Cheater Gunsmoke
Encyclopedia
Cheater Gunsmoke is a fictional character in the Dick Tracy
cartoon series. He was voiced by veteran voice-over
performer Paul Frees
.
Gunsmoke first appears in the eponym
ously titled short Cheater Gunsmoke, in which he attempts to steal cigarettes and cigars from Fumbles Department Store. Detective Heap O'Callory (whose voice is patterned after that of Andy Devine
) is assigned by Tracy (voiced by Everett Sloane
) to pursue and apprehend him.
Cheater later appears in the short Tobacco Load, again scheming to steal cigars. Detective Hemlock Holmes (a British
bulldog, whose voice is modeled after that of Cary Grant
) and the Retouchables (somewhat of a cross between the Keystone Cops [in their bumbling ineptitude] and The Untouchables [in name, at least]) thwart Cheater in his efforts to cross the border, as well as in his final attempt to get them all stuck in a glue trap.
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...
cartoon series. He was voiced by veteran voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
performer Paul Frees
Paul Frees
Paul Frees was an American voice actor and character actor.-Biography:He was born Solomon Hersh Frees in Chicago...
.
Fictional character biography
Cheater speaks with a Southern accent. A chainsmoker, his head is always enwreathed by smoke. In fact, in a later short of his, a bucket of water is thrown at him, and instead of dissipating, the smoke cloud simply gets wet and droops, as if it were solid.Gunsmoke first appears in the eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ously titled short Cheater Gunsmoke, in which he attempts to steal cigarettes and cigars from Fumbles Department Store. Detective Heap O'Callory (whose voice is patterned after that of Andy Devine
Andy Devine
Andrew Vabre "Andy" Devine was an American character actor and comic cowboy sidekick known for his distinctive raspy voice.-Early life:...
) is assigned by Tracy (voiced by Everett Sloane
Everett Sloane
Everett Sloane was an American stage, film and television actor, songwriter, and theatre director.-Early life:...
) to pursue and apprehend him.
Cheater later appears in the short Tobacco Load, again scheming to steal cigars. Detective Hemlock Holmes (a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
bulldog, whose voice is modeled after that of Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
) and the Retouchables (somewhat of a cross between the Keystone Cops [in their bumbling ineptitude] and The Untouchables [in name, at least]) thwart Cheater in his efforts to cross the border, as well as in his final attempt to get them all stuck in a glue trap.