Dick Tracy (1937/I)

Directors:

Alan James
Ray Taylor

Writers:

Chester Gould (comic strip)
Morgan Cox (story) ...

Release Date:

20 February 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Based on cartoon strip by CHESTER GOULD (original poster)

Plot:

A master criminal called The Spider puts the famous detective's brother under a hypnotic spell and turns him against Dick. |

Plot Keywords:

Spider | Detective | Los Angeles | Stock Footage | Flashlight

Cast

Ralph Byrd	...	Dick Tracy
Kay Hughes	...	Gwen Andrews
Smiley Burnette	...	Mike McGurk
Lee Van Atta	...	Junior
John Picorri	...	Moloch
Carleton Young	...	Gordon Tracy, after
Fred Hamilton	...	Steve Lockwood
Francis X. Bushman	...	Chief Clive Anderson
John Dilson	...	Ellery Brewster [Chs. 1, 12]
Richard Beach	...	Gordon Tracy, before [Chs. 1, 12]
Wedgwood Nowell	...	H.T. Clayton [Chs. 8-9]
Theodore Lorch	...	Paterno [Chs. 1, 12]
Edwin Stanley	...	Walter Odette / The Spider
Harrison Greene	...	Durston Cloggerstein
Herbert Weber	...	Tony Martino, thug [Ch. 1]

Runtime:

290 min (15 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor High Fidelity Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Republic Pictures

Trivia:

The background comic art (panels) shown on most of the original posters for this serial came from the Sunday "Dick Tracy" comic page of December 6, 1936.

Quotes:

Dick Tracy: That was a pretty good tackle you made there, son.
Junior: Aw, gee, that was nothing. But, say, you sure can use a gun! You're Dick Tracy, aren't you?
Dick Tracy: Yes.
Junior: I'm just an orphan. Some day I'm gonna be a G-Man, too!
Dick Tracy: Well, now's a good time to start. Come along.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Puerto Vallarta Squeeze (2004)

A Great Serial.

Superb serial. The only one that matches it in quality is the first Flash Gordon. The production values are exceptional and eclipse many better known B movies. Ralph Byrd is perfectly cast in the title role. The only explanation I can think of for some viewers to rate this any lower than an "A" is that they just haven't seen very many serials. One of the few efforts in this line that actually has some atmospheric touches and, as another commenter has pointed out, the special effects are genuinely good.

Folks who don't really like serials are....well, they're folks who don't like serials (probably don't much like Christmas either). For those who do like serials, this is like a trip to the circus. Good action and WAY better than usual script and acting. As movies go, this probably only deserves a 7 but for a serial it deserves a perfect 10.