangement was composed by Non-Stop Music Productions.[58] For its scenes, Sheindlin is shown in a different courtroom from her own (part of a proposed renovation to the courtroom that was rejected by Sheindlin for being too dark), approaching the camera, followed by folding her arms and smiling at the camera. This is followed by showing various scenes of her presiding over different cases. As part of these modifications, the show's introductory previews, graphics, and images all began showing up in falu red.

text: Prior to the ninth season, the show used an original tune for its theme song composed by Bill Bodine. From the show's debut through its eighth season, various versions of this original tune were used, the show making moderate modifications to the tune every few seasons, as shown here and here. The actual full-length version of this original musical, which never played during the show's intro, played during the lengthier litigant-afterthought-segments as shown (full-length musical used for 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02). From seasons four through eight, the opening music video commenced with an approaching scene towards a computer animated courthouse display up until that scene entered into the courthouse. From there, several shots of Sheindlin gesticulating from her bench—as though presiding over various cases—were displayed in motion. These motioning images eventually developed into the courthouse logo that represents the program (the logo always displayed within the letter "D" in "Judy") by the end of this opening music video. The music video in seasons prior to this used relatively similar music with disparities in scenes, images, instrumental sound type and theme song length.

text: Further, early seasons of the show used graphics and images that were sea green and saffron. Blue and saffron then came to represent multiple seasons of the show before the show's current color scheme. By the show's sixth season (2001–02), music and graphics used in the introductory previews no longer resembled the rest of the program as they had previously, but instead used a high blue color scheme and a different song for each episode/intro preview. While the introductory preview's inconstant tunes have continued to the present season, the color scheme in the introductory previews began resembling the color scheme used in the rest of the program (falu red) once again by the ninth season.

text: Each opening music video consists of Voice-Over Artist Jerry Bishop stating: "You are about to enter the courtroom of Judge Judith Sheindlin. The people are real. The cases are real. The rulings are final. This is Judge Judy."[59] Originally between the statements "The rulings are final" and "This is Judge Judy" was the statement, "This is her courtroom."[60] This was removed in 2004. Beginning in September 2012, the show made a switch to high definition with its 17th season. The bumpers between commercials are also in HD, although most on-screen graphics such as plaintiff and defendant descriptions are framed to fit a 4:3 aspect ratio.[61]

text: By the 20th season beginning in September 2015, the show began using a shortened, scanty version of the same intro it had been using for 10 years since its 9th season. Both the Beethoven remix and lyrics have been curtailed. The present lyrics state only "You are about to enter the courtroom of Judge Judith Sheindlin. This is Judge Judy." In addition to not using much of an intro theme any longer, a "20th anniversary" caption is depicted above the "Judge Judy" logo in the intro. These are the only two updates for season 20.

text: Episode Specials[edit]

text: Primetime Judge Judy[edit]

text: On May 20, 2014, CBS aired a one-hour special called Judge Judy Primetime which aired at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The special was a combination of reshown clips from the 1993 60 Minutes Special on Sheindlin, as well as a few never-previously-seen cases. The special marked Judge Judy's first airing in primetime, a landmark for court shows which are typically limited to daytime or late night hours.[62][63] Although the special didn't rank nearly as high as Dancing with the Stars (14.86 million) and The Voice (11.57 million), it brought in 5.66 million viewers, enough to make it the night's top rated show on CBS. In addition, the special came in just behind American Idol, which brought in 6.61 million viewers.[64]

text: Contrived case[edit]

text: At least some of the cases on the series have been circumstances that were allegedly contrived by the litigants just to receive monetary payment from the program.

text: In April 2013, former litigants from a 2010 airing of the show revealed they conspired together in fabricating a lawsuit in which the logical outcome would be to grant payment to the plaintiff. The operation, devised by musicians Kate Levitt and Jonathan Coward, was successful: Sheindlin awarded the plaintiff (Levitt) $1,250. The litigants involved also walked away with an appearance fee of $250 each and an all expense paid vacation to Hollywood, California. In reality, all the litigants in question—plaintiffs and defendants alike—were friends who split the earnings up among each other. It was also reported that the show's producers were in on the sham and knew of the contrivance all along but went along with it. The lawsuit was over the fictitious death of a cat as a result of a television crushing it.[65][66]

