Dick Tracy's G-Men: Difference between revisions

Dick Tracy's G-Men
Dick Tracy's G-Men
Directed by	William Witney; John English;
Written by	Franklin Adreon; Ronald Davidson; Barry Shipman; Sol Shor; Chester Gould (comic strip);
Produced by	Robert M Beche
Starring	Ralph Byrd; Irving Pichel; Ted Pearson; Phyllis Isley; Walter Miller; George Douglas;
Cinematography	William Nobles
Distributed by	Republic Pictures
Release dates	September 2, 1939 (U.S.); September 19, 1955 (U.S. re-release);
Running time	15 chapters / 263 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$159,876 (negative cost: $163,530)

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 17:25, 17 March 2024

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

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

Ralph Byrd as Dick Tracy
Irving Pichel as Nicolas Zarnoff
Ted Pearson as Steve Lockwood
Phyllis Isley as Gwen Andrews. Phyllis Isley went on to win an Academy Award for best actress four years later in 1943 for The Song of Bernadette, under the screen name Jennifer Jones.
Walter Miller as Robal, one of Zarnoff's henchmen. This was Walter Miller's last serial, he died shortly afterwards.^[2]
George Douglas as Sandoval, one of Zarnoff's henchmen

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).^[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

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.^[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

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

The Master Spy (29min 55s)
Captured (16min 42s)
The False Signal (16min 38s)
The Enemy Strikes (16min 44s)
Crack-up! (16min 39s)
Sunken Peril (16min 39s)
Tracking the Enemy (16min 40s)
Chamber of Doom (16min 41s)
Flames of Jeopardy (16min 37s)
Crackling Fury (16min 40s)
Caverns of Peril (16min 39s)
Fight in the Sky (16min 39s)
The Fatal Ride (16min 40s) - a re-cap chapter
Getaway (16min 38s)
The Last Stand (16min 41s)

_Source:^[1]^[5]

References

^ ^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.
^ 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.
^ Images Journal Article, last checked 19/03/07
^ Cline, William C. (1984). "2. In Search of Ammunition". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 20. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
^ Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 225. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.

External links

[mathis-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

[Cline1-4] 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.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{short description|1939 film by John English, William Witney}}
+{{use American English|date=August 2020}}
 {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2015}}
 {{Infobox film
 | name           = Dick Tracy's G-Men
 | 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|Phyllis Isley]]<br>[[Walter Miller (actor)|Walter Miller]]<br>[[George Douglas (actor)|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          =
 | cinematography = [[William Nobles (cinematographer)|William Nobles]]
 | editing        =
 | 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 | chapter = }}</ref>|1955|09|19|U.S. re-release|ref2=<ref name="mathis" />}}
+| 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" />}}
 | runtime        = 15 chapters / 263 minutes<ref name="mathis" />
 | country        = United States
@@ Line 20: / Line 21: @@
 }}
-'''''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 (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).  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.
+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.
 ==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 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.
+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==
-*[[Ralph Byrd]] as [[Dick Tracy]]
+* [[Ralph Byrd]] as [[Dick Tracy]]
-*[[Irving Pichel]] as Nicolas Zarnoff
+* [[Irving Pichel]] as Nicolas Zarnoff
-*Ted Pearson as Steve Lockwood
+* Ted Pearson as Steve Lockwood
-*[[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]].
+* [[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
  | first = Raymond William
@@ Line 42: / Line 43: @@
  | isbn = 978-0-8061-0927-5
  | chapter = 4. Perilous Saturdays
+ | page = [https://archive.org/details/serialssuspensea00sted/page/118 118]
- | page = 118
- | url-access = registration
+ | chapter-url-access = registration
- | url = https://archive.org/details/serialssuspensea00sted
+ | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/serialssuspensea00sted/page/118
  }}</ref>
 * George Douglas as Sandoval, one of Zarnoff's [[henchmen]]
@@ Line 62: / Line 63: @@
 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.
+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==
@@ Line 69: / Line 70: @@
  | first = William C.
  | title = In the Nick of Time
+ | url = https://archive.org/details/innickoftimemot00clin
+ | url-access = registration
  | year = 1984
  | publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc.
  | isbn = 0-7864-0471-X
  | chapter = 2. In Search of Ammunition
+ | page = [https://archive.org/details/innickoftimemot00clin/page/20 20]
- | page = 20
  }}</ref>
@@ Line 96: / Line 99: @@
  | first = William C.
  | title = In the Nick of Time
+ | url = https://archive.org/details/innickoftimemot00clin
+ | url-access = registration
  | year = 1984
  | publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc.
  | isbn = 0-7864-0471-X
  | chapter = Filmography
+ | page = [https://archive.org/details/innickoftimemot00clin/page/225 225]
- | page = 225
  }}</ref>
@@ Line 107: / Line 112: @@
 ==External links==
-*{{IMDb title|id=0031230}}
+* {{IMDb title|id=0031230}}
-*{{Amg movie|62025}}
+* {{AllMovie title|62025}}
-*[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]
+* [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]
 {{Dick Tracy}}
@@ Line 117: / Line 122: @@
 [[Category:1939 films]]
 [[Category:American black-and-white films]]
-[[Category:American films]]
+[[Category:1930s English-language films]]
-[[Category:English-language films]]
 [[Category:Republic Pictures film serials]]
 [[Category:Dick Tracy films]]
@@ Line 127: / Line 131: @@
 [[Category:1930s crime films]]
 [[Category:1930s police procedural films]]
+[[Category:1930s American films]]

