The Dick Tracy Show
Encyclopedia
The Dick Tracy Show is an American animated television series based on Chester Gould's comic strip crime fighter
. The series was produced from 1961
to 1962
by UPA
.
voiced Tracy, while Mel Blanc
and Paul Frees
voiced many of the other characters, including:
A running gag had a gangster's bullet fired point-blank at one of the detectives, who would yell, "Hold everything!" The bullet would obediently screech to a halt and wait, while the detective called headquarters for further instructions. Action would resume only after the sign-off catchphrase, "Six-two and even, over and out" was spoken at the end of the call.
Villains included Pruneface
, Itchy, Mumbles, Flattop
, Cheater Gunsmoke
, B-B Eyes, Stooge Viller, The Brow, Oodles, The Mole, and Sketch Paree. Usually, two villains teamed together, such as Flattop and B-B Eyes, or Pruneface and Itchy. Each pair of villains had at least one member who smoked either a cigar or a cigarette on an extender.
For reasons unknown , most of the villains were given voices that parody famous actors.( Flattop / Peter Lorre , Pruneface / Boris Karloff , B.B.Eyes / Edward G.Robinson , The Brow / James Cagney. )
Strangely, the cartoons seldom involved the title character. Tracy would always open each film in his office: "Okay, Chief! I'll get on it right away. Dick Tracy calling..." He would then hand the case over to one of his comic law-enforcement assistants, who would do all the work and take all the risks. Tracy showed up at the very end, usually by car or helicopter, to congratulate the assistant on a job well done.
cartoons, it was possible for them to arrange a meeting between Tracy and Magoo in a 1965
episode of the TV series The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo
. In this episode, "Dick Tracy and the Mob," Tracy persuades Magoo (a famous actor in the context of the Famous Adventures series) to impersonate an international hit man whom he resembles, and infiltrate a gang of criminals made up of Flattop, Pruneface
, Itchy, Mumbles, and others. Unlike the earlier animated Tracy shorts, this longer episode was played relatively straight, with Tracy getting much more screen time. It's notable for pitting Tracy against a coalition of several of his foes, a conceit that would be adopted more than two decades later in the 1990
film.
packaged the Popeye
and pre-August 1948 Warner Bros.
shorts. Usually intended for morning and afternoon "kid's shows", a local host would introduce the cartoon as part of the show.
The cartoon show was a success perhaps as a child's version of The Untouchables
that was popular at the time. Local hosts of the show offered "Dick Tracy Crimestopper" badges and certificates their viewers could send in for. Mattel
toys manufactured a series of toy weapons with the Dick Tracy logo and the Crimestoppers could communicate with each other by toy Dick Tracy wrist radios.
The cartoon appeared on various independent stations across the United States
in June 1990
(to coincide with the release of the live-action feature film, as previously mentioned). Asian and Hispanic groups started charging that characters Joe Jitsu (a Japanese buck-toothed character) and Go Go Gomez (a sombrero
-wearing Mexican) were offensive stereotypes. Two stations in Los Angeles
removed the airings and edited episodes were then sent out. Henry G. Saperstein
, then the chairman of UPA
stated "It's just a cartoon, for goodness sake."
The show is now available (un-cut/un-edited) on NetFlixs streaming and DVD rental.
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...
. The series was produced from 1961
1961 in television
The year 1961 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1961.For the American TV schedule, see: 1961-62 American network television schedule.-Events:...
to 1962
1962 in television
The year 1962 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1962.For the American TV schedule, see: 1962-63 American network television schedule.-Events:...
by UPA
United Productions of America
United Productions of America, better known as UPA, was an American animation studio of the 1940s through present day, beginning with industrial films and World War II training films. In the late 1940s, UPA produced theatrical shorts for Columbia Pictures, most notably the Mr. Magoo series. In...
.
Summary
Tracy employed a series of cartoony subordinate flatfoots to fight crime each week, contacting them on his two-way wristwatch radio. Everett SloaneEverett Sloane
Everett Sloane was an American stage, film and television actor, songwriter, and theatre director.-Early life:...
voiced Tracy, while Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
and Paul Frees
Paul Frees
Paul Frees was an American voice actor and character actor.-Biography:He was born Solomon Hersh Frees in Chicago...
voiced many of the other characters, including:
- Joe Jitsu, a parody of Charlie ChanCharlie ChanCharlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1919. Loosely based on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu...
and Mr. MotoMr. MotoMr. Moto is a fictional Japanese secret agent created by the American author John P. Marquand. He appeared in six novels by Marquand published between 1935 and 1957. Marquand initially created the character for the Saturday Evening Post, which was seeking stories with an Asian hero after the death...