text: Curb Your Enthusiasm pseudo-Judge Judy case featuring Sheindlin[edit]

text: Sheindlin and her program appeared on the November 26, 2017 broadcast of Curb Your Enthusiasm, presiding over a sketch comedy court case with Larry David as the plaintiff. The pseudo-Judge Judy case assumed the appearance of an actual case from Sheindlin's program, taking place from the show's courtroom set with trademarked voice-over briefs, theme music and audience response, as shown.[67]

text: Judge Judy Sheindlin[edit]

text: Judge Judy was born on October 21, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York, to German-Jewish parents Murray and Ethel Blum. Sheindlin described her father, a dentist, as "the greatest thing since sliced bread" and her mother as "a meat-and-potatoes kind of gal." It was reported in October 2012 that Sheindlin had a $45 million yearly contract with CBS Television Distribution, in effect until 2015 and up $20 million from 2007.[68] It was later reported in October 2013 that Sheindlin is the highest paid TV star, earning $47 million per year for Judge Judy, which translates into just over $900,000 per workday (she works 52 days per year).[69]

text: Judy has gained a reputation as a judge in both the family court and on television for her no-nonsense fact-finding, brusque management, and incisive decision-making.[70][71] In line with these attributes, her program has been touted as "a show where justice is dispensed at the speed of light." Moreover, resolute in her rulings, arguments and excuses are often to no avail under Sheindlin.[72]

text: Strict in her management of the proceedings,[73] Sheindlin coerces precise compliance of rules and is very quick to scold or even punish what she perceives as disobedience, misbehavior or even annoyance. And as result of her gruff disposition,[74] volatile temper,[75] and frequent saucy treatment,[76] taglines such as "Justice with an Attitude" have been used to characterize the program.[77] As examples of this, Sheindlin has regularly made such remarks as:

text: "Baloney!", "Do I have 'stupid' written over my forehead?",[78] "I'm here because I'm smart, not because I'm young and gorgeous, although I am",[78] "If you live to be 100, you will never be as smart as I am, sir",[78] "Clearly you are not wrapped too tight",[79] "Where did you think you were coming to today, a tea party?!",[80] "I'm speaking!",[80] "If you interrupt again madam, your case is dismissed, and I'm throwing you out. Do we understand each other?",[80] "I've been in this business for over 40 years",[80] "Do I look like I need help from you?",[80] "That's a lot of who shot John",[81] "This is my playpen",[80] etc.

text: Spawning from her "Judge Judy: Justice Served" DVD, Sheindlin's regular phrases on the program have become known as "Judyisms".[82] Some of these Judyisms are intended to provide a lesson, such as "A good deed never goes unpunished", "Beauty fades, dumb is forever", "If It doesn't make sense, it's not true", "Do you know when teenagers are lying? When their mouths move."[80] Sheindlin has used the position of television arbitrator to impart guidance, direction, and life lessons not only to her litigants but her viewers and public at large. An example of guidance often stressed by Sheindlin is to be independent through employment, especially so as to not live off the government where unwarranted or other people directly where oppression from or friction with the provider may eventuate. In the former, Sheindlin can often be quoted as stating, "No, you aren't supporting yourself. Byrd and I are supporting you."[83][84] Sheindlin has stated that the main message she wants viewers to take from her program is that people must take responsibility for their actions and do the right thing.[49][85]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Nielsen Ratings by season[edit]

text: Judge Judy went on the air in September 1996. By the end of October of that year, the show was averaging only a 1.5 rating, putting it in the mid-rank of the 159 syndicated shows on the air. At that time, it was never expected that the show's ratings would ever compete with highly successful daytime TV shows of the time, such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show and The Jerry Springer Show.[49] According to Biography's documentary film on Sheindlin, "Judge Judy: Sitting in Judgment" (aired February 21, 2000),[86] producers of Judge Judy were disappointed that the show was barely making it on the radar. However, it did not take long for the court show to pick up momentum as Judge Judy rose to a 2.1 rating by the end of that first season. By its 2nd season (1997–98), the court show had already risen into the 4 ratings ranges, averaging a 4.3.[87]

