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Originated by Chester Gould's syndicated comic strip, Dick Tracy has been a durable cinematic character with appearances ranging from 1930s serials to an over-hyped 1990 blockbuster-style motion picture starring Warren Beatty and Madonna--but the character's film appearances are perhaps most fondly recalled from the 1940s RKO Pictures series. Written with stacco dialogue and seldom running more than an hour, they were welcome "B" movies at almost every matinée.

Clocking in at exactly sixty minutes, DILEMMA plays out a fast clip. A fur heist and insurance scam turns deadly when a criminal employs "The Claw"--and not only does the movie rack up an impressive body count, it has considerably more suspense than the usual Dick Tracy flick. Ralph Byrd, who frequently played Dick Tracy, is quite good, but the edge of this film comes from the supporting cast: Jack Lambeth's the Claw is memorably dark; Ian Keith, a noted stage actor whose film credits include QUEEN Christina, scores as the comic Vitamin Flintheart; and Bernadene Hayes proves memorable in the brief role of Longshot Lillie. The cast is very nicely rounded out by Kay Christopher as a particularly appeal Tess Trueheart and such character actors as Lyle Latell, William B. Davidson, Tony Barrett, and Tom Keene.

High art it isn't, but DICK TRACY'S DILEMMA is fun in and of itself, fast moving, well acted, and well director by "B" movie workhorse John Rawlins. Certainly among the better outings for the famous character, it's very entertaining. Recommended for Dick Tracy fans everywhere.

This one has Tracy after a gang of fur-robbers' fence, with a couple of brutal murders thrown in along the way for a good measure.

A quite well made entry in the series, I agree that you don't always need a lot of money to make a well thought-out and entertaining film (the stupefyingly bad Blair Witch Project aside). The script and acting is satisfactorily brisk and logical, with a nice RKO-bound seedy and menacing atmosphere in evidence. Down those mean streets the Falcon never went! What makes it stand out however is the OTT performance by Jack Lambert as the Claw - a potent mix of Rondo Hatton's Creeper from the Pearl of Death and Long John Silver - the education system sure must have gone wrong with him!

As for Byrd for my money he was perfect as Tracy, with his jaw sticking out further than the brim of his hat producing even more shadows!

DICK TRACY'S DILEMMA is my first exposure to the comic book detective and it's a good one. This is a low budget slice of pulp fiction with an emphasis on incident and action which helps the hour-long running time to simply fly past. The story sees the square-jawed detective going up against a sinister killer known only as The Claw who utilises a hook hand to murder his unsuspecting victims.

It's a dark and atmospheric little piece with a simple story that really works. Ralph Byrd was an old hand at playing the part of Tracy and although he could be any generic crime-fighter he does well with the part. The best part of the film though is Jack Lambert's limping villain. Lambert comes across as a mixture of Rondo Hatton and Jack Palance and is one of the most imposing characters of the decade. James Cameron must have been a fan as scenes of Lambert slowly limping after his victims surely inspired the ending of THE TERMINATOR.

The horror aspects of this low budget film work in its favour and make it a dark and brooding production. Ian Keith is on hand to supply some much-needed comic relief as the amateur Shakespeare actor Vitamin who gets involved with the case. DICK TRACY'S DILEMMA is no classic but for a B-movie it's great fun.

Energetic little programmer in the Tracy series from RKO. Of course, the comic strip appeal came largely from the variety of human grotesques who challenged the square-jawed detective week after week. Here, Tracy battles "The Claw", Jack Lambert in excellent Neanderthal makeup with a claw where his hand ought to be. Something should be said in passing for director John Rawlins who had an obscure career, but still came up with the riveting and offbeat Rogue River (1950) as well as the superior B-Western Fort Defiance (1951). Note the fast-pacing and clever touches in this programmer, such as filming from behind the unplugged fan whose blades run down as Sightless (Jimmy Conlin) expires from The Claw.

There are a number of noir touches in the lighting and suspense, not surprising since the year is 1947. Also, catch the painting behind the bar. It's not in obvious focus, but there it is-- an almost totally nude woman up to something not quite clear. Now a saloon centerfold may be appropriate for a saloon, but in a kid's picture, it must have been someone's idea of a private joke. Be that as it may, Rawlins was an A-picture talent trapped in a B-movie career.

Byrd is excellent as Tracy. In fact the level of performances is better than expected for such a low budget. Speaking of budgets, note how much of the film appears shot from outside studio buildings with their rows of little windows (probably where the writers labored). Note too, how the final chase moves past a mock-up airplane and through what appears to be a prop storage area. Certainly, the cast didn't have to go on location for this one. All in all, it's a good, fast little 60 minutes of the Tracy series. And, oh yes, I don't know who played Tess Trueheart, but if I were the cop, I'd spend less time gum-shoeing and more time around the house.

Ralph Byrd returns as Dick Tracy in "Dick Tracy's Dilemma," a 1947 B movie with some noirish aspects. It's fast and well-directed.

