Mr. District Attorney

I have only the vaguest memory of the TV show, but have recently listened to many dozens of the radio shows, all from the early 1950's. The stories are decent and entertaining, and David Brian, who played the D.A. on both radio and TV has a most interesting voice.

My one issue is with the basic premise of the show. Perhaps I've been spoiled by shows like Law and Order, but this D.A. never enters a courtroom! He spends all his time out chasing and apprehending the bad guys with the aid of his sidekick, a copy named Harrington. A better name for this program might have been something like "Police Chief", because no part of any episode includes a trial in these stories.

I loved the way the show began each week in front of that singular Los Angeles County Courthouse. The show's announcer would start off with this anthem: "Mr. District Attorney...Champion of the People...Defender of Truth...Guardian of our fundamental right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Then the district attorney would respond: "And it shall be my duty as district attorney not only to prosecute to the limit of the law all persons accused of crimes perpetrated within this county, but to defend with equal vigor the rights and privileges of all its citizens."

This was another of the entertaining half-hour melodramas of the 1950's, such as Racket Squad, The Big Story, Harbor Command, Boston Blackie, etc. David Bryan, tall and blondish-gray, made an impressive D.A. who lived up to his creed.