v t e Dick Tracy
Created by: Chester Gould
Contributors	Max Allan Collins Mike Curtis Rick Fletcher Alfred J. Gross Michael Kilian Dick Locher Joe Staton
Characters	Dick Tracy Tess Trueheart Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice Flattop Breathless Mahoney Joe Jitsu Moon Maid Pruneface Villain debuts
Film serials	Dick Tracy (1937) Dick Tracy Returns (1938) Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939) Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941)
Feature films	Dick Tracy (1945) Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946) Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947) Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947) Dick Tracy (1990)
Television series	Dick Tracy (1950-51) The Dick Tracy Show (1961-62) Archie's TV Funnies (1971-73)
Other media	Dick Tracy (radio series) Dick Tracy (soundtrack) I'm Breathless ("Vogue" "Hanky Panky" "Sooner or Later") Dick Tracy (video game) The Complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy (book collection of the comic strip)
Related articles	Tribune Content Agency Chief Yellow Horse Fearless Fosdick "Dick Tracy in B Flat" Little Orphan Annie The Great Piggy Bank Robbery

v t e Republic serials
Pre-war serials (1936–1941)	Darkest Africa Undersea Kingdom The Vigilantes Are Coming Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island Dick Tracy The Painted Stallion S.O.S. Coast Guard Zorro Rides Again The Lone Ranger The Fighting Devil Dogs Dick Tracy Returns Hawk of the Wilderness The Lone Ranger Rides Again Daredevils of the Red Circle Dick Tracy's G-Men Zorro's Fighting Legion Drums of Fu Manchu Adventures of Red Ryder King of the Royal Mounted Mysterious Doctor Satan Adventures of Captain Marvel Jungle Girl King of the Texas Rangers Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc.
War-time serials (1942–1945)	Spy Smasher Perils of Nyoka King of the Mounties G-Men vs. the Black Dragon Daredevils of the West Secret Service in Darkest Africa The Masked Marvel Captain America The Tiger Woman Haunted Harbor Zorro's Black Whip Manhunt of Mystery Island Federal Operator 99 The Purple Monster Strikes
Post-war serials (1946–1955)	The Phantom Rider King of the Forest Rangers Daughter of Don Q The Crimson Ghost Son of Zorro Jesse James Rides Again The Black Widow G-Men Never Forget Dangers of the Canadian Mounted Adventures of Frank and Jesse James Federal Agents vs. Underworld, Inc Ghost of Zorro King of the Rocket Men The James Brothers of Missouri Radar Patrol vs Spy King The Invisible Monster Desperadoes of the West Flying Disc Man from Mars Don Daredevil Rides Again Government Agents vs. Phantom Legion Radar Men from the Moon Zombies of the Stratosphere Jungle Drums of Africa Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe Canadian Mounties vs. Atomic Invaders Trader Tom of the China Seas Man with the Steel Whip Panther Girl of the Kongo King of the Carnival
Category

v t e Films directed by William Witney
1930s	The Painted Stallion (1937) S.O.S. Coast Guard (1937) The Trigger Trio (1937) Zorro Rides Again (1937) The Lone Ranger (1938) The Fighting Devil Dogs (1938) Dick Tracy Returns (1938) Hawk of the Wilderness (1938) The Lone Ranger Rides Again (1939) Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939) Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939) Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939)
1940s	Heroes of the Saddle (1940) Drums of Fu Manchu (1940) Adventures of Red Ryder (1940) King of the Royal Mounted (1940) Mysterious Doctor Satan (1940) Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941) Jungle Girl (1941) King of the Texas Rangers (1941) Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941) Spy Smasher (1942) Perils of Nyoka (1942) King of the Mounties (1942) G-Men vs. the Black Dragon (1943) Roll on Texas Moon (1946) Home in Oklahoma (1946) The Crimson Ghost (1946) Heldorado (1946) Apache Rose (1947) Bells of San Angelo (1947) Springtime in the Sierras (1947) On the Old Spanish Trail (1947) The Gay Ranchero (1947) Under California Stars (1948) Eyes of Texas (1948) Night Time in Nevada (1948) Grand Canyon Trail (1948) The Far Frontier (1948) Susanna Pass (1949) Down Dakota Way (1949) The Golden Stallion (1949)
1950s	Bells of Coronado (1950) Twilight in the Sierras (1950) Trigger, Jr. (1950) Sunset in the West (1950) North of the Great Divide (1950) Trail of Robin Hood (1950) Spoilers of the Plains (1951) Heart of the Rockies (1951) In Old Amarillo (1951) South of Caliente (1951) Pals of the Golden West (1951) Colorado Sundown (1952) The Last Musketeer (1952) Border Saddlemates (1952) Old Oklahoma Plains (1952) The WAC from Walla Walla (1952) South Pacific Trail (1952) Down Laredo Way (1953) Old Overland Trail (1953) Iron Mountain Trail (1953) Shadows of Tombstone (1953) The Outcast (1954) Santa Fe Passage (1955) City of Shadows (1955) Headline Hunters (1955) The Fighting Chance (1955) The Last Command (1955) (battle scenes) Stranger at My Door (1956) A Strange Adventure (1956) Panama Sal (1957) The Cool and the Crazy (1958) Juvenile Jungle (1958) Young and Wild (1958) The Bonnie Parker Story (1958) Paratroop Command (1959)
1960s - 1980s	Valley of the Redwoods (1960) The Secret of the Purple Reef (1960) The Long Rope (1961) The Cat Burglar (1961) Master of the World (1961) Apache Rifles (1964) Arizona Raiders (1965) The Girls on the Beach (1965) 40 Guns to Apache Pass (1967) I Escaped from Devil's Island (1973) Darktown Strutters (1974) Quell and Co. (1982)