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Dick Tracy

  • 1937
  • Approved
  • 4h 50m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
633
YOUR RATING
Ralph Byrd in Dick Tracy (1937)
ActionComedyCrime

A master criminal called The Spider puts the famous detective's brother under a hypnotic spell and turns him against Dick.A master criminal called The Spider puts the famous detective's brother under a hypnotic spell and turns him against Dick.A master criminal called The Spider puts the famous detective's brother under a hypnotic spell and turns him against Dick.

  • Directors
    • Alan James
    • Ray Taylor
  • Writers
    • Chester Gould
    • Barry Shipman
    • Winston Miller
  • Stars
    • Ralph Byrd
    • Kay Hughes
    • Smiley Burnette
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    633
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Alan James
      • Ray Taylor
    • Writers
      • Chester Gould
      • Barry Shipman
      • Winston Miller
    • Stars
      • Ralph Byrd
      • Kay Hughes
      • Smiley Burnette
    • 16User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos32

    Ralph Byrd in Dick Tracy (1937)
    Ralph Byrd and Lee Van Atta in Dick Tracy (1937)
    Ralph Byrd, John Picorri, and Lee Van Atta in Dick Tracy (1937)
    Ralph Byrd, John Picorri, and Lee Van Atta in Dick Tracy (1937)
    Ralph Byrd and Lee Van Atta in Dick Tracy (1937)
    Smiley Burnette, Ralph Byrd, Kay Hughes, and Lee Van Atta in Dick Tracy (1937)
    Ralph Byrd and Lee Van Atta in Dick Tracy (1937)
    Ralph Byrd, John Picorri, Lorin Raker, Buddy Roosevelt, Edwin Stanley, and Carleton Young in Dick Tracy (1937)
    John Picorri and Edwin Stanley in Dick Tracy (1937)
    Ralph Byrd and Lee Van Atta in Dick Tracy (1937)
    Ralph Byrd, André Cheron, and Bruce Mitchell in Dick Tracy (1937)
    Brooks Benedict and Ralph Byrd in Dick Tracy (1937)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ralph Byrd
    Ralph Byrd
    • Dick Tracy
    Kay Hughes
    Kay Hughes
    • Gwen Andrews
    Smiley Burnette
    Smiley Burnette
    • Mike McGurk
    Lee Van Atta
    • Junior
    John Picorri
    John Picorri
    • Moloch
    • (as John Piccori)
    Carleton Young
    Carleton Young
    • Gordon Tracy, After
    Fred Hamilton
    • Steve Lockwood
    Francis X. Bushman
    Francis X. Bushman
    • Chief Clive Anderson
    John Dilson
    John Dilson
    • Ellery Brewster [Chs. 1, 12]
    Richard Beach
    • Gordon Tracy, Before [Chs. 1, 12]
    Wedgwood Nowell
    Wedgwood Nowell
    • H.T. Clayton [Chs. 8-9]
    Theodore Lorch
    Theodore Lorch
    • Patorno [Chs. 1, 12]
    Edwin Stanley
    Edwin Stanley
    • Walter Odette
    Harrison Greene
    • Cloggerstein…
    Herbert Weber
    • Tony Martino [Ch. 1]
    Buddy Roosevelt
    Buddy Roosevelt
    • Whitney Burke
    George DeNormand
    George DeNormand
    • Henchman Flynn [Chs. 2-3, 5]
    • (as George De Normand)
    • …
    Byron Foulger
    Byron Foulger
    • Korvitch [Chs. 1, 12]
    • (as Byron K. Foulger)
    • Directors
      • Alan James
      • Ray Taylor
    • Writers
      • Chester Gould
      • Barry Shipman
      • Winston Miller
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.
    • Goofs
      In the first chapter Junior knocks on the window to get Tracy's attention crying "Mr. Tracy, Mr. Tracy!", but after he tackles one of the fleeing villains he says " Aren't you Dick Tracy?".
    • Quotes

      [the Spider's henchmen have kidnapped Gordon, Dick Tracy's brother, and Moloch prepares to begin a mind-altering medical procedure]

      The Spider: Hmm, his condition seems critical.

      Moloch: What if should die?

      The Spider: Then we will eliminate a very dangerous enemy.

      Moloch: He won't die, but by means of this operation - a simple altering of certain glands - he will be unable to distinguish between right and wrong.

      The Spider: In that event, he will be very useful to us, Moloch, very useful.

    • Crazy credits
      "Oscar & Elmer" are given final cast credits in the opening sequence.
    • Connections
      Edited into Dick Tracy (1990)

    User reviews16

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    A Great Serial.
    Superb serial. The only one that matches it in quality is the first Flash Gordon. The production values are exceptional and eclipse many better known B movies. Ralph Byrd is perfectly cast in the title role. The only explanation I can think of for some viewers to rate this any lower than an "A" is that they just haven't seen very many serials. One of the few efforts in this line that actually has some atmospheric touches and, as another commenter has pointed out, the special effects are genuinely good.

    Folks who don't really like serials are....well, they're folks who don't like serials (probably don't much like Christmas either). For those who do like serials, this is like a trip to the circus. Good action and WAY better than usual script and acting. As movies go, this probably only deserves a 7 but for a serial it deserves a perfect 10.
    helpful•5
    0
    • jetan
    • Oct 17, 2009

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 20, 1937 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Adventures of Dick Tracy
    • Filming locations
      • Republic Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Republic Pictures (I)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      4 hours 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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