Here Tracy is after a killer called The Claw, who has a hook for a hand. The plot involves stolen furs, murder, and insurance fraud.

If you thought Tess had nothing to do in the Morgan Conway movies, here Tess is practically an extra. The actress, Kay Christopher, was quite different from Anne Jeffreys. Christopher's Tess is sweet, where Jeffreys had more of a worldliness - it's the ingenue versus the leading lady. I never read the comics, so I don't know which one was more like Tess.

Kudos to Ian Keith, an actor I love, for his portrayal of Vitamin. He was a wonderful actor.

Directed with a brisk pace by John Rawlins, who adds several nice noir touches to this one, including one brilliant shot almost at the end of the film. I won't tell you what it is. You'll know it when you see it.

RALPH BYRD takes over the Dick Tracy role with good results, looking more like the square-jawed comic book hero than Morgan Conway. He's on the trail of "The Claw" (played very effectively by JACK LAMBERT) and the film is chock full of many noir-like scenes involving "The Claw" and his pursuit of victims, who seems to enjoy using his hook to kill a few unlucky men.

IAN KEITH is back as Vitamin Flintheart, once again upstaging everyone with his theatrical flair for speeches and having a little more to do with the plot and KAY CHRISTOPHER fills in for Anne Jeffreys as Tess Trueheart.

But, in truth, Byrd is given little opportunity to show how well he was cast in the part since most of the crime drama involves the intriguing villain with the hook for a hand who drags his foot and walks the shadowy streets on his hunt for the kill.

Summing up: Good little crime drama about fur thieves proves that low-budget thrillers like this from RKO could be rewarding enough for noir fans.

Rather like the comic strip upon which this series of films were based, the villains are usually the most interesting. Crippled when a robbery went horribly wrong, the Claw is now as twisted in body as he is in mind. "You're a killer, Claw!" screams one of his fellow henchmen at him and he's got it spot on.

When the Claw isn't on screen, the film drops a notch as the good guys aren't that interesting and Tracy is just dull. Still, he gets the job done and the case is solved and the evil Claw meets a fitting end after a thrilling chase through a scrap yard.

Low budget and in black & white these films may be but with their short running time, they never outstay their welcome and are fast and entertaining. Something today's overblown two hour plus films could learn a thing or two from. Less is often more at certain times.

In case anyone is wondering, the above Summary quote is from the song, 'The Power of Love,' by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

The third in RKO's short Dick Tracy series of movies from the '40s. This one features Ralph Byrd as Tracy. Byrd reprises his role from the Republic Dick Tracy serials he was famous for. Morgan Conway had played Tracy in the first two RKO films. I thought he was fine but admittedly Byrd is better. It's just a rare case of perfect casting as Byrd really does seem like Tracy physically. The plot to this film is about Tracy investigating a series of crimes, including murder, linked to The Claw. He's a villain that, you guessed it, has a metal claw in place of one of his hands. Fun, fast-paced detective story with more of the interesting characters I expect from a Dick Tracy story. In addition to the killer The Claw and my favorite Vitamin Flintheart (Ian Keith), there's a blind beggar appropriately named Sightless and a fence named Longshot Lillie. Fun stuff.

While Morgan Conway made a fairly serious Dick Tracy, Ralph Byrd was fondly remembered for his cliff-hanger serials and brought back to the series. He also had the distinctive Tracy look. Unfortunately, RKO only produced two more episodes, though it was like old times while it lasted.

Yes, I agree with the last few reviewers, these were noir-like productions, dark and brooding, and it took an actor like Byrd to spruce things up, always with a wry smile, ahead of the game, even if it was deadly. And it's REAL deadly. Tracy versus a homicidal maniac called the "Claw" (Jack Lambert), tied to the theft of expensive fur coats, using a hooked hand to do in his many victims. You have to admit, the Dick Tracy comicstrips hailed some bizarro villains, with catchy nicknames, and RKO didn't want to let the audience down.

This adventure moves fast, much in the style of Byrd's serials, keeping Tracy on his toes. Jack Lambert, who appeared in several westerns, is best compared as a creeping Rondo Hatton-like silent killer. This guy is scary. Character actress Kay Christopher took over the role of Tess Truehart (replacing Anne Jeffreys), which was kind of a mystery because she was terrific. Ian Keith remained with the series through its entire run as eccentric pill-popper Vitamin. Keith played some trim villains in his career, but was more comedy here. Lyle Latell also returned as Dick's reliable sidekick Pat, who complimented Byrd in many ways.

A few familiar faces from westerns on board, Tom Keene (as Fred), the most visible, star of his own series of cowboy flicks in the 30s.

B film director John Rawlins directed, who would head the final and most wild episode, DICK TRACY MEETS GRUESOME, starring Boris Karloff. Stay Tuned.

Always on remastered dvd, generally sold in box sets with all four episodes. Sometimes the episodes are split with other box sets. Thanks to RETRO TV for featuring this oldie on their Friday afternoon mystery block.