text: The 3rd season (1998–99) of Judge Judy was the show's first season as the highest-rated program in daytime television, having surpassed the highly rated Jerry Springer Show and even then daytime powerhouse The Oprah Winfrey Show for the first time[88] (King World Productions which launched Oprah was a corporate sibling of CBS Television Studios, which distributed Judge Judy): the program's ratings more than doubled to a 5.6 for that season, marking Judge Judy as an early success.[89]

text: It was due, in part, to this early success that daytime television began to feature more court programming, such as a revival of The People's Court that re-debuted in fall 1997. In 1999, Judge Judy moved from Worldvision Enterprises to Paramount Domestic Television, which also distributed her stablemate Judge Joe Brown and eventually Judge Mills Lane. Many other retired judges were given their own court shows in syndication due in large part to Sheindlin's popularity. These include Greg Mathis, Glenda Hatchett, Alex Ferrer, Maria Lopez, Karen Mills-Frances, Cristina Perez, David Young, and many others. In addition, the series helped to spawn various nontraditional court programs. These include the reality-based revival of Divorce Court, which was originally presided over by Mablean Ephriam and now helmed by Lynn Toler; the short-lived Power of Attorney, capturing various high-profile attorneys arguing cases for litigants in front of Andrew Napolitano; Street Court, which took litigation outside of the courtroom; Jury Duty, featuring an all-celebrity jury hearing cases presided over by Bruce Cutler; etc. Furthermore, the role of Judge Judy in the rise in popularity of daytime court shows enabled several other non-real life judges to preside over courts, such as Nancy Grace, Jeanine Pirro, and Gloria Allred.

text: Also, partly due to Sheindlin's popularity, the producers of The People's Court decided to replace Ed Koch with Sheindlin's husband, Jerry Sheindlin, as their presiding judge during The People's Court's 3rd present life season/15th overall season (1999–2000); this meant that husband and wife would be either part of the same afternoon lineup or competing for ratings against each other. This experiment, however, did not last long as midway through The People's Court's fourth season, Sheindlin was replaced by the show's current judge, Marilyn Milian.[89][90]

text: For its 4th season (1999–00), Judy's ratings exploded to their highest to date, peaking at a 9.3 rating. At this point, Sheindlin's courtroom series was still more than ever the highest rated program in daytime. It was also at this point that Judge Judy held a record of increasing its ratings for each successive season since its debut. Because of the program's success, Judge Judy began airing at better time periods.[89]

text: It was by the show's 5th season (2000–01) that Judy's streak of growing in ratings from season to season since its debut had ceased. However, the court show still remained the highest-rated program in daytime that season with a 5.6 rating.[57] By the 6th season (2001–02), Judy was no longer the highest-rated program in daytime, beaten out by The Oprah Winfrey Show. The court show averaged a 5.0 rating that season.[57] Likewise, for her 7th season (2002–03), she also averaged a 5.0.[57] For her 8th season (2003–04), Sheindlin finally reversed the season-to-season downward turn in her ratings by averaging a 7.1.[91] Of the seven running court shows during the 2004–05 season, most of them earned a 3.63 rating; however, Judge Judy pulled in a 7.5 rating for that season (the show's 9th).[89] For her 10th season (2005–06), Judge Judy averaged a 4.8 rating.[92] Judge Judy averaged 4.6 rating for her 11th season (2006–07). Meanwhile, other programs in the genre were trailing Sheindlin from a vast distance (as has been the case since the debut of Judge Judy): Judge Joe Brown averaged a 2.9 rating; The People's Court averaged a 2.7; Judge Mathis averaged a 2.4; Divorce Court averaged a 2.0; Judge Alex averaged 1.9; Judge Hatchett averaged a 1.5; rookies--Cristina's Court averaged a 1.4, and Judge Maria Lopez came in last, averaging a 1.0 rating.[93]

