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{{short description|1939 film by John English, William Witney}}
{{Infobox Film|
{{use American English|date=August 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Dick Tracy's G-Men
| name = Dick Tracy's G-Men
| image = DickTracyGMen.jpg
| image = DickTracyGMen.jpg
| director = [[William Witney]]<br>[[John English (director)|John English]]
| director = {{unbulleted list|[[William Witney]]|[[John English (film director)|John English]]}}
| producer = [[Robert M Beche]]|
| producer = [[Robert M Beche]]
| writer = [[Franklin Adreon]]<br>[[Ronald Davidson]]<br>[[Barry Shipman]]<br>[[Sol Shor]]<br>[[Chester Gould]] ''(comic strip)''
| writer = {{unbulleted list|[[Franklin Adreon]]|[[Ronald Davidson]]|[[Barry Shipman]]|[[Sol Shor]]|[[Chester Gould]] ''(comic strip)''}}
| starring = [[Ralph Byrd]]<br>[[Irving Pichel]]<br>[[Ted Pearson]]<br>[[Jennifer Jones (actor)|Phyllis Isley]]<br>[[Walter Miller (actor)|Walter Miller]]<br>[[George Douglas]]
| starring = {{unbulleted list|[[Ralph Byrd]]|[[Irving Pichel]]|[[Ted Pearson]]|[[Jennifer Jones|Phyllis Isley]]|[[Walter Miller (actor)|Walter Miller]]|[[George Douglas (actor)|George Douglas]]}}
| music =
| music =
| cinematography = [[William Nobles]]
| cinematography = [[William Nobles (cinematographer)|William Nobles]]
| editing =
| editing =
| distributor = [[Republic Pictures]]
| distributor = [[Republic Pictures]]
| released = {{Film date|1939|09|02|U.S.|ref1=<ref name="mathis">{{cite book | last = Mathis | first = Jack | title = Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement | year = 1995 | publisher = Jack Mathis Advertising | isbn = 0-9632878-1-8 | pages = 3, 10, 40–41 }}</ref>|1955|09|19|U.S. re-release|ref2=<ref name="mathis" />}}
| released = {{Flagicon|USA}} [[2 September]] [[1939]]<ref name="mathis">{{cite book
| runtime = 15 chapters / 263 minutes<ref name="mathis" />
| last = Mathis
| country = United States
| first = Jack
| language = English
| title = Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement
| budget = $159,876 ([[negative cost]]: $163,530)<ref name="mathis" />
| origyear = 1995
| gross =
| publisher = Jack Mathis Advertising
| isbn = 0-9632878-1-8
| pages = 3, 10, 40–41
| chapter =
}}</ref><br />{{Flagicon|USA}}[[19 September]] [[1955]] ''(re-release)''<ref name="mathis" />
| runtime = 15 chapters / 263 minutes<ref name="mathis" /><br />
| country = {{USA}}
| language = [[English language|English]]
| budget = $159,876 ([[negative cost]]: $163,530)<ref name="mathis" />
| gross =
| preceded_by = ''[[Dick Tracy Returns]]'' ([[1938 in film|1938]])
| followed_by = ''[[Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc.]]'' ([[1941 in film|1941]])
| website =
| amg_id = 1:62025
| imdb_id = 0031230
}}
}}


'''''Dick Tracy's G-Men''''' ([[1939 in film|1939]]) is a 15-Chapter [[Republic Pictures|Republic]] [[Serial (film)|Movie Serial]] based on the [[Dick Tracy]] [[comic strip]] by [[Chester Gould]]. It was directed by [[William Witney]] and [[John English (director)|John English]].
'''''Dick Tracy's G-Men''''' (1939) is a 15-Chapter [[Republic Pictures|Republic]] [[Serial (film)|movie serial]] based on the ''[[Dick Tracy]]'' [[comic strip]] by [[Chester Gould]]. It was directed by [[William Witney]] and [[John English (film director)|John English]].