The actors are different from the first two movies (out of 4) and Vitamin plays a bigger role. But I felt sorry for the Claw. Yes he is a vicious uncaring killer but he is a cat lover and in some ways a result of a bad upbringing and some bad role models. Dick shows him no mercy and hunts him down in a most ungentlemanly way. I missed Junior from the first two movies. It is not explained in the film who he actually is but he added a certain bizarre incongruous domesticity. I have no idea why Tess puts up with Dick he really is a bit of a dick.

... from RKO and director John Rawlins. Dick Tracy (Ralph Byrd) is on the case when a fur heist turns bad and a security guard is killed. Tracy and his cohorts work together to track down the criminal gang responsible, including the murderous Claw (Jack Lambert).

The third of four low-budget Dick Tracy features, these followed four previous serials which had starred Ralph Byrd. Morgan Conway had played Tracy in the first two movies, but Byrd was brought back for this, and one final film. While several of the characters have comic-strip names, the film itself is comparable to many of the B mysteries and crime pictures being turned out at the time. This one also has some gruesome implications, thanks to the method of murder used by the Claw, namely his prosthetic claw. Lambert is very good as the deformed Claw, and he reminded me a bit of future slasher horror icons Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers in his implacability. Ian Keith, as Vitamin, gets to ham it up with his exaggerated John Barrymore characterization, and I liked seeing character actor Jimmy Conlin in a larger role, as phony blind man Sightless.

When I was growing up, there was a hard edge to the Dick Tracy comic strip. I remember Flat Top's acne and the viciousness of the other adversaries. Most of the surreal appeal of these villains is badly lost in these old films. The Warren Beatty film was also a major disappointment. I would love someone like Tim Burton to take it on sometime. Put Tracy among all that weirdity and make the villains sort of sick. That said, this is a real ho-hummer. The cops and the sidekicks aren't all that bright. The main character is a guy with a hook who apparently can dismantle just about anyone with the thing. The acting is stiff. Tess Truehart is her usual bland self. I'm sure that few remember Dick Tracy as it was, but maybe some day they will find it and make it right.

Ralph Byrd stars as Dick Tracy in this movie about fur robbery, insurance fraud, and a hook-handed Jack Lambert as the brutal "Claw".

It's certainly not a great movie, but director John Rawlins plays honestly with his viewers, and offers a dark view of the world -- thanks to cinematographer Frank Redman -- and a rather gruesome ending for the vilain. Only Ian Keith as Vitamin Flintheart is overly made up to resemble the comic strip; otherwise, people mostly wear their clothes in an uncaring manner.

Byrd played Chester Gould's creation first in 1937, and it was pretty much a go-to role for him. While he was busy with the Second World War, RKO tried out Morgan Conway, but he didn't take. Byrd returned to the role, and played him in the movies and television through his death in 1952.

It's true that comic book heroes are only as good as the villains, even way back in the 1940's with the Dick Tracy films, where this the third and penultimate by RKO, and the second with returning star Ralph Byrd... and is where Jack Lambert's Claw not only steals the picture, but is pretty much everything...

The longest, most suspenseful scene... combining dark, noir-aesthetic and impending horror-genre doom... takes up almost half the picture as Lambert's eerie, limping heavy... with a hunched gait and hiding his clawed-hand in a seedy jacket until revealing it before he kills... hunts down a mousy, fake-blind beggar named Sightless...

After which, while Byrd's somewhat passively on the case of a fur heist, Lambert... even more dilapidated after getting beaten up... makes a more sinister foe, even going after his own henchman...

And by the time it's the inevitable face-off with the hero, DICK TRACY'S DILEMMA felt like the continuous plight of a formidable killer played by a busy noir-baddie... in a franchise not considered noir yet with all the shadowy attributes intact, and then some.

That's what they all say. But we all know better.

The 'Dilemma' is a crisp, shadowy, well-paced minor b-picture Dick Tracy serial with a striking villain in the shape of Jack Lambert as "The Claw". He's very memorable in appearance and of course his unsparing actions, like the use of his claw and how he drags his foot as he goes about stalking his victims. Despite some dark and atmospheric passages with film noir shades. There's a real quirkiness to some of the characters (eg Pat & Vitamin) and dialogue exchanges. But it seems to effortlessly fit.

Ralph Byrd returns as Tracy, after Morgan Conway portrayed the character in the previous films. Byrd gives the part a bit more charm and character, but I do prefer the psychical appearance/presence of Conway. So I'm caught right in the middle here.

A fine Dick Tracy pic.

As usual with these hour long cop thrillers, the storyline is almost incidental to the ensemble effort by a jobbing cast of professionals muddling though whatever script they were given this week. This time Ralph Byrd is our eponymous detective on the trail of the great Fur Coat robbery. Could someone be expecting a bad winter; or could it be a giant insurance fraud - well "Dick" along GIRLFRIEND with "Tess" (Kay Christopher) and the usual gang of brilliantly named stalwarts are soon on the case of "The Claw". It's a fun little investigative yarn, with some good efforts all around and about as much suspense as the sun coming up in the morning...