Dick Tracy détective

Better than I expected. The little flick's stylishly done, with atmospheric dark shadow, eye-catching set-ups and strong character close-ups. The storyline's sometimes hard to follow, but maybe that's just me. Then too, there's more to the mystery than just who baddie Splitface really is, such as the deadly significance of the number '14' or the apparently needless money payoffs. And catch that grabber opening, worthy of the best noir - (so why is a sexy woman walking down a dark street in the middle of the night, alone? Good thing it's only a movie.)

Sure, the production's still a cheap programmer, while the acting is just routine. But the flick does have quality background, namely RKO during that studio's noirish 1940's. So give it a try, even if you're not especially a Tracy fan. And even though they don't always blend, the good touches do add up.

(In Passing - Growing up in a small mountain town in the '40's, the Tracy cartoon strip really stimulated my imagination, what with sinister deformed types like Flat-Top, Pruneface, Littleface, and Breathless Mahoney, all pictured here in the opening credits. I guess I've never outgrown them, even as a now geezer. Anyway, thanks again to strip creator and screenwriter Chester Gould for his own contagious imagination that still shows even here.)

It's kind of funny that the Warren Beatty Dick Tracy movie and Tim Burton's Batman movie were released so close to each other. Each movie tried valiantly to recreate the atmosphere of their respective comics with high impact visuals. However, Batman did a much better job carrying the comic's look and feel over to the big screen. The new Dick Tracy movie's wild colors and cheesy backdrops took away from the all-star cast that the producers put together. The original Dick Tracy movie featuring Morgan Conway is much more realistic and doesn't try as hard to be a live action comic strip and is the better movie for it.

First off, things must be said about Morgan Conway's portrayal of everyone's favorite detective. He bears a decent resemblance to his 2-D counterpart, but not one nearly as uncanny as Ralph Byrd's look. Nevertheless, Conway does a good job getting across Tracy's tough as nails yet sympathetic family-oriented character. You can't help but think that Conway looks and sounds too much like Humphrey Bogart to be Dick Tracy though.

Anne Jeffries and Mickey Kuhn as Tess and Junior do decent jobs as well. Pat Patton is a little deemphasized though, something that would remedied in future films. The scarred Splitface doesn't have the personality that some of the comic strip characters do, but he's passable as an original character. The whole movie doesn't try to be exactly like the comic as the 1960's Batman and the latest Dick Tracy movie did later. Rather, it's more true-to-life with some subtle hints of its comic roots. It keeps the stereotypical police department, the daring feats of courage by the heroes and the rogues gallery of characters from the strip while giving Dick Tracy's world a more real feel. That real-world feel puts this movie a cut above the 1990 movie.

Don't expect elaborate make-up effects or musical numbers from this installment in the original Dick Tray series, and you won't be disappointed. The plot is a whole lot goofier and creepier than Warren Beatty's version and the villains are just as perverse. Tracy's refreshingly pedestrian approach to crime-solving and his bizarre domestic situation add quirky appeal to this film.

If you're expecting MALTESE FALCON you're in the wrong place. This first in the RKO Dick Tracy movies based on Chester Gould's hardboiled policeman is very faithful to the source material and a LOT of fun.

The cast is well chosen and Morgan Conway looks like he stepped right off the comics page.

What is unexpected is the inky black noirish camera work, something that was very rare for a B-picture. The entire series was entertaining, with Ralph Byrd replacing Conway for the third and fourth installments, and the two earliest entries were geared towards an adult audience as shown in the violence depicted.

Pull the stick out of your crack, sit back and enjoy some very entertaining little films from a more innocent time, when our good guys were someone to look up to.

The first installment in RKO's short Dick Tracy series of films in the 1940s. This one sees Tracy (Morgan Conway) working on a case involving a string of murders committed by Splitface (Mike Mazurki). This series was churned out quickly and cheaply. So don't expect an "A" production from them. That being said, it's a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend an hour. Fast-paced, fun detective stories with action and some comedy. Mike Mazurki is a great villain. Conway does fine as Tracy. Lyle Latell plays Tracy's bumbling sidekick Pat Patton. He's the movie's comic relief. Anne Jeffreys plays his Tracy's girlfriend Tess Trueheart. Also an early role for Jane Greer. Give it a shot and I'm sure you'll find it an enjoyable time-killer.