Dick Tracy

Dick Tracy was created by Chester Gould (1900-1985) and was originally a cartoon strip for a daily newspaper. Dick Tracy's first appearance was in the Detroit Mirror in October 4, 1931, the strip was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate. Gould wrote and drew the strip until 1977.

Dick Tracy was adapted for radio in 1934, followed by film serials, movies, TV series, animation and comic books.

Ralph Byrd as Dick Tracy

Dick Tracy (1937) A Serial in 15 Chapters.

Ralph Byrd     -     Dick Tracy
Kay Hughes     -     Gwen Andrews
Smiley Burnette     -     Mike McGurk
Lee Van Atta     -     Junior
John Picorri     -     Moloch
Carleton Young     -     Gordon Tracy
Fred Hamilton     -     Steve Lockwood
Francis X. Bushman     -     Chief Clive Anderson

Directed by Alan James & Ray Taylor. 290mins.

Ralph Byrd was the first actor to play Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, movies and TV. He died of a heart attack in 1952, aged 43.

Tagline - "You've put me on the spot - you've killed my friends...now I'm striking for revenge! Excitement in 15-trigger-fast chapters!'

Dick Tracy Returns (1938) A Serial in 15 Chapters. 260mins.

Ralph Byrd     -     Dick Tracy
Lynn Roberts     -     Gwen Andrews
Charles Middleton     -     Pa Stark
Jerry Tucker     -     Junior
David Sharpe     -     Agent Ron Merton
Lee Ford     -     Mike McGurk
Michael Kent     -     Agent Steve Lockwood
Ned Glass     -     Kid Stark

Directed by John English & William Witney.

Tagline - G-Men vs. Gunmen in an All-New thrill-packed series of adventures...with Dick Tracy... the greatest G-Man of them all leading the chase

Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939). A Serial in 15 Chapters. 302mins.

Ralph Byrd     -     Dick Tracy
Irving Pichel     -     Nicolas Zarnoff
Ted Pearson     -     Agent Steve Lockwood
Jennifer Jones     -     Gwen Andrews
Walter Miller     -     Henchman Robal
George Douglas     -     Henchman Sandoval
Kenneth Harlan     -     FBI Chief Clive Anderson

Directed by John English & William Witney.

Dick Tracy vs Crime Inc. (1941) A Serial in 15 Chapters. 263mins.

Ralph Byrd     -     Dick Tracy
Michael Owen     -     Billy Carr
Jan Wiley     -     June 'Eve' Chandler
John Davidson     -     Lucifer
Ralph Morgan     -     J.P. Morton
Kenneth Harlan     -     Police Lt. Cosgrove
John Dilson     -     Henry Weldon

Directed by John English & William Witney.

Reissue title - Dick Tracy vs The Phantom Empire

Tagline - 'America's greatest detective hurls defiance into the shadows of the Underworld in his search for murderous criminals who threaten New York's destruction.'

Morgan Conway as Dick Tracy

Dick Tracy (1945) Directed by William Berke. 61mins

Morgan Conway     -     Dick Tracy
Anne Jeffreys     -     Tess Trueheart
Mike Mazurki     -     'Splitface'
Jane Greer     -     Judith Owens
Lyle Latell     -     Pat Patton
Joseph Crehan     -     Chief Brandon

The first Dick Tracy movie (and 200mins shorter than previous serial).

Tagline - 'Dick Tracy takes on the scar-faced, dirty-thug known as "Splitface"!

Dick Tracy vs Cueball (1946) Directed by Gordon Douglas. 62mins.

Morgan Conway     -     Dick Tracy
Anne Jeffreys     -     Tess Trueheart / Blythe Belmonte
Lyle Latell     -     Pat Patton
Rita Corday     -     Mona Clyde
Ian Keith     -     Vitamin Flintheart
Dick Wessel     -     Harry 'Cueball' Lake

Tagline - 'HE'S TERRIFIC! Your Favorite Crime Crusader!'

Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947) Directed by John Rawlins. 60mins.

Ralph Byrd     -     Dick Tracy
Lyle Latell     -     Pat Patton
Kay Christopher     -     Tess Trueheart
Jack Lambert     -     Steve 'The Claw' Michel
Ian Keith     -     Vitamin Flintheart
Bernadene Hayes     -     Longshot Lillie the Fence

Tagline - 'Dick Tracy battles the fiendish "Claw" in one of his most difficult cases.'

Pat Patton: I tell you, if I didn't know better I'd swear we were doing business with Boris Karloff.

Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947) Directed by John Rawlins. 65mins.

Boris Karloff     -     Gruesome
Ralph Byrd     -     Dick Tracy
Anne Gwynne     -     Tess Trueheart
Edward Ashley     -     Dr. L. E. Thal
June Clayworth     -     Dr. I.M. Learned
Lyle Latell     -     Pat Patton
Skelton Knaggs     -     X-Ray

Tagline - 'Horror Man Traps Super-Sleuth!'

Dick Tracy (1990) Directed by Warren Beatty. 105mins.

Warren Beatty - Dick Tracy
Al Pacino - Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice
Madonna - Breathless Mahoney
Glenne Headly - Tess Trueheart
Charlie Korsmo - The Kid
Charles Durning - Chief Brandon
Dick Van Dyke - DA John Fletcher
Dustin Hoffman - Mumbles
James Caan - Spud Spaldoni
Paul Sorvino - Lips Manlis
William Forsythe - Flattop
Ed O'Ross - Itchy
R.G. Armstrong - Prunceface
Henry Silva - Influence
Mandy Patinkin - 88 Keys

Music by Danny Elfman.

Big Boy Caprice: All right, that's enough! I want 'em dead, both of 'em. I want this no-face character dead and I want Tracy dead. What's the matter, you bums forgot how to kill people? Doesn't your work mean anything to you anymore? Have you no sense of pride in what you do? No sense of DUTY, no sense of DESTINY? I'm looking for generals; what do I got? Foot soldiers! I WANT DICK TRACY DEAD! 

The original director's cut of the film was 135mins but Beatty was forced to cut 30mins by Walt Disney's studio chief at the time, Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Nominated for 7 Oscars including Best Supporting Actor (Al Pacino) winning 3 - Best Art Direction, Best Make Up and Best Song "Sooner or Later (I always get my man)"

Dick Tracy cost $46m to produce and has grossed $162.7m worldwide

Tagline - "I'm on my way."