# 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.

## History

Created, written, and directed by former law student Ed Byron, the series was inspired by the early years of New York governor Thomas E. Dewey. 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.
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. During 1942, Mr. District Attorney began battling Nazis, leading to conflicts with the FBI when the scripts reflected life too closely.
In December 1949, Mr. District Attorney returned to live broadcasts after 13 weeks of using tape-recorded transcriptions.
The program was sponsored by Bristol-Myers.
Episodes included "The Case of the Overly-Fond Husband" on January 30, 1946.

## Cast and characters

* Mr. District Attorney – the nameless title role was played by several actors throughout the series:
** Dwight Weist (1939 serials)
** Raymond Edward Johnson (1939 half-hour shows)
** Jay Jostyn (1940 through 1952; Jostyn also guest-starred in the role in mystery sketches for the game show Quick as a Flash)
** Tony Randall served as a replacement for Jostyn during the 1940s, because, in his words, he performed "a good Jay Jostyn impression".
** David Brian (1952–1953 syndication)
* Voice of the Law – the show's signature was the opening announcer known as the Voice of the Law, who defined the creed and duties of Mr. District Attorney. The role was played by Maurice Franklin and also Jay Jostyn prior to taking the lead role.
* Edith Miller – the district attorney's faithful secretary, played throughout the series run by Vicki Vola.
* Miss Rand – the D.A.'s receptionist was played by Eleanor Silver and Arlene Francis.
* Len Harrington – the D.A.'s chief investigator, a former cop, was played by Walter Kinsella, who had been heard in various police roles during the early years, and by Len Doyle from 1940 onward.
* Other supporting players and guests on the series included such noted actors as Paul Stewart and Frank Lovejoy.
* Harry Salter conducted the music.

## Film

In 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)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | "The Case of the Homecoming" | Wes McKee | Story by : Teleplay by : | October 1, 1951 (1951-10-01) |
| 2 | 2 | "The Case of the Bindle Boy" | Unknown | Story by : Teleplay by : | October 15, 1951 (1951-10-15) |
| 3 | 3 | "The Case of the Cop-Killer" | Unknown | Robert J. Shaw | October 29, 1951 (1951-10-29) |
| 4 | 4 | "The Case of the Bird Brain" | Unknown | Story by : Teleplay by : | November 12, 1951 (1951-11-12) |
| 5 | 5 | "The Case of the Dangerous Clown" | Unknown | Story by : Teleplay by : | November 26, 1951 (1951-11-26) |
| 6 | 6 | "The Case of the Silent Victim" | Unknown | Story by : Teleplay by : | December 10, 1951 (1951-12-10) |
| 7 | 7 | "The Case of the Crooked Finger" | Unknown | Story by : Teleplay by : | December 24, 1951 (1951-12-24) |
| 8 | 8 | "The Case of the Big Day" | Unknown | Story by : Teleplay by : | January 7, 1952 (1952-01-07) |
| 9 | 9 | "The Case of the Three Ravens" | Edward Byron | Story by : Teleplay by : | January 21, 1952 (1952-01-21) |
| 10 | 10 | "The Case of All But Two" | Unknown | Story by : Teleplay by : | February 4, 1952 (1952-02-04) |
| 11 | 11 | "The Case of the Rain-Check" | Unknown | Story by : Teleplay by : | February 18, 1952 (1952-02-18) |
| 12 | 12 | "The Case of the Powder Keg" | Unknown | Story by : Teleplay by : | March 3, 1952 (1952-03-03) |
| 13 | 13 | "The Case of the Golden Square" | Unknown | Story by : Teleplay by : | March 17, 1952 (1952-03-17) |
| 14 | 14 | "The Case of the Beetle" | Unknown | Story by : Teleplay by : | March 31, 1952 (1952-03-31) |
| 15 | 15 | "The Case of the Grand Old Man" | Unknown | Story by : Teleplay by : | April 14, 1952 (1952-04-14) |
| 16 | 16 | "The Case of the Bag-Man" | Unknown | Story by : Teleplay by : | April 28, 1952 (1952-04-28) |
| 17 | 17 | "The Case of the Promise" | Unknown | Story by : Teleplay by : | May 12, 1952 (1952-05-12) |
| 18 | 18 | "The Case of the Junk Man" | Unknown | Robert J. Shaw | May 26, 1952 (1952-05-26) |
| 19 | 19 | "The Case of the Empty House" | Unknown | Robert J. Shaw | June 9, 1952 (1952-06-09) |
| 20 | 20 | "The Case of the High Note" | Unknown | Story by : Teleplay by : | June 23, 1952 (1952-06-23) |

### 1954 revival

In 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. Ziv sold the program to Radio Diffusion Francaise for broadcast in Europe with a subsidiary, Ziv International of France, overseeing dubbing into French.