This serial was the fifteenth of the sixty-six produced by Republic and the third Dick Tracy serial (there would be one more, ''[[Dick Tracy vs Crime Inc]]'', in [[1941 in film|1941]]). As with all four Dick Tracy serials, [[Ralph Byrd]] plays the lead. This time he faces [[Irving Pichel]] as the spy with a vendetta, Zarnoff. Future [[Academy Award]] winner [[Jennifer Jones (actor)|Jennifer Jones]] co-stars as Gwen Andrews.
This serial was the fifteenth of the sixty-six produced by Republic and the third Dick Tracy serial (there would be one more, ''[[Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc.]]'', in 1941). As with all four Dick Tracy serials, [[Ralph Byrd]] plays the lead. This time he faces [[Irving Pichel]] as the spy with a vendetta, Zarnoff. Future [[Academy Award]] winner [[Jennifer Jones]] co-stars as Gwen Andrews, credited here under her birth name of Phyllis Isley.


"[[G-Man (slang)|G-Man]]" is a contemporary slang term for an agent of the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]]. In the [[comic strip]], Dick Tracy is actually a [[detective]] in the [[police]] force of an unnamed [[Midwestern]] city resembling [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]]. This was changed for the serial.
"[[G-Man (slang)|G-Man]]" is a contemporary slang term for an agent of the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]]. In the [[comic strip]], Dick Tracy is actually a [[detective]] in the [[police]] force of an unnamed [[Midwestern]] city resembling [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]]. This was changed for the serial.


==Plot==
==Plot==
International [[spy]], Zarnoff, in the employ of "The Three Powers" (presumably a fictionalized reference to the [[Axis powers|Axis]] is captured by Dick Tracy at the start of the serial, tried and sentenced to death. However, through the use of a rare drug embeded by his agents in the evening newspaper, he escapes from the [[gas chamber]]. His men pick up his "corpse" by ambushing the hearse and administering another counter-drug. He continues his espionage plans, while taking the opportunity of [[revenge]] on Tracy.
International [[spy]], Zarnoff, in the employ of "The Three Powers" (presumably a fictionalized reference to the [[Axis powers|Axis]]) is captured by Dick Tracy at the start of the serial, tried and sentenced to death. However, through the use of a rare drug embedded by his agents in the evening newspaper, he escapes from the [[gas chamber]]. His men pick up his "corpse" by ambushing the hearse and administering another counter-drug. He continues his [[espionage]] plans, while taking the opportunity of [[revenge]] on Tracy.


==Cast==
==Cast==
*[[Ralph Byrd]] as [[Dick Tracy]]
* [[Ralph Byrd]] as [[Dick Tracy]]
*[[Irving Pichel]] as Nicolas Zarnoff
* [[Irving Pichel]] as Nicolas Zarnoff
*[[Ted Pearson]] as Agent Steve Lockwood
* Ted Pearson as Steve Lockwood
*[[Jennifer Jones (actor)|Phyllis Isley]] as Gwen Andrews. Phyllis Isley went on to win an [[Academy Award for best actress]] four years later in [[1943 in film|1943]] for ''[[The Song of Bernadette (film)|The Song of Bernadette]]'', under the screen name [[Jennifer Jones (actor)|Jennifer Jones]].
* [[Jennifer Jones|Phyllis Isley]] as Gwen Andrews. Phyllis Isley went on to win an [[Academy Award for best actress]] four years later in [[1943 in film|1943]] for ''[[The Song of Bernadette (film)|The Song of Bernadette]]'', under the screen name [[Jennifer Jones]].
*[[Walter Miller (actor)|Walter Miller]] as Robal, one of Zarnoff's [[henchmen]]. This was Walter Miller's last serial, he died shortly afterwards.<ref>{{cite book
* [[Walter Miller (actor)|Walter Miller]] as Robal, one of Zarnoff's [[henchmen]]. This was Walter Miller's last serial, he died shortly afterwards.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Stedman
| last = Stedman
| first = Raymond William
| first = Raymond William
| title = Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment
| title = Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment
| origyear = 1971
| year = 1971
| publisher = University of Oklahoma Press
| publisher = University of Oklahoma Press
| isbn = 9780806109275
| isbn = 978-0-8061-0927-5
| chapter = 4. Perilous Saturdays
| chapter = 4. Perilous Saturdays
| page = [https://archive.org/details/serialssuspensea00sted/page/118 118]
| page = 118
| chapter-url-access = registration
| chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/serialssuspensea00sted/page/118
}}</ref>
}}</ref>
*[[George Douglas]] as Sandoval, one of Zarnoff's [[henchmen]]
* George Douglas as Sandoval, one of Zarnoff's [[henchmen]]


