Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947)

Dick Tracy goes up against a villain who robs banks using a nerve gas.

Director:

John Rawlins

Writers:

Robertson White (screenplay), Eric Taylor (screenplay)

Stars:

Boris Karloff, Ralph Byrd, Anne Gwynne

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Boris Karloff	...	Gruesome
Ralph Byrd	...	Dick Tracy
Anne Gwynne	...	Tess Trueheart
Edward Ashley	...	Dr. L. E. Thal
June Clayworth	...	Dr. Irma M. Learned
Lyle Latell	...	Pat Patton
Tony Barrett	...	Melody
Skelton Knaggs	...	X-Ray
James Nolan	...	Dan Sterne (as Jim Nolan)
Joseph Crehan	...	Chief Brandon
Milton Parsons	...	Dr. A. Tomic

Storyline

A gang of criminals, which includes a piano player and an imposing former convict known as 'Gruesome', has found out about a scientist's secret formula for a gas that temporarily paralyzes anyone who breathes it. When Gruesome accidentally inhales some of the gas and passes out, the police think he is dead and take him to the morgue, where he later revives and escapes. This puzzling incident attracts the interest of Dick Tracy, and when the criminals later use the gas to rob a bank, Tracy realizes that he must devote his entire attention to stopping them.

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Plot Keywords:

dick tracy | based on comic | sequel | fourth part | morgue | 

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Taglines:

KARLOFF PETRIFIES THEM! (original print ad-all caps)

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dick Tracy vs. The Gruesome Gang

Filming Locations:

RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed April 1-late April 1947, the last of RKO's four classic Dick Tracy features, and the only one in which Ralph Byrd takes second billing. He would continue playing the character on television, until his untimely death in 1952.

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Quotes

X Ray: What is your friend's name?
"Melody" Fisk: Gruesome.
X Ray: Isn't he.

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Connections

Featured in Dick Tracy Special (2010)

User Reviews

Gruesome is quite good

My first introduction to Dick Tracy was the cartoon series of the 1950s (60s?) and then later the Sunday comics. I saw the big screen Warren Beatty/ Madonna effort and was curious about these earlier efforts. I wasn't expecting much but was pleasantly surprised by this adaptation. Gruesome, played by Boris Karloff, looks as if he just stepped out of the Chester Gould strip (without the lavish makeup of the 1990s version) and several supporting characters also have the grotesque look that made the comic popular. The story revolves around a mysterious gas that can temporarily freeze people. While they're in suspended animation, the baddies can rob the bank (the perfect plan huh?) Anyway, it's up to Dick Tracy (Ralph Byrd) to solve the mystery and put an end to Gruesome's crime spree. It's all good fun with more plot than you'd expect and a solid amount of screen time to Karloff. Humour peppers the thrills to make it an enjoyable film.