text: For its 12th season (2007–08), Judge Judy averaged a 4.8 rating (4.8 HH AA%/7.4 HH GAA% rating) and 9.9 million average daily viewers.[52] Judy was the only first-run syndication program to increase in ratings for that season from the previous, leading CBS to immediately extend her contract through the 2012–13 season.[94] For its 13th season (2008–09), the show averaged a 4.2 rating (4.2 HH AA%/6.5 HH GAA% rating) and 9.02 million average daily viewers.[95] Its 14th season (2009–10) marked the first season in nearly a decade since the 2000–01 season that any daytime television program had been able to surpass The Oprah Winfrey Show's ratings (Judge Judy is also the show in question that during the 2000–01 television season surpassed The Oprah Winfrey Show in daytime TV ratings): Judy broke Winfrey's near decade-long streak with a 4.4 rating (4.4 HH AA%/6.9 HH GAA% rating) and 9.6 million average daily viewers.[96] It was also at that point that Sheindlin's courtroom series became the highest rated show in all of daytime television programming.[97] Judy secured this title in its 15th season (2010–11) as the program remained ahead of Oprah in her [Oprah] final season and the highest-rated daytime television offering, averaging a 5.11 rating[98] and 9.6 million viewers.[99] During this season, Judy also became the highest rated show in first-run syndication.[100] Late that same season in May 2011, as a result of continued high ratings, CBS again extended Sheindlin's contract, this time through the 2014–15 season (the show's 19th).[101]

text: In the first post-Oprah television season, the court show continued its reign as the most dominant show in daytime and also became the top-rated show in syndication, its 16th season (2011–12) racking up a 7.0 rating and 9.29 million average daily viewers.[102] As the top-rated show in all of syndication at this point, Sheindlin defeated first-run syndication programs and off-network syndication programs (rerun episodes of programs off their original network).[103] The title of overall syndication leader was previously held by off-network syndicated program Two and a Half Men (2010–11) and before that, first-run syndicated program Wheel of Fortune (2009–10).[104][105]

text: For its 17th season (2012–13), Judge Judy once again pulled in a 7.0 household rating.[100][107] The series delivered 9.63 million average daily viewers that season, growing by +32,000 viewers over the prior season.[108] Despite this, Judy lost its 1st place spot as the ratings leader in all of syndication that season, descending to 2nd place, only a tad behind The Big Bang Theory (off-network syndicate) which took home a 7.1 for that season. Still and all, this was the 3rd season in a row that Judy earned the title of ratings leader in all of first-run syndication.[100] Moreover, this was the 4th consecutive season that Judy was the ratings leader in all of daytime television programming.[109] For the 18th season (2013–14), Judy rose to a 7.2 household rating and brought in 9.94 million viewers, gaining 8% over its prior season. Also for this season, the show reclaimed the title as highest rated program in all of daytime (5th consecutive time, 8th time overall) and all of syndication (3rd time).[110][111] The show's 19th season (2014–15) pulled in a 7.0 household rating and remained the highest rated program in both daytime television as well as all of syndication.[112] The 20th season (2015–16) was Judy's 3rd consecutive year as syndication's top strip, the court show averaging a 7.0 full-season household rating.[113]

text: For its 21st season (2016-17), Judge Judy trounced all of its competitors in daytime and all of syndication. The court show scored a 6.8 household rating for its 21st season.[114][115]

text: Preeminence and success in struggling genre[edit]

text: The success of Judge Judy is particularly noteworthy in that, generally speaking, courtroom programming has a very limited shelf life. The shows in this genre are lucky to make it past a few seasons. In addition, most of the programs in this genre do not score very highly in ratings. The annual Forbes magazine Celebrity 100 for 2015 lists Judge Judy Sheindlin at number 43, along with Vin Diesel, with estimated earnings last year of $47 million.

text: Of the long list of court shows, the only programs still existent in the genre originating in the 1990s or prior are Divorce Court (1957), The People's Court (1981), Judge Judy (1996) and Judge Mathis (1999). Of those four, only Judge Judy and Judge Mathis have not suffered a temporary cancellation in their series run before a revival. Also of the four, Sheindlin and Mathis are the only two to have hosted their program for their entire run. This makes Sheindlin the genre's longest serving courtroom arbitrator. Greg Mathis is the second longest serving court show arbitrator, trailing Sheindlin by three seasons. As Divorce Court and The People's Court have both suffered temporary cancellation(s), Judge Judy has had the longest individual life of any court show followed by Judge Mathis.