(featuring many stereotypes of ChineseChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese culture). He is an intelligent detective who fights with martial arts (repeatedly slamming his victim to the ground while saying "So sorry!... Excuse prease!... Begging your pardon!"). He is named after the Japanese martial art of jujitsu. Benny RubinBenny RubinBenny Rubin was an American comedian and film actor. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Rubin made more than 200 radio, film and television appearances over a span of 50 years.-Radio and television:...
provided his voice throughout the series. - Hemlock Holmes, a CockneyCockneyThe term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
police bulldog (named in honor of Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
and with a voice patterned after Cary GrantCary GrantArchibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
) voiced by Jerry Hausner. He is backed up by his own police squad, The Retouchables (named after The UntouchablesThe Untouchables (law enforcement)The Untouchables was a group of 13 U.S. federal law-enforcement agents, led by Eliot Ness, who, from 1929 to 1931, worked to end Al Capone's illegal activities by aggressively enforcing Prohibition and tax laws against Capone and his organization...
, but behaving more like the Keystone KopsKeystone KopsThe Keystone Kops were incompetent fictional policemen, featured in silent film comedies in the early 20th century. The movies were produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917. The idea came from Hank Mann who also played police chief Tehiezel in the first film...
). - Heap O'Calorie, a parody of Andy DevineAndy DevineAndrew Vabre "Andy" Devine was an American character actor and comic cowboy sidekick known for his distinctive raspy voice.-Early life:...
, Voice by "Uncle" Johnny Coons. Cop with a serious weight problem and a penchant for stealing apples from an outdoor fruit stand. Before setting out on an assignment, Heap would invariably get the "word on the street" from a bongo-pounding beatnikBeatnikBeatnik was a media stereotype of the 1950s and early 1960s that displayed the more superficial aspects of the Beat Generation literary movement of the 1950s and violent film images, along with a cartoonish depiction of the real-life people and the spiritual quest in Jack Kerouac's autobiographical...
(named "Nick") who communicated solely by beating coded messages on his drums. - Manuel Tijuana Guadalajara Tampico "Go-Go" Gomez, Jr., essentially a human version of Speedy GonzalesSpeedy GonzalesSpeedy Gonzales is an animated caricature of a mouse in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fast and speaking with an exaggerated Mexican accent...
, another Blanc character, though Frees did his voice for most of the series.
A running gag had a gangster's bullet fired point-blank at one of the detectives, who would yell, "Hold everything!" The bullet would obediently screech to a halt and wait, while the detective called headquarters for further instructions. Action would resume only after the sign-off catchphrase, "Six-two and even, over and out" was spoken at the end of the call.
Villains included Pruneface
Pruneface
Pruneface is a fictional character in the long-running comic strip Dick Tracy, drawn by cartoonist Chester Gould.-Fictional character biography:...
, Itchy, Mumbles, Flattop
Flattop (Dick Tracy villain)
Flattop Jones, Sr. is a fictional character, a villain created by Chester Gould for the Dick Tracy comic strip and is the most popular one in the strip's history...
, Cheater Gunsmoke
Cheater Gunsmoke
Cheater Gunsmoke is a fictional character in the Dick Tracy cartoon series. He was voiced by veteran voice-over performer Paul Frees.-Fictional character biography:...
, B-B Eyes, Stooge Viller, The Brow, Oodles, The Mole, and Sketch Paree. Usually, two villains teamed together, such as Flattop and B-B Eyes, or Pruneface and Itchy. Each pair of villains had at least one member who smoked either a cigar or a cigarette on an extender.
For reasons unknown , most of the villains were given voices that parody famous actors.( Flattop / Peter Lorre , Pruneface / Boris Karloff , B.B.Eyes / Edward G.Robinson , The Brow / James Cagney. )
Strangely, the cartoons seldom involved the title character. Tracy would always open each film in his office: "Okay, Chief! I'll get on it right away. Dick Tracy calling..." He would then hand the case over to one of his comic law-enforcement assistants, who would do all the work and take all the risks. Tracy showed up at the very end, usually by car or helicopter, to congratulate the assistant on a job well done.
