Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939) User Reviews

JENNIFER JONES' REPUBLIC DAYS

[m0rphy · 5/10 · 12 March 2003]

This video, from a film series made in 1939, is a classic example of a hangover from the silent era for action films, when heros & heroines stood in mortal peril at the end of the film, only to magically escape when the punters returned from their suspense the following week to see what happened in the next serial.This is a classic marketing ploy seen several times in this combined film.

The previous reviewer adequately summarised the plot.I bought it to obtain a copy of the second feature film ever made by Jennifer Jones when she was still Phyllis Isley (her given name).Made at the low budget minded Republic Films, this was her second attempt at Hollywood stardom at Republic, her first & easier to obtain, was "Frontier Horizon" with John Wayne.However, the low status and lack of character depth of roles (not to say money) offered, left her somewhat disillusioned and after this film she returned to New York with her then new husband of that year, Robert Walker, for a second crack at stage stardom on the "Great White Way".

In this film she plays Gwen Andrews, Dick Tracey's girl Friday, a role like Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond saga, you will note was played by another actress from the 1937 series.An interesting example of the serial film genre from the 1930's.

Dick Tracy in name only

[ws21 · 5/10 · 12 September 2009]

Typical of the Hollywood approach to comic strip characters, particularly in serials, the studio acquires the rights to the name so they can advertise it outside the theater, but pays no further attention to the things that made the original successful Here, Dick Tracy is not a cop but a G-man. No Pat Patton, but a sidekick named Steve Lockwood. No Tess Truehart, but secretary named Gwen. Only Junior survives the transition the the screen, spending most of his time with another new character named Mike McGurk, played by Smiley Burnette for comic relief.

My guess is that Republic already had a script on the shelf called "King of the FBI" or some such, and just changed the name of the title character. You can see the same approach in the Captain America serial.

A great serial, but it's not Dick Tracy.

Dick Tracy - The Third Serial

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 7/10 · 23 July 2017]

The master spy Nicolas Zarnoff is in the condemned cell waiting to be executed but he escapes using one of those 'mysterious drugs from the far east' to feign death. Dick Tracy, now in the FBI, who captured him before is now on the trail again. What follows is a good serial with the familiar but welcome elements; crashes, fights, explosions, mystery, detection and espionage. Zarnoff is working for "The Three Powers" who are not named but as the serial came out in 1939 audiences might have had a name or two in mind. Or not. Dick is dogged in pursuit of Zarnoff and his henchmen Robal and Sandoval over fifteen chapters. The end of Zarnoff is nicely ironic.

Dick Tracy is played again by Ralph Byrd and he fits the part like a glove again. Strong jawed and keen eyed, Byrd keeps his head amidst all the setbacks on the way to getting the villains. A good serial needs a good main villain and Irving Pichel is excellently silky smooth as he carries out his nefarious plans. Jennifer Jones is Tracy's assistant Gwen Andrews but unfortunately does nothing much apart from menial office work. Louis Caits plays Jerry the Human Fly but is only in one episode. A pity as he deserved more screen time. Familiar faces played various thugs and henchmen. Ray Johnson is 'Phony Gas Station Attendant' and does it well.

The first Dick Tracy serial is probably better but the two directors and five writers of this serial produced a rousing and interesting entertainment and it is definitely an improvement on the second serial, 'Dick Tracy Returns' from 1938.

Maybe not the most fantastic serial of all times, but...

[searchanddestroy-1 · 6 September 2014]

That's probably the less interesting serial of all that William Witney made in his all carrier. And certainly the less of the three Dick Tracy ones he made; the best is the fourth. This one was the third. One good point is of course Raplh Byrd - the best Dick Tracy actor of all times - and the villain played by Irving Pichel - whose face reminds me Benicio Del Toro. Yes Pichel is a terrific heavy here. But besides, I won't say it's a tepid serial, far from that, but I could prefer those directed later, even in the fifties, made by the likes of Fred C Brannon or Spencer Bennet. The weak point, if you compare with those made by Republic Studios several years later, is the fist fights. Here, you perfectly see that they have not reached their peak yet. But a couple years later, the fist fights are spectacular, oh my God !!!

One more good an surprising point for this serial is the ending. I am not a serial specialist, but the ending here, although not spectacular, is very interesting and unforgettable. I won't spoil it, but I don't think that in another serial you could Watch such an end.

But maybe I am wrong.

A serial packed with exhilarating action

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 4 July 2017]

DICK TRACY'S G-MEN is another entertaining serial for star Ralph Byrd, who had already played the eponymous hero twice by this stage. I always find a serial is only as good as the chief villain and this one has a fine one in the form of Irving Pichel's Zanoff, a mad scientist who returns from death after being apparently executed at the outset. The rest of the production sees Tracy and his allies going after Zanoff and his men. Plenty of fisticuffs and chase scenes ensue, along with all the cliffhanger climaxes you could wish for, and what's most notable here is the scope of the action, with large-scale events like the airship scenario really excelling. Watch out for Jennifer Jones, later of THE TOWERING INFERNO fame, as a key ally.

JENNIFER JONES'REPUBLIC DAYS

[m0rphy · 5/10 · 12 March 2003]

This video, from a film series made in 1939, is a classic example of a hangover from the silent era for action films, when heros & heroines stood in mortal peril at the end of the film, only to magically escape when the punters returned from their suspense the following week to see what happened in the next serial.This is a classic marketing ploy seen several times in this combined film.

The previous reviewer adequately summarised the plot.I bought it to obtain a copy of the second feature film ever made by Jennifer Jones when she was still Phyllis Isley (her given name).Made at the low budget minded Republic Films, this was her second attempt at Hollywood stardom at Republic, her first & easier to obtain, was "Frontier Horizon" with John Wayne.However, the low status and lack of character depth of roles (not to say money) offered, left her somewhat disillusioned and after this film she returned to New York with her then new husband of that year, Robert Walker, for a second crack at stage stardom on the "Great White Way".

In this film she plays Gwen Andrews, Dick Tracey's girl Friday, a role like Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond saga, you will note was played by another actress from the 1937 series.An interesting example of the serial film genre from the 1930's.

Tracy vs. the Master Spy

[Mike-764 · 9/10 · 13 June 2001]

Zarnoff, the world's most notorious spy, is sentenced to death in the gas chamber for his activities. Zarnoff escapes through a drug he ingests before being brought to the death chamber. For the rest of the serial, he wages war with the man who sent him there, Dick Tracy. Very good cat and mouse game between Tracy and Zarnoff, couple with good action sequences, make this serial well recommended. Watch for the stock footage of the Hindenburg disaster. Great score as well. In terms of serials, 9 out of 10.

Lack of G force

[Prismark10 · 3/10 · 29 September 2017]

I saw the feature film version of this serial. There is very little about this movie that screams Dick Tracy to me.

It is a silly creaky spy caper with criminal Nicolas Zarnoff escaping execution by feigning his death through some mysterious drug and Tracy and his fellow FBI agents pursue him.

There are regular cliffhangers, at one point Tracy is hanging off a plane, there is stock footage used from an airship disaster but it also looks archaic to modern eyes. The scene where Tracy and his men take a conveniently parked cab when their car has a flat tyre and the cab driver turns out to be a henchman.