text: Judge Judy producer Randy Douthit has stated that "they are guilty of cannibalizing each other. Most of these court shows are lucky to get above a 1 rating today."[116]

text: Addressing the subject in a September 2015 interview, Sheindlin stated: "It's clearly not the format since there are many court shows. So it has to be the message and the messenger and some excellent directing, which is why the show looks so good. The message is a simple one: it's your life, take responsibility for it, say you're sorry and fess up when you do something wrong. That has to be delivered in an entertaining way and, fortunately, I don't have to act. I don't have a script. It is what it is."[117]

text: Judge Mathis takes on Judy, her success and racial/gender privilege[edit]

text: In a January 2018 interview, Judge Mathis—the second longest serving arbitrator in the court television genre, surpassed only by Judge Judy's 3 year lead over him—suggested that Sheindlin has benefited from a white female privilege that he himself was never afforded in making a name for himself in the courtroom genre.

text: In speaking on the early days of his courtroom series, Mathis stated:

text: With that in mind, Mathis added that he decided to change things up and be “a little comical and a little socially conscious.”

text: Mathis also took care to note of his high opinion of Sheindlin. Ever humbly, he stated that he did not deserve her salary, that Sheindlin's salary is owed to her because of her impressive ratings and that she even "ran Oprah off television" with ratings that surpassed hers [Oprah]. He added [jokingly] that he is way behind Judge Judy.[118]

text: Audience makeup[edit]

text: Judge Judy's daytime audience is composed of approximately seventy-five percent women and twenty-five percent men.[47] In February 2014, it was reported that Judge Judy's audience is mostly composed of older women, blacks, and Latinos.[119]

text: Criticisms[edit]

text: Sheindlin vs. Joseph Wapner[edit]

text: Despite her widespread popularity, Sheindlin's behavior and treatment of the parties that have appeared before her has often been the subject of criticism. Regular viewers of the program have also been criticized as sadistic for their delight in watching Sheindlin engage in her typical behaviors.[120] One such example of criticism has come from the first star of arbitration-based reality court shows, Joseph Wapner. Wapner, who presided over The People's Court from 1981 to 1993, is a long-time critic of Sheindlin. On November 26, 2002, Wapner criticized Judge Judy's courtroom behavior, stating "She is not portraying a judge as I view a judge should act. Judge Judy is discourteous, and she's abrasive. She's not slightly insulting. She's insulting in capital letters."

text: Judge Judy replied through her publicist, stating, "I refuse to engage in similar mud slinging. I don't know where or by whom Judge Wapner was raised. But my parents taught me when you don't have something nice to say about someone, say nothing. Clearly, Judge Wapner was absent on the day that lesson was taught."

text: Since then, Wapner has stated, "She is a disgrace to the profession. She does things I don't think a judge should do. She tells people to shut up. She's rude. She's arrogant. She demeans people. If she does this on purpose, then that's even worse. Judges need to observe certain standards of conduct. She just doesn't do it and I resent that. The public is apt to gain the impression that this is how actual judges conduct themselves. It says 'judge' on the nameplate on the bench and she's wearing a robe."[121]

text: Sheindlin has since stated, "As a young person, when I had watched The People's Court. . . I said 'you know what, I could do that.' And at least as well because while Joe Wapner is a very good judge, didn't have much of a sense of humor. And I always knew from a very practical perspective that you have to marry those two things in order to be successful in entertainment."[20]

text: In a November 2013 interview with Larry King, Sheindlin was asked whether she enjoyed watching Wapner on The People's Court. She replied, "Meh! Oatmeal!" Following this, King asked her what if any other television judges then did she enjoy, to which Sheindlin answered "Mills Lane" of Judge Mills Lane.[122]

text: Acclaim[edit]

text: In a September 2014 Rickey Smiley Morning Show interview, Judge Mathis was asked what 3 other court show judges he'd most enjoy sharing a meal with. For his first choice, he answered (laughing) "Are you kidding?! It would be Judge Judy at the head of the table. Oh my goodness, that Judge Judy is something else." His second choice was Judge Marilyn Milian, and third Judge Mills Lane.[123]

text: In August, 2010, rapper, singer and songwriter Nicki Minaj stated that she has an obsession with Judge Judy and that all of her free time is spent watching the program.[124]

text: In February 2013, then head Football coach for the San Francisco 49ers, Jim Harbaugh, was asked about the importance of truthfulness and enthusiastically remarked, "Somebody that's not truthful? That's big to me. I'm a big fan of the "Judge Judy" show. When you lie in Judge Judy's courtroom, it's over. Your credibility is completely lost, and you stand no chance of winning that case. So I learned that from her. It's very powerful and true. If somebody lies to you, how can you trust anything they ever say after that?"[125][126][127][128]

