''Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc.'' (1941) is a

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

Movie serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

based on the

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the ''Detroit Mirror'', and it ...

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

. It was directed by the team of

William Witney William Nuelsen Witney (May 15, 1915 – March 17, 2002) was an American film and television director. He is best remembered for the action films he made for Republic Pictures, particularly serials: ''Dick Tracy Returns'', ''G-Men vs. the Black ...

and John English with

Ralph Byrd Ralph Byrd (April 22, 1909 – August 18, 1952) was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, films and television. Early life and career The son of George and Edna May ...

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.

Plotline

Dick Tracy and his allies find themselves up against a villain known as ''The Ghost'', with the impossible ability of becoming

invisible Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be ''invisible'' (literally, "not visible"). The phenomenon is studied by physics and perceptual psychology. Since objects can be seen by light in ...

Cast

Main cast

Michael Owen Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City, as well as for the England national team. Since r ...

as Bil Carr *

Jan Wiley Jan Wiley (February 21, 1916 – May 26, 1993) was an American film actress. Early years Wiley was born Jan Harriet Wiley in Marion, Indiana and early in her career was billed as Harriet Brandon. Film Beginning in 1937 with ''New Faces of ...

as June 'Eve' Chandler * John Davidson as Lucifer *

Ralph Morgan Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956), known professionally as Ralph Morgan, was a Hollywood stage and film character actor, and the older brother of Frank Morgan. Early life Morgan was born in New York City, the eig ...

as J.P. Morton/the Ghost

Supporting Cast

Kenneth Harlan Kenneth Daniel Harlan (July 26, 1895 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor of the silent film era, playing mostly romantic leads or adventurer types. Early life Harlan was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of George W. Harlan and ac ...

as Police Lt Cosgrove *

John Dilson John Dilson (February 18, 1891 – June 1, 1944) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1934 and 1944. Selected filmography * ''A Man's Game'' (1934) * '' The Westerner'' (1934) * '' The Girl Who Came Back'' ...

as Henry Weldon *

Howard C. Hickman Howard Charles Hickman (February 9, 1880 – December 31, 1949) was an American actor, director and writer. He was an accomplished stage leading man, who entered films through the auspices of producer Thomas H. Ince. Career In 1900, Hickman d ...

as Stephen Chandler *

Robert Frazer Robert Frazer (born Robert William Browne, June 29, 1891August 17, 1944) was an American actor who appeared in some 224 shorts and films from the 1910s until his death. He began in films with the Eclair company which released through Universal ...

as Daniel Brewster * Robert Fiske as Walter Cabot *

Jack Mulhall John Joseph Francis Mulhall (October 7, 1887 – June 1, 1979) was an American film actor beginning in the silent film era who successfully transitioned to sound films, appearing in over 430 films in a career spanning 50 years. Early years Mu ...

as Jim Wilson *

Hooper Atchley Lemuel Hooper Atchley (April 30, 1887 – November 17, 1943) was an American film actor. Atchley was the son of Mr. and Mrs. P. S. Atchley. He was a 1908 graduate of the Knoxville, Tennessee, school system. Atchley's first professional ac ...

as Arthur Trent *

Anthony Warde Anthony Warde (born Benjamin Schwartz; January 1, 1909 – January 8, 1975) was a noted American actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1937 and 1964. Early years Born as Benjamin Schwartz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on New Year' ...

as John Corey *Chuck Morrison as Trask *

Forrest Taylor Edwin Forrest Taylor (December 29, 1883 – February 19, 1965) was an American character actor whose artistic career spanned six different decades, from silents through talkies to the advent of color films. Early years Taylor was born in Bl ...

as Netzikoff's Butler

Production

''Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc.'' cost $175,919 (a $1,380 overspend). It was filmed between 17 September and 24 October 1941 under the

working title A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...

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 New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

were recycled from the

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

film ''

Deluge A deluge is a large downpour of rain, often a flood. The Deluge refers to the flood narrative in the Biblical book of Genesis. Deluge may also refer to: History *Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Comm ...

''.

Cliffhangers

Most of the cliffhangers were stock footage from previous Dick Tracy serials. However, the reuse of the highlights of previous Dick Tracy serials actually added to this serial, making it seem like a "best of" compilation.

Release

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 exchanges. 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'' is a 1952 black-and-white Republic Studios serial directed by Fred C. Brannon, with a screenplay by Ronald Davidson, and special effects by Republic's Lydecker brothers. It was intended to be Republic's second ser ...

'' and ''

Jungle Drums of Africa ''Jungle Drums of Africa'' is a 1953 12-episode American serial film shot in black-and-white. It was an original commissioned screenplay by Ronald Davidson produced by Franklin Adreon and directed by Fred C. Brannon for Republic Pictures. The s ...

''. VCI released the serial on 2 DVD discs in 2008. It was later released together with the other three Dick Tracy serials in a boxed DVD set by VCI in 2013.

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:

References

External links

*
Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc. at Todd Gault's Movie Serial Experience
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dick Tracy Vs. Crime, Inc. 1941 films American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Republic Pictures film serials Dick Tracy films Films directed by William Witney Films directed by John English 1940s crime films 1940s police procedural films Films with screenplays by Joseph F. Poland Films about invisibility 1940s American films