Mr. District Attorney (crime drama)
(ABC Primetime, 1951 - 1952; Syndicated, 1954)
[This TV series was based upon a radio series with the same
name which aired from 1939 - 1953 on NBC Red, then the NBC Blue
network, on ABC, and then was Syndicated during the final season.
There was a custom theme written for the radio series by Peter
Van Steeden Jr., but it wasn't used for the television series.
The First TV Series aired in ABC Primetime from 1951 - 1952; It
starred Jay Jostyn in the role of District Attorney Paul Garrett.
He had played one of the lead roles on the radio version.
The Second TV Series was Syndicated in 1954; 52 episodes were
produced by ZIV-TV; It starred David Brian in the role of
District Attorney Paul Garrett. Gene Roddenberry was a writer
in those days, who wrote 6 of the episodes..]
First Series Theme: "Brutal Regiment, from the
'Monkey Mystery Suite' in the MUTEL Music Service library"
[aka: "THEME NO. 2 (Dramatic-Full)" in the Capitol "Q" Library;
aka: "Federal Men (Main Title)" by Melvyn Lenard Gordon.
Library music expert Paul Mandell has been on the trail of various
library cues that derived from old "B"-pictures, that were re-used in
"The Adventures of Superman" and other TV series. For his "Superman"
CD released in 2000 Mandell wrote in liner notes that this track was
traced to a Main Title by Herschel Burke Gilbert for an unnamed
motion picture that "was set in Turkey".
However, some experts on the site of Film Score Monthly think there
was NO picture scored by Gilbert "set in Turkey", and that the true
author was Joseph Mullendore. They blame the confusion on the woeful
state of music cue sheets filed for the "Superman" series.
Mandell also claims that for the purpose of the MUTEL library, tracks
that originated in "B" pictures were adapted and re-orchestrated by
Joseph Mullendore (and presumably recorded by an orchestra in France
as was the custom of the MUTEL "Music For Television" Library to get
around U.S. Musician's Union restrictions. It is thought that orchestra
was assembled and conducted by George Tzipine.)
So at least Mullendore had a role as orchestrator, if he was not the
original author of this cue. The alternate writer "Melvyn Lenard
Gordon" was a pseudonym for publisher David M. Gordon who sometimes
inserted his name for the purpose of royalty collection, but only
appeared on a set of cue sheets for the "Federal Men" syndicated
series.
This mournful march was also used as a THEME for the "True Detectives"
radio series, and for "Federal Men" -- the syndicated title of the
TV series "Treasury Men In Action", which see...];
Composer: probably Herschel Burke Gilbert (ASCAP),
adaptation & arrangement by Joseph ("Joe") Mullendore (ASCAP/BMI)
Original Publisher [in the MUTEL library]: Marlen Music (ASCAP)
2000 Publisher: John Paul Music (ASCAP)
Copyright Date:
Renewal Date:
Recordings:
On tape in the "MUTEL" (Music For Television) library;
also 78 rpm reference disks in the Capitol "Q" Series library.
Q- 1:3 THEME NO. 2 - OPENING (Dramatic-Full) (0:46)
Q- 1:4 THEME NO. 2 - CLOSING (Dramatic-Full) (0:24)
Q-12:2 THEME NO. 2 - Long Version (Dramatic-Full) (01:16)
CD: [Excerpt in track: "Brutal Regiment"] on the CD
"Adventures of Superman - the Original 1950s
Television Series"
[produced by P. Mandell and B. Kimmel]
Varèse Sarabande 302 066 093 2 (2000)
Second Series, Syndicated Theme:
aka: "Documentary Theme No. 2", from the World Broadcasting System ("WBS") library
[aka: "Mr. District Attorney" (BMI title credited to Peter Yorke);
aka: "Highway Theme 2" (??);
An interesting melody whose harmony alternated between major and minor
chords. It was also found in the WBS library owned by ZIV-TV, and used
as the THEME for syndicated episodes of "Highway Patrol" which aired
for syndication under the title "Ten-Four." See also the listing on
this site under "Highway Patrol".
The name of "Ray Llewellyn" was a pseudonym of David Rose, Ray Bloch,
and others who "ghost-wrote" for ZIV-TV series, and for the World
Broadcasting System (WBS) music library owned by ZIV-TV.
The title "Mr. District Attorney" had the alternate title listed of
"Highway Theme 2" attributed to British composer Peter Yorke in the
BMI database. So it is believed that Yorke was probably the "ghost
writer" of this particular THEME.
Late confirmation in 2018 in the BMI database lists the title of
"Mr. District Attorney Theme" was indeed composed by Peter Yorke
(a member of the British performance rights society, PRS.)]
Composer: credited to Ray Llewellyn (ASCAP/BMI)
[pseudonym of ZIV/World Broadcasting System library writers],
actually written by Peter Yorke (British PRS/ASCAP)
Original Publisher: Esteem Music (BMI)
c/o ZIV Television
1999 Publisher: World Broadcasting System Inc. (BMI)
2018 Publisher:
U.S. Copyright Date: [not found]
U.S. Renewal Date:
Recordings:
78rpm in the World Broadcasting System library
"Documentary Theme #2" on the disk label
WBS D-568:S
Copyright 1960 - 2018 by The Media
Management Group. All Rights Reserved