text: A couple months later, Harbaugh would even attend tapings of Judge Judy along with his father as audience members. As part of the experience, Harbaugh and his father had lunch with Sheindlin and visited with her both before and after tapings. After meeting Sheindlin and seeing cases in person, Harbaugh stated, "I've never seen Judy adjudicate one improperly. She is so smart. She is so good. I could sit there and watch those cases all day. I really could. It's fun to watch somebody that does their job well. I could watch Judge Judy do cases all day. I could watch people play football who do their job really well. People who direct traffic. I get a real kick out of watching people who direct traffic do it. I've done it for hours. I like football the most, but Judge Judy is right up there. She's the best."[125][126]

text: Brad Adgate, senior vice president of research for Horizon Media, said "Judge Judy is the new Oprah of daytime TV-actually, she was [already] beating Oprah while Oprah was still on."[12]

text: President and CEO of CBS, Leslie Moonves, stated "Over the last few decades, there have been very few shows that have achieved the remarkable success that she has. Not only has Judy sustained that success year after year, how many shows grow in their 15th or 16th year in syndication? She started as a fresh voice and she's been a remarkable presence in daytime television ever since."[129]

text: Many regular viewers and supporters of Judge Judy have defended Sheindlin's treatment of the parties that have appeared before her by describing the parties as an "endless parade of idiots" that Sheindlin has had to put up with.[130][131][132]

text: Lawsuits involving Sheindlin, executive producer, Big Ticket, and CBS[edit]

text: Judge Judy executive producer Randy Douthit has been sued twice by former staff members of the Judge Judy program for alleged wrongful termination, discriminatory practice, and mismanagement while on the job.

text: Racism termination lawsuit[edit]

text: In December 2007, Jonathan Sebastien, a former producer of the Judge Judy show of 7 years, filed a lawsuit against the production company in L.A. County Superior Court for wrongful termination. Sebastien claimed that when he proposed certain cases for the show involving black litigants, Douthit turned them down with his alleged reasons being he didn't want to see any more black people; their behaviors were too ghetto and more suited for former television jurist, Joe Brown; and they needed more pretty, upscale white people. Sebastien claimed that in January 2007, he objected to the alleged discrimination in a meeting and was verbally abused by Douthit. Three months later on March 30, Sebastien stated he was fired with the reason given that rating numbers were down. Sebastien claimed that the real reason he was fired was because he opposed his boss's alleged "discriminatory selection process."[133][134]

text: Ageism lawsuit[edit]

text: That same day in December 2007, the show's former associate producer Karen Needle was also fired. She later sued Douthit, claiming that she was wrongfully terminated because she was too old, 64 at the time. Sheindlin was not named as a defendant. Needle, who helped book audiences for the program, stated the reason she was given for being fired was "unspecified conflict from her audience work." Needle said she began suffering from back pain, sometimes even resorting to lying on the ground in pain, and when she asked her bosses for a new chair, nothing was done. According to the complaint, two weeks before Needle was fired, she took off four days to assist her ailing 88-year-old mother. Needle stated, "There is a lot of terrible stuff going on if two people file separate lawsuits. It's a toxic situation over there. This is supposed to be Judge Judy, the voice of justice, and yet her own staff isn't treated well. What is she getting paid all that money for if her own staff is treated with such little decency?"[134]

text: Conspiracy/fraud allegations[edit]

text: In March 2013, a lawsuit was filed against Sheindlin by Patric Jones, the estranged wife of Douthit. Jones alleged Douthit and Sheindlin had conspired to permit Sheindlin to buy Christofle fine china and Marley cutlery owned by Jones. She said Sheindlin had paid Douthit $50,815 for the items without her knowledge to deprive her of her valuables,[135] and she sought $514,421 from Sheindlin. The suit ended after Sheindlin returned the tableware to Douthit and Jones agreed to pay Douthit $12,500 and have the tableware handed back to her.[136]

text: Lawsuit by production against YouTube user[edit]

text: On October 17, 2013, Big Ticket Television and producers of Judge Judy filed a lawsuit against Ignacio De Los Angeles. The suit was made against the individual for posting an episode of Judge Judy on YouTube. According to the suit, Big Ticket directed Ignacio to remove the 2006 episode of Judge Judy that he had posted. Ignacio ignored the command.[137][138]