Mr. Magoo crossover
Since UPA was also the producer of the Mr. MagooMr. Magoo
Quincy Magoo is a cartoon character created at the UPA animation studio in 1949. Voiced by Jim Backus, Quincy Magoo is a wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of sticky situations as a result of his nearsightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem...
cartoons, it was possible for them to arrange a meeting between Tracy and Magoo in a 1965
1965 in television
The year 1965 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1965.For the American TV schedule, see: 1965-66 American network television schedule.-Events:...
episode of the TV series The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo
The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo
The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo is an animated television series, produced by United Productions of America, which aired for one season...
. In this episode, "Dick Tracy and the Mob," Tracy persuades Magoo (a famous actor in the context of the Famous Adventures series) to impersonate an international hit man whom he resembles, and infiltrate a gang of criminals made up of Flattop, Pruneface
Pruneface
Pruneface is a fictional character in the long-running comic strip Dick Tracy, drawn by cartoonist Chester Gould.-Fictional character biography:...
, Itchy, Mumbles, and others. Unlike the earlier animated Tracy shorts, this longer episode was played relatively straight, with Tracy getting much more screen time. It's notable for pitting Tracy against a coalition of several of his foes, a conceit that would be adopted more than two decades later in the 1990
1990 in film
The year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
film.
Episodes
| # | Title | Original Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Red Hot Riding Hoods | 1961 |
| 02 | Pearl Grief Thief | 1961 |
| 03 | Jewel Fool | 1961 |
| 04 | Scrambled Yeggs | 1961 |
| 05 | The Oyster Caper | 1961 |
Original syndicated run
These 130 five-minute cartoons were designed and packaged for syndication much in the same way Associated Artists ProductionsAssociated Artists Productions
Associated Artists Productions was a distributor of theatrical feature films and short subjects for television. It existed from 1953 to 1958. It was later folded into United Artists. The former a.a.p. library was later owned by MGM/UA Entertainment and then Turner Entertainment. Turner continues...
packaged the Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
and pre-August 1948 Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
shorts. Usually intended for morning and afternoon "kid's shows", a local host would introduce the cartoon as part of the show.
The cartoon show was a success perhaps as a child's version of The Untouchables
The Untouchables (1959 TV series)
The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
that was popular at the time. Local hosts of the show offered "Dick Tracy Crimestopper" badges and certificates their viewers could send in for. Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
toys manufactured a series of toy weapons with the Dick Tracy logo and the Crimestoppers could communicate with each other by toy Dick Tracy wrist radios.
Controversy
The Dick Tracy Show was pulled from syndication in the mid-'70s, and mid-'80s, and was not seen for years afterward because of its perceived racist undertones and use of ethnic stereotypes and accents. The show resurfaced on television in 1990 to coincide with the release of the feature film, as well as in 2006 on pay-per-view digital cable channels and DVD.The cartoon appeared on various independent stations across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in June 1990
1990 in television
For the American TV schedule, see: 1990-91 United States network television schedule.The year 1990 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1990.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
(to coincide with the release of the live-action feature film, as previously mentioned). Asian and Hispanic groups started charging that characters Joe Jitsu (a Japanese buck-toothed character) and Go Go Gomez (a sombrero
Sombrero
Sombrero in English refers to a type of wide-brimmed hat originating in Mexico. In Spanish, however, it is the generic word for "hat", which originates from "sombra", meaning "shade"....
-wearing Mexican) were offensive stereotypes. Two stations in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
removed the airings and edited episodes were then sent out. Henry G. Saperstein
Henry G. Saperstein
Henry G. Saperstein was a U.S. film producer and distributor. Through his UPA studio, he produced the television special Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol , and The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo television series which it spawned, as well as the animated features 1001 Arabian Nights starring Magoo, and...
, then the chairman of UPA
United Productions of America
United Productions of America, better known as UPA, was an American animation studio of the 1940s through present day, beginning with industrial films and World War II training films. In the late 1940s, UPA produced theatrical shorts for Columbia Pictures, most notably the Mr. Magoo series. In...
stated "It's just a cartoon, for goodness sake."
The show is now available (un-cut/un-edited) on NetFlixs streaming and DVD rental.