Dick Tracy's G-Men(1939) is a 15-ChapterRepublicmovie serialbased on theDick Tracycomic stripbyChester Gould.It was directed byWilliam WitneyandJohn English.
| Dick Tracy's G-Men | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | |
| Written by | |
| Produced by | Robert M Beche |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | William Nobles |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
Release dates | |
Running time | 15 chapters / 263 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $159,876 (negative cost:$163,530)[1] |
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 Byrdplays the lead. This time he facesIrving Pichelas the spy with a vendetta, Zarnoff. FutureAcademy AwardwinnerJennifer Jonesco-stars as Gwen Andrews, credited here under her birth name of Phyllis Isley.
"G-Man"is a contemporary slang term for an agent of theFBI.In thecomic strip,Dick Tracy is actually adetectivein thepoliceforce of an unnamedMidwesterncity resemblingChicago.This was changed for the serial.
Plot
editInternationalspy,Zarnoff, in the employ of "The Three Powers" (presumably a fictionalized reference to theAxis) 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 thegas chamber.His men pick up his "corpse" by ambushing the hearse and administering another counter-drug. He continues hisespionageplans, while taking the opportunity ofrevengeon Tracy.
Cast
edit- Ralph ByrdasDick Tracy
- Irving Pichelas Nicolas Zarnoff
- Ted Pearson as Steve Lockwood
- Phyllis Isleyas Gwen Andrews. Phyllis Isley went on to win anAcademy Award for best actressfour years later in1943forThe Song of Bernadette,under the screen nameJennifer Jones.
- Walter Milleras Robal, one of Zarnoff'shenchmen.This was Walter Miller's last serial, he died shortly afterwards.[2]
- George Douglas as Sandoval, one of Zarnoff'shenchmen
Production
editDick Tracy's G-Menwas budgeted at $159,876 although the finalnegative costwas $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 theworking titleDick Tracy and his G-Men.[1]The serial's production number was 896.[1]
The footage of the exploding airship at the end of Chapter 9 and the beginning of Chapter 10 was newsreel footage of the Hidenburg airship explosion of 1937.
This serial, like all the sequels to the 1937original Dick Tracy serial,was permitted by an interpretation of the original contract, which allowed a "series or serial". Therefore,Chester Gouldwas not paid again for the right to produce this serial.[3]
Release
editTheatrical
editDick 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-Menbegan a series of re-releases that accounted for all of Republic's remaining serial releases, finishing with a re-release ofZorro's Fighting Legionin 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
editMovie 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- 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) - are-cap chapter
- Getaway (16min 38s)
- The Last Stand (16min 41s)
References
edit- ^abcdefghijMathis, Jack (1995).Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement.Jack Mathis Advertising. pp. 3, 10, 40–41.ISBN0-9632878-1-8.
- ^Stedman, Raymond William (1971)."4. Perilous Saturdays".Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment.University of Oklahoma Press. p.118.ISBN978-0-8061-0927-5.
- ^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.ISBN0-7864-0471-X.
- ^Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography".In the Nick of Time.McFarland & Company, Inc. p.225.ISBN0-7864-0471-X.