### Season 1 (1954)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | "Fire Insurance" | Herbert L. Strock | Story by : Teleplay by : Richard G. Taylor | 1954 (1954) |
| 2 | 2 | "Hit and Run" | Leon Benson | Story by : Teleplay by : Stuart Jerome | 1954 (1954) |
| 3 | 3 | "Numbers" | Leon Benson | Story by : Teleplay by : Ellis Marcus | 1954 (1954) |
| 4 | 4 | "Wife Killer" | Henry Kesler | Story by : Teleplay by : Gene Roddenberry | 1954 (1954) |
| 5 | 5 | "The Art Forger" | Henry Kesler | Story by : Teleplay by : John Larkin | 1954 (1954) |
| 6 | 6 | "Bad Cop" | Greg Garrison | Story by : Teleplay by : R.G. Taylor | 1954 (1954) |
| 7 | 7 | "Blow-Up" | Leon Benson | Story by : Teleplay by : Rik Vollaerts | 1954 (1954) |
| 8 | 8 | "College Story" | Henry Kesler | Story by : Teleplay by : Frank Moss and Lee Berg | 1954 (1954) |
| 9 | 9 | "Court Escape" | Henry Kesler | Story by : Teleplay by : Gene Roddenberry | 1954 (1954) |
| 10 | 10 | "Court Room" | Leigh Jason | Story by : Teleplay by : Arthur Orloff & R.G. Taylor | 1954 (1954) |
| 11 | 11 | "D.A. Killer" | Herbert Strock | Story by : Teleplay by : Rik Vollaerts | 1954 (1954) |
| 12 | 12 | "Gambling (aka Defense Plant Gambling)" | Leigh Jason | Story by : Teleplay by : Gene Roddenberry | 1954 (1954) |
| 13 | 13 | "Hi-Jack" | Tim Whelan | Story by : Teleplay by : Robert Libott, Stuart Jerome, & Donn Mullally | 1954 (1954) |
| 14 | 14 | "Juvenile Gang" | Leigh Jason | Story by : Teleplay by : Ellis Marcus | 1954 (1954) |
| 15 | 15 | "Narcotics" | Herbert Strock | Story by : Teleplay by : Ellis Marcus | 1954 (1954) |
| 16 | 16 | "No Parole" | Leon Benson | Story by : Teleplay by : Donn Mullally | 1954 (1954) |
| 17 | 17 | "Planned Murder" | Leon Benson | Story by : Teleplay by : Don Martin & Donn Mullally | 1954 (1954) |
| 18 | 18 | "Police Academy" | Eddie Davis | Story by : Teleplay by : Gene Roddenberry | 1954 (1954) |
| 19 | 19 | "Pollution" | Henry Kesler | Story by : Teleplay by : Jack Rock | 1954 (1954) |
| 20 | 20 | "Protection Racket" | Eddie Davis | Story by : Teleplay by : Rik Vollaerts | 1954 (1954) |
| 21 | 21 | "Reconciliation" | Leon Benson | Story by : Teleplay by : Jack Rock | 1954 (1954) |
| 22 | 22 | "Rehearsed Robbery" | Lewis Allen | Story by : Teleplay by : Hendrik Vollaerts | 1954 (1954) |
| 23 | 23 | "Roy Ruby" | Leon Benson | Story by : Teleplay by : Ellis Marcus | 1954 (1954) |
| 24 | 24 | "Safe Cracking" | Leon Benson | Story by : Teleplay by : Ellis Marcus | 1954 (1954) |
| 25 | 25 | "State Politician" | Leigh Jason | Story by : Teleplay by : Rik Vollaerts | 1954 (1954) |
| 26 | 26 | "Department Store" | Leigh Jason | Story by : Teleplay by : David Dortort | 1954 (1954) |
| 27 | 27 | TBA | TBD | Story by : Teleplay by : | 1954 (1954) |
| 28 | 28 | TBA | TBD | Story by : Teleplay by : | 1954 (1954) |
| 29 | 29 | TBA | TBD | Story by : Teleplay by : | 1954 (1954) |
| 30 | 30 | TBA | TBD | Story by : Teleplay by : | 1954 (1954) |
| 31 | 31 | TBA | TBD | Story by : Teleplay by : | 1954 (1954) |

