Dick Tracy vs Crime Inc
Encyclopedia
Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941) is a Republic
Movie serial based on the Dick Tracy
comic strip
. It was directed by the legendary serial team of William Witney
and John English with Ralph Byrd
reprising his role from the earlier serials. It was the last of the four Dick Tracy serials produced by Republic, although Ralph Byrd went on to portray the character again in two features and on television.
was $175,919 (a $1,380, or 0.8%, overspend).
It was filmed between 17 September and 24 October 1941 under the working title
s Dick Tracy Strikes Again and Dick Tracy's Revenge. The serial's production number was 1097.
The scenes of giant waves hitting New York were stock footage from the RKO Pictures
film Deluge
.
This serial, like all the sequels to the 1937
original Dick Tracy serial
, was permitted by an interpretation of the original contract, which allowed a "series or serial". Therefore, Chester Gould was not paid again for the right to produce this serial.
The serial was re-released on 8 October 1952, under the title Dick Tracy vs. Phantom Empire, between the first runs of Zombies of the Stratosphere
and Jungle Drums of Africa
.
This was a popular serial when first released and, in the opinion of Harmon and Glut, the best of the Dick Tracy serials.
Source:
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 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....
. It was directed by the legendary serial team of William Witney
William Witney
William Nuelsen Witney was an American film and television director. He is best remembered for the movie serials he co-directed with John English for Republic Pictures such as Daredevils of the Red Circle, Zorro's Fighting Legion and Drums of Fu Manchu.He directed many Westerns during his career,...
and John English with 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:...
reprising his role from the earlier serials. It was the last of the four Dick Tracy serials produced by Republic, although Ralph Byrd went on to portray the character again in two features and on television.
Main 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... - The Ghost
- Michael OwenMichael OwenMichael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997...
as Bil Carr - Jan Wiley as June 'Eve' Chandler
- John DavidsonJohn Davidson (actor)John Davidson was an American film actor. He appeared in 148 films between 1915 and 1963.He was born in New York, New York and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:...
as Lucifer
Supporting cast
- Ralph MorganRalph MorganRalph Morgan was a Hollywood film, stage and character actor, and the older brother of Frank Morgan .-Early life:...
as J.P. Morton - Kenneth HarlanKenneth HarlanKenneth Harlan was an American leading man of the silent film era, playing mostly romantic leads or adventurer types.-Career:...
as Police Lt Cosgrove - John Dilson as Henry Weldon
- Howard C. HickmanHoward C. HickmanHoward C. Hickman was an accomplished stage leading man, who entered films through the auspices of producer Thomas H. Ince. He co-starred with his wife, actress Bessie Barriscale, in several productions before returning to the theatre...
as Stephen Chandler - Robert FrazerRobert FrazerrightRobert W. Frazer born Robert William Browne on 29 June 1891 in Worcester, Massachusetts, US, was an American actor who appeared in some 224 shorts and films from the 1910s until his death on 17 August 1944 in Los Angeles, California, US, due to leukemia...
as Daniel Brewster - Robert FiskeRobert FiskeRobert Fiske may refer to:*Robert Fiske *Robert B. Fiske , lawyer and Whitewater special prosecutor*Robert Fiske Bradford*Robert Fiske Griggs, botanistSee also:* Robert Fisk , British journalist...
as Walter Cabot - Jack MulhallJack MulhallJack Mulhall, born John Joseph Francis Mulhall, was a film actor since the silent film era and appeared in over 430 films....
as Jim Wilson - Hooper AtchleyHooper AtchleyHooper Atchley was an American film actor. He appeared in 214 films between 1929 and 1944.Born in Ebenezer, Tennessee, Atchley is best known for his appearance as the inconsiderate father in the Our Gang film Birthday Blues.Atchley committed suicide by shooting himself with a shotgun in 1943 in...
as Arthur Trent - Anthony WardeAnthony WardeAnthony Warde was a noted American actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1937 and 1964.-Career:A native of Pennsylvania, Warde started his Hollywood career in Escape by Night , appearing in a handful of undistinguished feature films before gaining popularity as one of the hardest working...
as John Corey - Chuck Morrison as Trask
- Forrest Taylor as Netzikoff's Butler
Production
Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. was budgeted at $174,539 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 $175,919 (a $1,380, or 0.8%, overspend).
It was filmed between 17 September and 24 October 1941 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 Dick Tracy Strikes Again and Dick Tracy's Revenge. The serial's production number was 1097.
The scenes of giant waves hitting New York were stock footage from the RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
film Deluge
Deluge (film)
Deluge is an apocalyptic science fiction film, released by RKO Radio Pictures, about a group of worldwide natural disasters which lead to the destruction of the earth....
.
This serial, like all the sequels to the 1937
1937 in film
The year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US....
original Dick Tracy serial
Dick Tracy (serial)
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.-Synopsis:...
, was permitted by an interpretation of the original contract, which allowed a "series or serial". Therefore, Chester Gould was not paid again for the right to produce this serial.
Cliffhangers
Most of the cliffhangers were stock footage from previous Dick Tracy serials. However, the reuse of the highlights of the previous Dick Tracy serials actually added to this serial, making it seem like a "best of" compilation of the previous serials.Theatrical
Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc.s official release date is 27 December 1941, during Christmas week 1941, although this is actually the date the seventh chapter was made available to film exchange]s.The serial was re-released on 8 October 1952, under the title Dick Tracy vs. Phantom Empire, between the first runs of Zombies of the Stratosphere
Zombies of the Stratosphere
Zombies of the Stratosphere was intended as the second serial featuring "new hero" Commando Cody and the third 12-chapter serial featuring the rocket-powered flying suit introduced in King of the Rocket Men...
and Jungle Drums of Africa
Jungle Drums of Africa
Jungle Drums of Africa is a 12-episode, American serial film, shot in black-and-white, which was an original commissioned screenplay by Ronald Davidson produced by Franklin Adreon and directed by Fred C. Brannon for Republic Pictures...
.
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 describe Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. as one of the most outstanding of all serials.This was a popular serial when first released and, in the opinion of Harmon and Glut, the best of the Dick Tracy serials.
Chapter titles
- The Fatal Hour (28 min 12s)
- The Prisoner Vanishes (16 min 51s)
- Doom Patrol (16 min 52s)
- Dead Man's Trap (16 min 44s)
- Murder at Sea (16 min 41s)
- Besieged (16 min 42s)
- Sea Racketeers (16 min 58s)
- Train of Doom (16 min 48s)
- Beheaded (16 min 46s)
- Flaming Peril (16 min 58s)
- Seconds to Live (16 min 41s)
- Trial by Fire (16 min 41s)
- The Challenge (16 min 45s)
- Invisible Terror (16 min 40s)
- Retribution (16 min 43s)
Source:
See also
- List of film serials by year
- List of film serials by studio
- Dick TracyDick Tracy (serial)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.-Synopsis:...
- Earlier serial (1937) - Dick Tracy ReturnsDick Tracy ReturnsDick Tracy Returns is a Republic Movie serial based on the Dick Tracy comic strip. It was the eleventh of the sixty six serials Republic produced and a sequel to the 1937 serial Dick Tracy, with Ralph Byrd reprising his role as the title character...
- Earlier serial (1938) - Dick Tracy's G-MenDick Tracy's G-MenDick Tracy's G-Men is a 15-Chapter Republic Movie Serial based on the Dick Tracy comic strip by Chester Gould. It was directed by William Witney and John English....
- Earlier serial (1939)