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Mr. District Attorney
Mr. District Attorney is a radio crime drama produced by Samuel Bischoff that aired on NBC and ABC from April 3, 1939 to June 13, 1952 (and in transcribed syndication through 1953). The series focused on a crusading district attorney initially known only as Mister District Attorney or Chief, and was later translated to television. On television, the attorney's name was Paul Garrett, and the radio version adopted the name in its final years when David Brian played the role. A key figure in the dramas was secretary Edith Miller. HistoryCreated, written, and directed by former law student Ed Byron, the series was inspired by the early years of New York governor Thomas E. Dewey.[1] Dewey's public war against racketeering led to his election as governor. Phillips H. Lord, creator of Gang Busters, helped to develop the concept and coined the title. Byron lent an air of accuracy and immediacy to his scripts through close study of crime statistics, a library of criminology texts, following the newspapers and even visiting rough bars to gain tips, background and color from crooks and police.[2] Produced throughout its run in New York City, the series began as a 15-minute serial, becoming a half-hour, self-contained series three months later as a summer replacement for The Bob Hope Show on June 27, 1939.[3] During 1942, Mr. District Attorney began battling Nazis, leading to conflicts with the FBI when the scripts reflected life too closely.[2] In December 1949, Mr. District Attorney returned to live broadcasts after 13 weeks of using tape-recorded transcriptions.[4] The program was sponsored by Bristol-Myers.[5] Episodes included "The Case of the Overly-Fond Husband" on January 30, 1946.[6] Cast and characters
FilmIn three films released by Republic Pictures in the early 1940s, the district attorney was named P. Cadwallader Jones and was assisted by journalist Terry Parker. Different actors portrayed them in each film. The trilogy consisted of Mr. District Attorney (1941) starring Dennis O'Keefe with Florence Rice and Peter Lorre, Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case (1941) starring James Ellison and Virginia Gilmore and Secrets of the Underground (1942) starring John Hubbard and Virginia Grey. A fourth film again titled Mr. District Attorney was released by Columbia Pictures in 1947. O'Keefe returned as the lead, now named Steve Bennett. Television Near the end of the radio run, the series was transferred to television. The first incarnation ran on ABC from October 1, 1951 through June 23, 1952 on alternate Mondays, first with The Amazing Mr. Malone and then Out of the Fog. The radio cast reprised their roles, with Jay Jostyn as Mr. District Attorney, Vicki Vola as Miss Miller and Len Doyle as Harrington. Season 1 (1951–52)
1954 revivalIn 1954, the show was revived in syndication by Ziv Television Programs, which had also handled the 1952–1953 radio syndication. David Brian reprised his role from that series but the D. A. was named Paul Garrett. Jackie Loughery played Miss Miller.[10] Ziv sold the program to Radio Diffusion Francaise for broadcast in Europe with a subsidiary, Ziv International of France, overseeing dubbing into French.[11][12] Season 1 (1954)
Season 2 (1955)
Comic booksDC Comics published a Mr. District Attorney comic-book series that ran for 67 issues (January–February 1948 to January–February 1959).[13][14] In 1941, the Whitman Publishing Company published a Big Little Book, Mr. District Attorney on the Job,[15] that included a flip book.[16] References
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