### Season 2 (1955)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 32 | 1 | "Man on the Ledge" | Lambert Hillyer | Story by : Teleplay by : Ellis Marcus | 1955 (1955) |
| 33 | 2 | "Auto Racket" | Leon Benson | Story by : Teleplay by : Gene Levitt | 1955 (1955) |
| 34 | 3 | "The Kid" | Leon Benson | Story by : Teleplay by : Rik Vollaerts | 1955 (1955) |
| 35 | 4 | "Animal Poisoner" | Lambert Hillyer | Story by : Teleplay by : Don Mullally | 1955 (1955) |
| 36 | 5 | "Cameraman" | Herbert Strock | Story by : Teleplay by : R.G. Taylor | 1955 (1955) |
| 37 | 6 | "Cave-In" | Herbert Strock | Story by : Teleplay by : Rik Vollaerts | 1955 (1955) |
| 38 | 7 | "Courtroom#2" | Leon Benson | Story by : Teleplay by : Ellis Marcus | 1955 (1955) |
| 39 | 8 | "Courtroom#3" | Henry Kesler | Story by : Teleplay by : Don Mullally | 1955 (1955) |
| 40 | 9 | "Crime School" | Herbert Strock | Story by : Teleplay by : Don Mullally | 1955 (1955) |
| 41 | 10 | "Executer" | Herbert Strock | Story by : Teleplay by : Jack Rock | 1955 (1955) |
| 42 | 11 | "Hidden Witness" | Herbert Strock | Story by : Teleplay by : Lee Berg | 1955 (1955) |
| 43 | 12 | "Kidnaped" | Leon Benson | Story by : Teleplay by : Don Mullally | 1955 (1955) |
| 44 | 13 | "Legit Business" | Henry Kesler | Story by : Teleplay by : Jack Rock | 1955 (1955) |
| 45 | 14 | "Lost Case" | Henry Kesler | Story by : Teleplay by : Rik Vollaerts | 1955 (1955) |
| 46 | 15 | "Mob Rule" | Herbert Strock | Story by : Teleplay by : Arthur Weiss | 1955 (1955) |
| 47 | 16 | "Patrol Boat" | Herbert Strock | Story by : Teleplay by : Gene Roddenberry | 1955 (1955) |
| 48 | 17 | "Police Brutality" | Leon Benson | Story by : Teleplay by : Gene Roddenberry | 1955 (1955) |
| 49 | 18 | "Posed Pictures" | Henry Kesler | Story by : Teleplay by : Kalman Phillips | 1955 (1955) |
| 50 | 19 | "Prisoners At Home" | Herbert Strock | Story by : Teleplay by : Kalman Phillips | 1955 (1955) |
| 51 | 20 | "Professional Killer" | Henry Kesler | Story by : Teleplay by : Jack Rock | 1955 (1955) |
| 52 | 21 | "Re-Model" | Herbert Strock | Story by : Teleplay by : Ellis Marcus | 1955 (1955) |
| 53 | 22 | "The Search" | Jack Herzberg | Story by : Teleplay by : Gene Levitt | 1955 (1955) |
| 54 | 23 | "Usury" | Lambert Hillyer | Story by : Teleplay by : Hugh King | 1955 (1955) |
| 55 | 24 | TBA | TBD | Story by : Teleplay by : | 1955 (1955) |
| 56 | 25 | TBA | TBD | Story by : Teleplay by : | 1955 (1955) |
| 57 | 26 | TBA | TBD | Story by : Teleplay by : | 1955 (1955) |

## Comic books

DC Comics published a Mr. District Attorney comic-book series that ran for 67 issues (January–February 1948 to January–February 1959). In 1941, the Whitman Publishing Company published a Big Little Book, Mr. District Attorney on the Job, that included a flip book.