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.
read less