Gideon's Trumpet is a 1980 American made-for-television historical drama film based on the biographical book of the same name written by Anthony Lewis.

[2] The film depicts the historical events before and during the 1963 United States Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright that brought the right of an attorney to criminal defendants who could not afford it and did not meet special requirements to get one for free.

The feature stars Henry Fonda as the titular Clarence Earl Gideon, José Ferrer as Abe Fortas, and John Houseman as the Chief Justice of the United States.

[12] The story starts with the title character Clarence Earl Gideon looking into the camera and remarking how he would try to give a full account of his situation, even though he may not remember everything.

The film shifts to a bar in Panama City, Florida, in summer 1961, where several people notice the pool room was broken into and money stolen from the register.

While there, Gideon often visits the prison's library researching how the law of the United States plays out, gaining support and reverence from his fellow inmates.

As the camera pans out, a narrator reads the following quote by Robert F. Kennedy: If an obscure Florida convict named Clarence Earl Gideon had not sat down in prison with a pencil and paper to write a letter to the Supreme Court; and if the Supreme Court had not taken the trouble to look at the merits in that one crude petition among all the bundles of mail it must receive every day, the vast machinery of American law would have gone on functioning undisturbed.

But Gideon did write that letter; the court did look into his case; he was re-tried with the help of competent defense counsel; found not guilty and released from prison after two years of punishment for a crime he did not commit.

But Anthony Lewis, a writer for The New York Times, demonstrated that complex arguments and legal briefs could indeed be absorbing in his 1964 book 'Gideon's Trumpet'.

Emmet Lavery highlights the producer when she writes, "Rintels has won three Gavel Awards from the American Bar Association for his television productions.

"[2] David Cornelius of DVD Talk, wrote, "Nearly three decades since its initial broadcast, it still holds a place as a triumph of televised storytelling.