The D.A.'s Man

*The D.A.'s Man*
The D.A.'s Man
Genre	Crime Drama
Based on	"The D.A.'s Man", by James D. Horan and Harold R. Danforth
Starring	John Compton; Ralph Manza; Herb Ellis;
Theme music composer	Frank Comstock
Composer	Frank Comstock
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	26
Production
Executive producer	Jack Webb
Producer	Frank La Tourette
Cinematography	Edward Colman
Running time	30 minutes
Production company	Mark VII Limited
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	January 3 –; August 29, 1959

The D.A.'s Man is an American television crime drama, produced by Jack Webb, that aired on NBC from January 3, 1959, to August 29, 1959.^[1]

Premise

The central character, who went by the single name Shannon, was a private detective who worked for the Manhattan district attorney.^[2] Shannon's assignments were given to him by Assistant District Attorney Al Bonacorsi, who also narrated the series. Also seen frequently was Frank LaValle, who worked with Bonacorsi. Topics that Shannon investigated included hijacking rings, narcotics, prostitution, and other illegal activities that provided money to the underworld.^[3] His investigations led him to use "a variety of guises to ferret out criminals".^[4]

Shannon was not allowed to carry a gun or identification of any kind, and police were often not aware of his position.^[5]

Cast

John Compton as Shannon^[2]
Ralph Manza as Al Bonacorsi^[3]
Herb Ellis as Frank LaValle^[3]

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Sammy's Friend"^[5]	Unknown	James E. Moser	January 3, 1959 (1959-01-03)
2	"Guns for Hire"	Jack Webb	James E. Moser	January 10, 1959 (1959-01-10)
3	"Inside Track"	Jack Webb	James Lee Barrett	January 17, 1959 (1959-01-17)
4	"The Unlucky Dutchman"	Ben Alexander	Ken Kolb and James E. Moser	January 24, 1959 (1959-01-24)
5	"The Mob Versus O'Hara"	Jack Webb	Otis Carney	January 31, 1959 (1959-01-31)
6	"The Pushers"	Robert M. Leeds	Ken Kolb and James E. Moser	February 7, 1959 (1959-02-07)
7	"Iron Mike Benedict"	Ben Alexander	Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont	February 16, 1959 (1959-02-16)
8	"Find Ezra Kane"	Unknown	Unknown	February 21, 1959 (1959-02-21)
9	"A Girl's Best Friend"	Unknown	Unknown	March 7, 1959 (1959-03-07)
10	"The Witness"	Harold Schuster	Story by : Bruce Geller Teleplay by : Bruce Geller and Jack Webb	March 14, 1959 (1959-03-14)
11	"Two for Shakespeare"	Unknown	Unknown	March 21, 1959 (1959-03-21)
12	"Moonshine in Manhattan"	Robert M. Leeds	Bill S. Ballinger and Otis Carney	March 28, 1959 (1959-03-28)
13	"Iron Star"	Harold Schuster	Otis Carney	April 4, 1959 (1959-04-04)
14	"Jail Watch"	Harold Schuster	Ken Kolb	April 11, 1959 (1959-04-11)
15	"Shakedown"	Harold Schuster	John Dunkel	April 18, 1959 (1959-04-18)
16	"Corky"	Harold Schuster	Story by : Dan Ullman Teleplay by : Dan Ullman and William Driskill	April 25, 1959 (1959-04-25)
17	"The Club Fighter"	Robert M. Leeds	William Driskill	May 2, 1959 (1959-05-02)
18	"The Triangle"	Robert M. Leeds	Story by : Charles Beaumont Teleplay by : Charles Beaumont and William Driskill	May 9, 1959 (1959-05-09)
19	"Mr. Respectable"	Harold Schuster	Story by : David Swift Teleplay by : William Driskill	May 16, 1959 (1959-05-16)
20	"Bajour"	Harold Schuster	William Driskill	May 23, 1959 (1959-05-23)
21	"Mr. Santa Claus"	Robert M. Leeds	Story by : Ken Kolb Teleplay by : James E. Moser and William Driskill	May 30, 1959 (1959-05-30)
22	"The Actress"	Harold Schuster	William Driskill	June 6, 1959 (1959-06-06)
23	"Manhattan Gigolo"	Robert M. Leeds	Story by : Lawrence Resner and William Driskill Teleplay by : William Driskill	June 13, 1959 (1959-06-13)
24	"Out of Town"	Harold Schuster	Story by : Edmund Morris and William Driskill Teleplay by : William Driskill	June 20, 1959 (1959-06-20)
25	"The Duke"	Robert M. Leeds	William Driskill	June 27, 1959 (1959-06-27)
26	"Flight 729"	Robert M. Leeds	William Driskill	July 4, 1959 (1959-07-04)