==Production==
==Production==
''Dick Tracy's G-Men'' was budgeted at $159,876 although the final [[negative cost]] was $163,530 (a $3,654, or 2.3%, overspend).<ref name="mathis" /> Although the previous serial, ''[[Daredevils of the Red Circle]]'', came in under budget that was an exception to the rule. Most Republic serials were slightly overbudget and this one was not significantly so in comparison.
''Dick Tracy's G-Men'' was budgeted at $159,876 although the final [[negative cost]] was $163,530 (a $3,654, or 2.3%, overspend).<ref name="mathis" /> Although the previous serial, ''[[Daredevils of the Red Circle]]'', came in under budget that was an exception to the rule. Most Republic serials were slightly overbudget and this one was not significantly so in comparison.


It was filmed between [[17 June]] and [[27 July]] [[1939]] under the [[working title]] ''Dick Tracy and his G-Men''.<ref name="mathis" /> The serial's production number was 896.<ref name="mathis" />
It was filmed between 17 June and 27 July 1939 under the [[working title]] ''Dick Tracy and his G-Men''.<ref name="mathis" /> The serial's production number was 896.<ref name="mathis" />


This serial, like all the sequels to the 1937 [[Dick Tracy (Serial)|original Dick Tracy serial]], was permitted by an interpretation of the original contract, which allowed a "series or serial". Therefore, [[Chester Gould]] was not paid again for the right to produce this serial.<ref>[http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue04/infocus/dicktracy.htm Images Journal Article], last checked 19/03/07</ref>
This serial, like all the sequels to the 1937 [[Dick Tracy (Serial)|original Dick Tracy serial]], was permitted by an interpretation of the original contract, which allowed a "series or serial". Therefore, [[Chester Gould]] was not paid again for the right to produce this serial.<ref>[http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue04/infocus/dicktracy.htm Images Journal Article], last checked 19/03/07</ref>


==Release==
==Release==

===Theatrical===
===Theatrical===
''Dick Tracy's G-Men'''s official release date is [[2 September]] [[1939]], although this is actually the date the seventh chapter was made available to film exchanges.<ref name="mathis" />
''Dick Tracy's G-Men'''s official release date is 2 September 1939, although this is actually the date the seventh chapter was made available to film exchanges.<ref name="mathis" />

The serial was re-released on 19 September 1955 following the release of Republic's final serial, ''[[King of the Carnival]]''. ''Dick Tracy's G-Men'' began a series of re-releases that accounted for all of Republic's remaining serial releases, finishing with a re-release of ''[[Zorro's Fighting Legion]]'' in March 1958.<ref name="mathis" />


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.
The serial was re-released on [[19 September]] [[1955]] following the release of Republic's final serial, ''[[King of the Carnival]]''. ''Dick Tracy's G-Men'' began a series of re-releases that accounted for all of Republic's remaining serial releases, finishing with a re-release of ''[[Zorro's Fighting Legion]]'' in March 1958.<ref name="mathis" />


