Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947)

Director:

John Rawlins

Writers:

Chester Gould (comic strip characters)
William Graffis (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 September 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Horror Man Traps Super-Sleuth !

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Dick Tracy | Nerve Gas | Hospital | Detective | Bank Robber

Cast

Boris Karloff	...	Gruesome
Ralph Byrd	...	Dick Tracy
Anne Gwynne	...	Tess Truehart
Edward Ashley	...	Dr. Lee Thal
June Clayworth	...	Dr. I.M. Learned (Irma), Prof. Tomic's Assistant
Lyle Latell	...	Pat Patton, Plainclothesman
Tony Barrett	...	'Melody' Fiske
Skelton Knaggs	...	X-Ray
James Nolan	...	Dan Sterne, Newspaper Reporter (as Jim Nolan)
Joseph Crehan	...	Chief Brandon
Milton Parsons	...	Dr. A. Tomic, State U. Physicist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ernie Adams	...	Bartender at Hangman's Knot (uncredited)
Phil Arnold	...	Sneezing Bank Customer (uncredited)
Lex Barker	...	City Hospital Driver (uncredited)
Eddie Borden	...	Bank customer (uncredited)
Robert Bray	...	Sarge (Cop at Tracy's) (uncredited)
Robert Clarke	...	Fred, police analyst (uncredited)
George Cooper	...	Stone, bank teller (uncredited)
Suzi Crandall	...	Blonde Customer (uncredited)
William Gould	...	'Pop', hospital Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Ben Hall	...	Luke - Police Stooge (uncredited)
Harry Harvey	...	Humphrey, Bank guard (uncredited)
Tom Keene	...	Dr. Frankey (uncredited)
George Lloyd	...	Manager of the 'Hangmans Knot' (uncredited)
Robert Malcolm	...	Dr. Carver (police doctor) (uncredited)
Sean McClory	...	Officer Carney (uncredited)
Lew Meehan	...	Police Driver in montage (uncredited)
Bruce Mitchell	...	Police Sgt. in montage (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Detective in Car (uncredited)
Lorin Raker	...	Insolvent Bank Customer (uncredited)
Bert Roach	...	Crandall, a bank customer (uncredited)
Jason Robards Sr.	...	Mr. Fax, 1st National Bank V.P. (uncredited)
Harry Strang	...	Tim, Tracy's Hospital Guard (uncredited)
Tex Swan	...	Policeman (uncredited)

Directed by
John Rawlins

Writing credits
Chester Gould		(comic strip characters)
William Graffis		(story) (as William H. Graffis) &
Robert E. Kent		(story)
Robertson White		(screenplay) &
Eric Taylor		(screenplay)

Produced by
Herman Schlom	....	producer

Original Music by
Paul Sawtell

Cinematography by
Frank Redman

Film Editing by
Elmo Williams

Art Direction by
Albert S. D'Agostino
Walter E. Keller

Set Decoration by
James Altwies		(as James Altweis)
Darrell Silvera

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James Lane	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Terry Kellum	....	sound technician
Jean L. Speak	....	sound technician

Special Effects by
Russell A. Cully	....	special effects

Music Department
C. Bakaleinikoff	....	musical director

Production Companies

• RKO Radio Pictures

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1947) (USA) (theatrical)
• VCI Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• BFS Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• BFS Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Roan Group, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Admit One Video (video)
• Grapevine Video (video)
• Nostalgia Video (video)
• Passport Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (video)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Rhino Video (video)
• Silver Screen Video (video)
• United American Video (video)
• Video Yesteryear (video)

Other Companies

• Screen Time Images  audio restoration
• Screen Time Images  film restoration

Also Known As:

Dick Tracy Meets Karloff
Dick Tracy's Amazing Adventure (UK)

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1990) | USA:Approved (PCA #12377)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Quotes:

Pat Patton: I tell you, if I didn't know better I'd swear we were doing business with Boris Karloff.

Movie Connections:

Follows Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947)

Not to be overlooked

If we sometimes pay lip service to the notion that Boris Karloff was a fine actor, we are hard-pressed to offer examples - unless we mean his memorable gallery of monsters, mummies, mad scientists and assorted grotesques. In this unlikely film can be found one of the best performances of his career: that of a criminal, to be sure, but an ominous character who projects menace rather than horror. Karloff underplays the ruthless, single-minded social misfit whose manner is close enough to the norm to enable him to move among commonplace types without attracting undue attention, but is at the same time sufficiently glowering to intimidate even his henchmen. Among the latter is a perfectly contrasted ally in the person of Skelton Knaggs.

About the rest (apart from the tantalizing opening shot)...the less said, the better. But here is a B picture raised to the level of B+ by the solid work of a genuine professional.