Up for sale is an unusual photo-advertisement from the early days of television. Its goal was to promote the revival of a syndicated TV show now starring a well known motion picture actor.
The document measures 7 inches x 5 inches. On the front, which has a glossy finish, is a photo of a handsome man wearing a fedora and carrying an overcoat and briefcase. (This photo measures just over 4 inches tall by just under 2 inches wide, leaving a generous border on all sides.) On the back is affixed a mimeographed paragraph promoting the actor's show. Most of the printing in this paragraph is the typical blue type of a mimeograph. However, there are several blanks that have been filled in by typewriter. The back reads:
Have you often wondered what goes on behind-the-scenes of modern law enforcement
agencies? ...inside a real crime laboratory? ...inside a real detective bureau? ...
inside a real police communications center? Watch the extraordinarily different
television series MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY sponsored by the makers of Samsonite
Luggage and Samsonite Folding Furniture tonight and every other Monday
at 7:00 PM on Channel 6. Hollywood's dynamic David Brian, in the
title role, makes MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY dramatically human and alive, discloses
the behind-the scenes drama of our courts in action! For chair-edge suspense,
don't miss MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY on Channel 6 at 7:00 PM every Monday.
(I have bolded the words and numbers that are typed rather than mimeographed.)
Mr. District Attorney was initially a radio show (1939 - 1953) in which the title character was played by several different actors, including a very young Tony Randall (of future The Odd Couple fame). David Brian had the lead role on radio during 1952-3. The show was supposedly inspired by the early career of Thomas Dewey, who was elected DA for Manhattan, New York City in 1937. (Dewey would go on to become a Governor and two time presidential candidate.) During the 1940s, at least four Mr. District Attorney movies (three by Republic Pictures and one by Columbia Pictures) were released.
The first television incarnation of Mr. District Attorney appeared on the ABC network during the 1951 - 1952 season and featured Jay Josten in title role. The series was revived for the 1954 - 1955 season, produced by Ziv Entertainment as a syndicated show, and starring David Brian. Of note, the title character, who had previously been known simply as "Mr. District Attorney" now had a specific name: Paul Garrett. Several of the scripts (but not all) were written by Gene Roddenbery (of future Star Trek fame).
There is a rubber date stamp on the reverse of the photo (just above the mimeographed section) reading: April 6, 1954. It's likely that this was just prior to the first relaunching episode. The publicists faced multiple somewhat daunting tasks:
-letting people know that the show was returning after a 2 year absence
-introducing David Brian as the actor playing the new title character
-making sure that people tuned in to the correct channel on the correct day and time
Since the revived Mr. District Attorney was not on a specific network, the information that had to be typed into the blanks (day of the week, start time, channel number) would vary from market to market. I obtained this item from an estate in the New Orleans area. New Orleans based WDSU (Channel 6) was the first TV channel in Louisiana, signing on in 1948. It was an NBC affiliate but - during its early years - broadcast selected shows from the other three networks: CBS, ABC, and Dumont. It's extraordinary how much effort it must have taken to produce any significant quantity of these photo advertisements. (I know of no other examples for sale online.)
The perceptive reader will note that the mimeograph message has an inconsistency. The show is said to air "every other Monday" (in line 5 of the message) or "every Monday" (at the very end of the message). During the first television release of Mr. District Attorney (1951 - 1952), the show definitely aired every other Monday. I actually don't know whether this format was retained when the show returned (1954 - 1955).
Actor David Brian (1914 - 1993) had quite a prominent career in films. He co-starred several times with Joan Crawford, who had first encouraged him to try an acting career. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, as Best Supporting Actor, in the 1949 western, Intruder in the Dust. He made guest appearances on many TV series of the 1950s to 1970s, but Mr. District Attorney was basically his only recurring role.
Please see above for details on condition and for photos. There are some condition issues. Sold as is.
Attention US Buyers: I will ship this as a USPS First Class Letter (not a Parcel).