==Critical reception==
==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."<ref name="Cline1">{{cite book
Movie serial historian William C. 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."<ref name="Cline1">{{cite book
| last = Cline
| last = Cline
| first = William C.
| first = William C.
| title = In the Nick of Time
| title = In the Nick of Time
| url = https://archive.org/details/innickoftimemot00clin
| origyear = 1984
| url-access = registration
| year = 1984
| publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc.
| publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc.
| isbn = 078640471X
| isbn = 0-7864-0471-X
| chapter = 2. In Search of Ammunition
| chapter = 2. In Search of Ammunition
| page = [https://archive.org/details/innickoftimemot00clin/page/20 20]
| page = 20
}}</ref>
}}</ref>


Line 103: Line 99:
| first = William C.
| first = William C.
| title = In the Nick of Time
| title = In the Nick of Time
| url = https://archive.org/details/innickoftimemot00clin
| origyear = 1984
| url-access = registration
| year = 1984
| publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc.
| publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc.
| isbn = 078640471X
| isbn = 0-7864-0471-X
| chapter = Filmography
| chapter = Filmography
| page = [https://archive.org/details/innickoftimemot00clin/page/225 225]
| page = 225
}}</ref>
}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of film serials]] by year
* [[List of film serials by studio]]
* [[Dick Tracy (Serial)|Dick Tracy]] - Earlier serial (1937)
* [[Dick Tracy Returns]] - Earlier serial (1938)
* [[Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc.]] - Sequel serial (1941)


==References==
==References==
Line 121: Line 112:


==External links==
==External links==
*{{imdb title|id=0031230}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0031230}}
*{{Amg movie|62025}}
* {{AllMovie title|62025}}
*[http://www.serialexperience.com/showarticle.php?fldRecNum=318 Dick Tracy's G-Men at Todd Gault's Movie Serial Experience]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070804185145/http://serialexperience.com/showarticle.php?fldRecNum=318 Dick Tracy's G-Men at Todd Gault's Movie Serial Experience]

{{start box}}
{{succession box
| title=[[Republic Pictures|Republic]] [[Serial (film)|Serial]]
| before=[[Daredevils of the Red Circle]] ([[1939 in film|1939]])
| years='''Dick Tracy's G-Men ([[1939 in film|1939]])'''
| after=[[Zorro's Fighting Legion]] ([[1939 in film|1939]])}}
{{succession box
| title=[[Dick Tracy]] [[Serial (film)|Serial]]
| before=[[Dick Tracy Returns]] ([[1938 in film|1938]])
| years='''Dick Tracy's G-Men ([[1939 in film|1939]])'''
| after=[[Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc.]] ([[1941 in film|1941]])}}
{{succession box
| title = [[William Witney|Witney]]-[[John English (director)|English]] [[Serial (film)|Serial]]
| before=[[Daredevils of the Red Circle]] ([[1939 in film|1939]])
| years='''Dick Tracy's G-Men ([[1939 in film|1939]])'''
| after=[[Zorro's Fighting Legion]] ([[1939 in film|1939]])}}
{{end}}


{{Dick Tracy}}
{{Dick Tracy}}
{{Republic serials}}
{{Republic serials}}
{{William Witney}}


[[Category:1939 films]]
[[Category:1939 films]]
[[Category:Detective films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:Black and white films]]
[[Category:1930s English-language films]]
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:Republic Pictures film serials]]
[[Category:Republic Pictures film serials]]
[[Category:Films based on comic strips]]
[[Category:Dick Tracy films]]
[[Category:Films directed by William Witney]]
[[Category:Films directed by William Witney]]
[[Category:Films directed by John English]]
[[Category:Films directed by John English]]
[[Category:American mystery films]]
[[Category:1930s mystery films]]
[[Category:1930s crime films]]
[[Category:1930s police procedural films]]
[[Category:1930s American films]]

Latest revision as of 17:25, 17 March 2024

Dick Tracy's G-Men
Directed by
Written by
Produced byRobert M Beche
Starring
CinematographyWilliam Nobles
Distributed byRepublic Pictures
Release dates
  • September 2, 1939 (1939-09-02) (U.S.)[1]
  • September 19, 1955 (1955-09-19) (U.S. re-release)[1]
Running time
15 chapters / 263 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$159,876 (negative cost: $163,530)[1]

Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939) is a 15-Chapter Republic movie serial based on the Dick Tracy comic strip by Chester Gould. It was directed by William Witney and John English.

