Dick Tracy (serial)
Encyclopedia
Dick Tracy is a 15-Chapter Republic
movie serial
starring Ralph Byrd
based on the Dick Tracy
comic strip
by Chester Gould. It was directed by Alan James
and Ray Taylor
.
and Masked Mystery Villain
The Spider/The Lame One (both names are used) and his Spider Ring. In the process of various crimes, including using his Flying wing
and sound weapon
to destroy the Bay Bridge in San Francisco and stealing an experimental "Speed Plane", the Spider captures Dick Tracy's brother, Gordon. The Spider's minion, Dr. Moloch, performs a brain operation on Gordon Tracy to turn him evil, making him secretly part of the Spider Ring and so turning brother against brother.
The above cast members appear in the opening credits in "cameo" display - sequential pictures of each actor with his/her name (and sometimes character name) superimposed at the bottom of the screen - for the first episode, followed by a listing of supporting
players. Subsequent chapters simply listed the stars on one screen and the same supporting cast a second. This approach to cast display was used by Republic from its first serial through Haunted Harbor
in 1944. Universal serials presented a similar approach to cast display until 1940, only in their case, the star-cameos appeared with the first 3-4 episodes, and subsequent episodes listed these names usually followed, on a scrolling cast list, by part, but not often all, of the supporting players who had been named on the episodes with the cameos. Occasionally, a new player or two might be added. Columbia only a few times adopted this approach to displaying the cast of its serials. Republic, Universal, Warner Bros. Pictures, and some independents also used star "cameos" in numbers of their b-pictures during the 1930s.
The above cast members appear in the opening credits as simply a list of the actor's names.
was $127,640 (a $15,306, or 13.6%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial until S O S Coast Guard was released later in the year.
It was filmed between 30 November and 24 December 1936 under the working title
s Adventures of Dick Tracy and The Spider Ring. The serial's production number was 420.
In this serial, Dick Tracy
is a G-Man
(FBI
) in San Francisco rather than a Midwestern city police
detective
as in the comic strip. Most of the Dick Tracy supporting cast and rogues gallery were also dropped and new, original characters used instead. Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould approved the script despite these changes.
There were three sequels to this serial. They were all permitted by an interpretation of the original contract, which allowed a "series or serial". That meant that, Dick Tracy creator, Chester Gould was only paid for the rights to produce this serial but not for any of the sequels.
A 73-minute feature film version, created by editing the serial footage together, was released on 27 December 1937.
Source:
Dick Tracy was the only 15-chapter serial released by Republic in 1937.
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
movie serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
starring Ralph Byrd
Ralph Byrd
Ralph Byrd was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, movies and television.-Early life and career:...
based on the Dick Tracy
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...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
by Chester Gould. It was directed by Alan James
Alan James
Alan James was an American film director and screenwriter. He directed 79 films between 1916 and 1943...
and Ray Taylor
Ray Taylor (director)
Ray Taylor was a prolific American film director. He directed 159 films between 1926 and 1949. His debut was the 1926 film serial Fighting with Buffalo Bill.-Selected filmography:...
.
Synopsis
Dick Tracy's foe for this serial is the crime bossCrime boss
A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...
and Masked Mystery Villain
Masked Mystery Villain
A Masked Mystery Villain is a stock character in genre fiction. The Masked Mystery Villain was frequently used in the adventure stories of Pulp magazines and Movie Serials in the early twentieth century. They can also appear in Crime fiction to add to the atmosphere of suspense and suspicion...
The Spider/The Lame One (both names are used) and his Spider Ring. In the process of various crimes, including using his Flying wing
Flying wing
A flying wing is a tailless fixed-wing aircraft which has no definite fuselage, with most of the crew, payload and equipment being housed inside the main wing structure....
and sound weapon
Sonic weaponry
Sonic and ultrasonic weapons are weapons of various types that use sound to injure, incapacitate, or kill an opponent. Some sonic weapons are currently in limited use or in research and development by military and police forces. Others exist only in the realm of science fiction...
to destroy the Bay Bridge in San Francisco and stealing an experimental "Speed Plane", the Spider captures Dick Tracy's brother, Gordon. The Spider's minion, Dr. Moloch, performs a brain operation on Gordon Tracy to turn him evil, making him secretly part of the Spider Ring and so turning brother against brother.