text: Copyright lawsuit filed by Judy Sheindlin[edit]

text: On Wednesday, March 12, 2014, Sheindlin filed a lawsuit of her own for the first time in her life. The suit was filed against Hartford, Connecticut, personal injury lawyer John Haymond and his law firm. In the lawsuit, Sheindlin accused Haymond and his firm of using her television image without consent in advertisements that falsely suggested she endorsed him and his firm. In March 2013, Sheindlin's producer allegedly told the firm that the use of her image was not permitted, but ads continued. The lawsuit filed in federal court sought more than $75,000 in damages. Sheindlin said in her statement that any money she wins through the lawsuit will go toward college scholarships through the Her Honor Mentoring Program. Sheindlin described the unauthorized use of her name as "outrageous", stating, "Mr. Haymond is a lawyer and should know better."[139][140][141] Haymond later filed a countersuit for punitive damages and attorney's fees, alleging defamation of him and his firm by Sheindlin.[142] Haymond insisted that local affiliates asked him to appear in Judge Judy promos to promote Sheindlin for which he obliged.[143][144] On August 8, 2014, it was reported that the case between Sheindlin and Haymond settled out of court in a resolution that favored Sheindlin. Haymond will be donating money to Sheindlin's charity, Her Honor Mentoring Program.[145]

text: Lawsuit by Rebel Entertainment aimed at CBS and Sheindlin's salary[edit]

text: On March 14, 2016, talent agency Rebel Entertainment and its president, Richard Lawrence, filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against CBS Television, claiming the media giant failed to pay the agency millions of dollars in profits. Rebel claims they are owed profits and contractually agreed to for their contributions to launching the program and discovering Sheindlin through their terminated employees Kaye Switzer and Sandi Spreckman. The lawsuit alleges CBS hasn’t paid Rebel for the past six years because CBS told them the net profits that go to “Judge Judy” have been wiped out due to Sheindlin’s annual salary boost to $45 and then $47 million. The lawsuit goes on to attack Sheindlin's salary as being far too high. Rebel described it as "exorbitant" and "grossly inconsistent with customary practice in the television industry," that similarly successful talk show hosts aren't paid nearly as much. Further, Rebel claims they were to be consulted before any spin-offs of the show were produced, but were not when Hot Bench (another courtroom arbitrated show launched by Sheindlin and her producers) was created.[146][147] In response to the lawsuit, Sheindlin has stated:

text: When Sheindlin was deposed for this case in the summer of 2016, she matter-of-factly let CBS know as follows: “CBS had no choice but to pay me what I wanted because otherwise I could take it wherever I wanted to take it or do it myself. Their back’s to the wall. They pay me the money that they do because they have no choice. They can’t find another one.” This case, which seeks widespread unspecified damages, is ongoing and faces a March 2018 trial start.[148]

text: Lawsuit by Kaye Switzer and trust of Sandi Spreckman against Sheindlin, CBS and Big Ticket[edit]

text: On Friday, January 19, 2018, a breach-of-contract lawsuit—similar and loosely related to the case filed by Rebel Entertainment—was filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court against Sheindlin, CBS Corporation, CBS Studios and Big Ticket Television by Kaye Switzer and the trust of the now deceased Sandi Spreckman (copy of the lawsuit here). Switzer and Sandi Spreckman are former employees of Rebel Entertainment, terminated by the employer. Switzer and Spreckman’s trustee, Jay Robinson, claim they discovered and introduced Sheindlin to producer Larry Little, asserting that if not for this move that there would be no Judge Judy and thus they are owed monetary rewards. The lawsuit also states that Sheindlin sold "The Judge Judy Library" to CBS Television Distribution for a sales price of over $95,000,000 to the House of Leslie Moonves. Switzer and the Spreckman's trustee contend that they were not paid any monetary rewards by Sheindlin, CBS or Big Ticket in this transaction.[149]

text: Not taking the lawsuit as a concern, Sheindlin was quoted as regarding the subject of "Who is owed what as just background noise," and that the monster success of her show came from nothing more than the sweat of her brow and the force of her personality. Sheindlin was also quoted as stating she has "fond feelings of Kaye and Sandi" but that they were fired before her show ever started and that she personally never entered into a contract with either of them.[150]