This serial was the fifteenth of the sixty-six produced by Republic and the third Dick Tracy serial (there would be one more, Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc., in 1941). As with all four Dick Tracy serials, Ralph Byrd plays the lead. This time he faces Irving Pichel as the spy with a vendetta, Zarnoff. Future Academy Award winner Jennifer Jones co-stars as Gwen Andrews, credited here under her birth name of Phyllis Isley.

"G-Man" is a contemporary slang term for an agent of the FBI. In the comic strip, Dick Tracy is actually a detective in the police force of an unnamed Midwestern city resembling Chicago. This was changed for the serial.

Plot

[edit]

International spy, Zarnoff, in the employ of "The Three Powers" (presumably a fictionalized reference to the Axis) is captured by Dick Tracy at the start of the serial, tried and sentenced to death. However, through the use of a rare drug embedded by his agents in the evening newspaper, he escapes from the gas chamber. His men pick up his "corpse" by ambushing the hearse and administering another counter-drug. He continues his espionage plans, while taking the opportunity of revenge on Tracy.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Dick Tracy's G-Men was budgeted at $159,876 although the final negative cost was $163,530 (a $3,654, or 2.3%, overspend).[1] Although the previous serial, Daredevils of the Red Circle, came in under budget that was an exception to the rule. Most Republic serials were slightly overbudget and this one was not significantly so in comparison.

It was filmed between 17 June and 27 July 1939 under the working title Dick Tracy and his G-Men.[1] The serial's production number was 896.[1]

This serial, like all the sequels to the 1937 original Dick Tracy serial, was permitted by an interpretation of the original contract, which allowed a "series or serial". Therefore, Chester Gould was not paid again for the right to produce this serial.[3]

Release

[edit]

Theatrical

[edit]

Dick Tracy's G-Men's official release date is 2 September 1939, although this is actually the date the seventh chapter was made available to film exchanges.[1]

The serial was re-released on 19 September 1955 following the release of Republic's final serial, King of the Carnival. Dick Tracy's G-Men began a series of re-releases that accounted for all of Republic's remaining serial releases, finishing with a re-release of Zorro's Fighting Legion in March 1958.[1]

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

[edit]

Movie serial historian William C. 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."[4]

Chapter titles

[edit]
  1. The Master Spy (29min 55s)
  2. Captured (16min 42s)
  3. The False Signal (16min 38s)
  4. The Enemy Strikes (16min 44s)
  5. Crack-up! (16min 39s)
  6. Sunken Peril (16min 39s)
  7. Tracking the Enemy (16min 40s)
  8. Chamber of Doom (16min 41s)
  9. Flames of Jeopardy (16min 37s)
  10. Crackling Fury (16min 40s)
  11. Caverns of Peril (16min 39s)
  12. Fight in the Sky (16min 39s)
  13. The Fatal Ride (16min 40s) - a re-cap chapter
  14. Getaway (16min 38s)
  15. The Last Stand (16min 41s)

Source:[1][5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mathis, Jack (1995). Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement. Jack Mathis Advertising. pp. 3, 10, 40–41. ISBN 0-9632878-1-8.
  2. ^ Stedman, Raymond William (1971). "4. Perilous Saturdays". Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-8061-0927-5.
  3. ^ Images Journal Article, last checked 19/03/07
  4. ^ Cline, William C. (1984). "2. In Search of Ammunition". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 20. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
  5. ^ Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 225. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
[edit]