Starring Cast
- Ralph ByrdRalph ByrdRalph Byrd was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, movies and television.-Early life and career:...
as Dick TracyDick TracyDick 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... - Kay HughesKay HughesKaty Hughes was an American actress with a brief career in the 1930s and 40s appearing mainly in westerns and serials.-Life:Katy was born Catherine Hughes Irlam, Lancashire, England in 1993 but grew up in Cadishead....
as Gwen Andrews - Smiley BurnetteSmiley BurnetteLester Alvin Burnett , better known as Smiley Burnette, was a popular American country music performer and a comedic actor in Western films and on radio and TV, playing sidekick to Gene Autry and other B-movie cowboys. He was also a prolific singer-songwriter who could play as many as 100 musical...
as Mike McGurk - Lee Van AttaLee Van AttaLee Van Atta was an American child actor between 1936 and 1939.-Filmography:* Twelve Crowded Hours as Copyboy* The Affairs of Annabel as Robert Fletcher* Dangerous Holiday as Eddie...
as Junior - John Picorri as Dr Moloch
- Carleton YoungCarleton YoungCarleton Scott Young was an American character actor born in New York City, New York and known for his deep voice.-Private life:...
as Gordon Tracy (post-operation in Chapter 1) - Fred Hamilton as Steve Lockwood
- Francis X. BushmanFrancis X. BushmanFrancis Xavier Bushman was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. His matinee idol career started in 1911 in the silent film His Friend's Wife, but it did not survive the silent screen era....
as Clive Anderson
The above cast members appear in the opening credits in "cameo" display - sequential pictures of each actor with his/her name (and sometimes character name) superimposed at the bottom of the screen - for the first episode, followed by a listing of supporting
players. Subsequent chapters simply listed the stars on one screen and the same supporting cast a second. This approach to cast display was used by Republic from its first serial through Haunted Harbor
Haunted Harbor
Haunted Harbor is a Republic Movie serial, based on the novel by Ewart Adamson.-Cast:*Kane Richmond as Jim Marsden*Kay Aldridge as Patricia Harding*Roy Barcroft as Carter *Clancy Cooper as Yank*Marshall J...
in 1944. Universal serials presented a similar approach to cast display until 1940, only in their case, the star-cameos appeared with the first 3-4 episodes, and subsequent episodes listed these names usually followed, on a scrolling cast list, by part, but not often all, of the supporting players who had been named on the episodes with the cameos. Occasionally, a new player or two might be added. Columbia only a few times adopted this approach to displaying the cast of its serials. Republic, Universal, Warner Bros. Pictures, and some independents also used star "cameos" in numbers of their b-pictures during the 1930s.
Supporting Cast
- John Dilson as Ellery Brewster
- Richard Beach as Gordon Tracy (pre-operation in Chapter 1)
- Wedgewood Nowell as H. T. Clayton
- Theodore LorchTheodore LorchTheodore Lorch was an American film actor. He appeared in 146 films between 1908 and 1947.Lorch is notable for his commanding performances in several Three Stooges comedies...
as Paterno - Edwin StanleyEdwin StanleyEdwin Stanley , was an American film actor. He appeared in over 230 films between 1916 and 1946.He was born in Chicago, Illinois, and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:...
as Walter Odette - Harrison GreeneHarrison GreeneHarrison Greene was an American film actor. He appeared in over 230 films between 1931 and 1946. He was born in Portland, Oregon, and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:...
as Cloggerstein - Herbert Weber as Tony Martino
- Buddy RooseveltBuddy RooseveltBuddy Roosevelt was an American film actor and stunt performer from Hollywood's early silent film years through the 1950s.-Biography:...
as Burke - George DeNormand as Flynn
- Byron K. Foulger as Kovitch
The above cast members appear in the opening credits as simply a list of the actor's names.
Production
Dick Tracy was budgeted at $112,334 although the final negative costNegative cost
Negative cost is the cost of actually producing and shooting a film. It does not include such costs as distribution and promotion.Low-budget movies, for example The Blair Witch Project, can have promotional expenses that are much larger than the negative cost.The term comes from the costs up to the...
was $127,640 (a $15,306, or 13.6%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial until S O S Coast Guard was released later in the year.
It was filmed between 30 November and 24 December 1936 under the working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
s Adventures of Dick Tracy and The Spider Ring. The serial's production number was 420.
In this serial, Dick Tracy
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...
is a G-Man
G-Man (slang)
G-Man is a slang term for Special agents of the United States Government. It is specifically used as a term for a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent....
(FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
) in San Francisco rather than a Midwestern city police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
as in the comic strip. Most of the Dick Tracy supporting cast and rogues gallery were also dropped and new, original characters used instead. Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould approved the script despite these changes.
