I always loved the Dick Tracy comic strip growing up and I also watched the Dick Tracy cartoons that used to be part of the US Of Archies Saturday morning show. I was surprised to find this rare little know tv pilot that came on at the same time the nation was in love with Batman (William Dozier the creator of Batman also made this pilot). An actor named Ray MacDonnell plays Tracy and does a good job (although Warren Beatty really set the standard). The plot has Tracy trying to stop an evil scientist who has kidnapped three diplomats who were going to attend a NATO summit. Victor Buono (who was a delightful ham as "King Tut" on Batman) does an equally hammy turn as the heavy here named "Mister Memory". This episode really is not done in the spirit of Chester Gould but more in the "camp" of Batman. In fact there is a spinning hat on screen between scenes just like the "bat spin" on Batman. Unfortunately the show was never picked up and the only other trivia of note is that it features Eve Plumb before she was Jan on the Brady Bunch (she is in the opening credits but not featured on the episode). By the way at the very end after the credits William Dozier does a voice over about the next weeks episode called "The Plot To Destroy A Metropolis" where Tracy faces a villian called Global Enemy Number One. Unfortunately this episode was never made, what a loss!
Review of Dick Tracy
