Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939)

Directors:

John English
William Witney

Writers:

Barry Shipman (original screenplay) and
Franklin Adreon (original screenplay) ...

Release Date:

2 September 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Mystery | Crime

Plot:

A mad doctor named Zanoff uses a drug to bring himself back from the dead after his execution in prison. Dick Tracy sets out to capture Zanoff before he can put his criminal gang back together again. |

Plot Keywords:

Dick Tracy | Based On Comic Strip | TV Series Pilot | Serial | Based On Comic

Cast

Ralph Byrd	...	Dick Tracy
Irving Pichel	...	Nicolas Zarnoff
Ted Pearson	...	Agent Steve Lockwood
Jennifer Jones	...	Gwen Andrews (as Phyllis Isley)
Walter Miller	...	Henchman Robal
George Douglas	...	Henchman Sandoval
Kenneth Harlan	...	FBI Chief Clive Anderson [Chs. 13-15]
Robert Carson	...	Agent Scott
Julian Madison	...	Agent Foster
Ted Mapes	...	Agent Dan Murchison
William Stahl	...	Agent Bruce
Robert Wayne	...	Agent Wilbur
Joe McGuinn	...	Henchman Tom
Ken Terrell	...	Henchman Ed
Harry Humphrey	...	Warden Stover [Chs. 1, 13]

Also Known As:

Dick Tracy and His G-Men (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:302 min (15 chapters)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Lake Elsinore, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures

Trivia:

Chapter Titles: 1. The Master Spy 2. Captured 3. The False Signal 4. The Enemy Strikes 5. Crack-Up! 6. Sunken Peril 7. Tracking the Enemy 8. Chamber of Doom 9. Flames of Jeopardy 10.Crackling Fury 11.Caverns of Peril 12.Fight in the Sky 13.The Fatal Ride 14.Getaway 15. The Last Stand

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Guns of Navarone (1961)

JENNIFER JONES'REPUBLIC DAYS

This video, from a film series made in 1939, is a classic example of a hangover from the silent era for action films, when heros & heroines stood in mortal peril at the end of the film, only to magically escape when the punters returned from their suspense the following week to see what happened in the next serial.This is a classic marketing ploy seen several times in this combined film.

The previous reviewer adequately summarised the plot.I bought it to obtain a copy of the second feature film ever made by Jennifer Jones when she was still Phyllis Isley (her given name).Made at the low budget minded Republic Films, this was her second attempt at Hollywood stardom at Republic, her first & easier to obtain, was "Frontier Horizon" with John Wayne.However, the low status and lack of character depth of roles (not to say money) offered, left her somewhat disillusioned and after this film she returned to New York with her then new husband of that year, Robert Walker, for a second crack at stage stardom on the "Great White Way".

In this film she plays Gwen Andrews, Dick Tracey's girl Friday, a role like Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond saga, you will note was played by another actress from the 1937 series.An interesting example of the serial film genre from the 1930's.