There were three sequels to this serial. They were all permitted by an interpretation of the original contract, which allowed a "series or serial". That meant that, Dick Tracy creator, Chester Gould was only paid for the rights to produce this serial but not for any of the sequels.
Stunts
- George DeNormand as Dick Tracy (doubling Ralph ByrdRalph ByrdRalph Byrd was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, movies and television.-Early life and career:...
) - Loren Riebe (doubling Jack Gardner)
Theatrical
Dick Tracys official release date is 20 February 1937, although this is actually the date the seventh chapter was made available to film exchanges.A 73-minute feature film version, created by editing the serial footage together, was released on 27 December 1937.
Critical reception
Cline states that the Dick Tracy serials were "unexcelled in the action field," adding that "in any listing of serials released after 1930, the four Dick Tracy adventures from Republic must stand out as classics of the suspense detective thrillers, and the models for many others to follow." He goes on to write that Ralph Byrd "played the part [of Dick Tracy] to the hilt, giving his portrayal such unbridled, exuberant enthusiasm that the resulting excitement was contagious." Byrd become identified with the character following the release of this serial. The final chapter reunion between Dick and Gordon Tracy, as Gordon lies dying and his memory returns, is "one of the few moments of real emotional drama ever attempted in serials". This added to the human quality of Dick Tracy, which was present in both this serial and Chester Gould's original strip.Chapter titles
- The Spider Strikes (29 min 31s)
- The Bridge of Terror (19 min 11s)
- The Fur Pirates (20 min 25s)
- Death Rides the Sky (20 min 49s)
- Brother Against Brother (19 min 14s)
- Dangerous Waters (16 min 52s)
- The Ghost Town Mystery (20 min 11s)
- Battle in the Clouds (18 min 40s)
- The Stratosphere Adventure (18 min 00s)
- The Gold Ship (18 min 28s)
- Harbor Pursuit (16 min 35s)
- The Trail of the Spider (17 min 39s) -- Re-Cap Chapter
- The Fire Trap (16 min 45s)
- The Devil in White (20 min 35s)
- Brothers United (16 min 59s)
Source:
Dick Tracy was the only 15-chapter serial released by Republic in 1937.
Cliffhangers
- The Spider Strikes: The Bay Bridge, under attack from the Spider's sonic weaponSonic weaponrySonic and ultrasonic weapons are weapons of various types that use sound to injure, incapacitate, or kill an opponent. Some sonic weapons are currently in limited use or in research and development by military and police forces. Others exist only in the realm of science fiction...
, begins to collapse on top of Dick Tracy. - The Bridge of Terror: Dick Tracy's plane is damaged damaged by gunfire and crashes into a rail bridge.
- The Fur Pirates: Chasing his brother and the Spider Ring by motorboatMotorboatA motorboat is a boat which is powered by an engine. Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gearbox and the propeller in one portable unit.An inboard/outboard contains a hybrid of a...
, Dick Tracy is crushed between two moored ships moving closer together. - Death Rides the Sky: Dick Tracy transfers to an unmanned, remote planeUnmanned aerial vehicleAn unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
to save Junior but it is shot down by the Spider Ring. - Brother Against Brother: In a roof-top chase, Gordon shoots his brother Dick, sending him into a multi-storey fall.
- Dangerous Waters: Dick Tracy's leg is caught in submarineSubmarineA submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
's mooring line, pulling him under the waves. - The Ghost Town Mystery: Dick Tracy falls into a pit in a mine tunnel. Spider Ring thugs take aim.
- Battle in the Clouds: Gordon shoots down his brother's plane.
- The Stratosphere Adventure: Dick Tracy is knocked unconscious aboard a burning, crashing ZeppelinAirshipAn airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
. - The Gold Ship: A steel plate from a ship's hull falls on top of Dick Tracy.
- Harbour Pursuit: Dick Tracy's motorboatMotorboatA motorboat is a boat which is powered by an engine. Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gearbox and the propeller in one portable unit.An inboard/outboard contains a hybrid of a...
has its control s shot out by thugs, crashing into an oncoming ship. - The Trail of the Spider: The lights go out, the Spider mark shines on Dick Tracy's forehead, several shots are fired.
- The Fire Trap: Dick Tracy falls while escaping a burning ship.
- The Devil in White: Dick Tracy is strapped to an operating table to undergo the same brain operationNeurosurgeryNeurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
as his brother Gordon.