Production

The program was based on the book The D.A.'s Man by Harold Danforth and James B. Horan,^[6] which was "a nonfiction novel based on Danforth's real-life experiences as a special investigator for the NYC Special Rackets Prosecutor and the Manhattan DA's office."^[5] It was produced by Mark VII Limited.^[7] It replaced The Ed Wynn Show^[8] at 10:30 to 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturdays.^[3]

Webb was the executive producer, and Frank LaTourette was the producer.^[5] Danforth was the technical advisor.^[5] Webb and Ben Alexander were among the directors. Writers included Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson.^[5]

Liggett & Myers, for Chesterfield King and L&M cigarettes, sponsored the program. George Stevens Jr. and Webb were among the directors.^[6]

References

↑ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 203. p. 267. ISBN 0-345-45542-8. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
1 2 Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 237. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
1 2 3 4 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 311. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
↑ Thomas, Bob (January 17, 1959). "'D. A.'s Man' Talks Like TV Western Star". The Evening Sun. Pennsylvania, Hanover. p. 12. Retrieved May 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Erickson, Hal (September 29, 2009). Encyclopedia of Television Law Shows: Factual and Fictional Series About Judges, Lawyers and the Courtroom, 1948-2008. McFarland. pp. 76–77. ISBN 978-0-7864-3828-0. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
1 2 Hayde, Michael J. (2001). My Name's Friday: The Unauthorized But True Story of Dragnet and the Films of Jack Webb. Cumberland House Publishing. ISBN 9781581821901. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
↑ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 191. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
↑ Adams, Val (November 27, 1958). "N. B. C. Will Drop 2 TV Shows Soon: 'Ed Wynn Show' and 'Brains and Brawn' to Be Canceled -- Union Talk Held". The New York Times. p. 71. Retrieved May 29, 2023.

External links

The D.A.'s Man at IMDb

[1] The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 203. p. 267. ISBN 0-345-45542-8. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

[etvs-2] 1 2 Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 237. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.

[brooks-3] 1 2 3 4 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 311. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved May 29, 2023.

[4] Thomas, Bob (January 17, 1959). "'D. A.'s Man' Talks Like TV Western Star". The Evening Sun. Pennsylvania, Hanover. p. 12. Retrieved May 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[etls-5] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Erickson, Hal (September 29, 2009). Encyclopedia of Television Law Shows: Factual and Fictional Series About Judges, Lawyers and the Courtroom, 1948-2008. McFarland. pp. 76–77. ISBN 978-0-7864-3828-0. Retrieved May 29, 2023.

[mnf-6] 1 2 Hayde, Michael J. (2001). My Name's Friday: The Unauthorized But True Story of Dragnet and the Films of Jack Webb. Cumberland House Publishing. ISBN 9781581821901. Retrieved June 1, 2019.

[tt-7] McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 191. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.

[replace-8] Adams, Val (November 27, 1958). "N. B. C. Will Drop 2 TV Shows Soon: 'Ed Wynn Show' and 'Brains and Brawn' to Be Canceled -- Union Talk Held". The New York Times. p. 71. Retrieved May 29, 2023.

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