hwg1957-102-265704
The master spy Nicolas Zarnoff is in the condemned cell waiting to be executed but he escapes using one of those 'mysterious drugs from the far east' to feign death. Dick Tracy, now in the FBI, who captured him before is now on the trail again. What follows is a good serial with the familiar but welcome elements; crashes, fights, explosions, mystery, detection and espionage. Zarnoff is working for "The Three Powers" who are not named but as the serial came out in 1939 audiences might have had a name or two in mind. Or not. Dick is dogged in pursuit of Zarnoff and his henchmen Robal and Sandoval over fifteen chapters. The end of Zarnoff is nicely ironic. Dick Tracy is played again by Ralph Byrd and he fits the part like a glove again. Strong jawed and keen eyed, Byrd keeps his head amidst all the setbacks on the way to getting the villains. A good serial needs a good main villain and Irving Pichel is excellently silky smooth as he carries out his nefarious plans. Jennifer Jones is Tracy's assistant Gwen Andrews but unfortunately does nothing much apart from menial office work. Louis Caits plays Jerry the Human Fly but is only in one episode. A pity as he deserved more screen time. Familiar faces played various thugs and henchmen. Ray Johnson is 'Phony Gas Station Attendant' and does it well.The first Dick Tracy serial is probably better but the two directors and five writers of this serial produced a rousing and interesting entertainment.
Leofwine_draca
DICK TRACY'S G-MEN is another entertaining serial for star Ralph Byrd, who had already played the eponymous hero twice by this stage. I always find a serial is only as good as the chief villain and this one has a fine one in the form of Irving Pichel's Zanoff, a mad scientist who returns from death after being apparently executed at the outset. The rest of the production sees Tracy and his allies going after Zanoff and his men. Plenty of fisticuffs and chase scenes ensue, along with all the cliffhanger climaxes you could wish for, and what's most notable here is the scope of the action, with large-scale events like the airship scenario really excelling. Watch out for Jennifer Jones, later of THE TOWERING INFERNO fame, as a key ally.
ws21
Typical of the Hollywood approach to comic strip characters, particularly in serials, the studio acquires the rights to the name so they can advertise it outside the theater, but pays no further attention to the things that made the original successful Here, Dick Tracy is not a cop but a G-man. No Pat Patton, but a sidekick named Steve Lockwood. No Tess Truehart, but secretary named Gwen. Only Junior survives the transition the the screen, spending most of his time with another new character named Mike McGurk, played by Smiley Burnette for comic relief.My guess is that Republic already had a script on the shelf called "King of the FBI" or some such, and just changed the name of the title character. You can see the same approach in the Captain America serial.A great serial, but it's not Dick Tracy.
Mike-764
Zarnoff, the world's most notorious spy, is sentenced to death in the gas chamber for his activities. Zarnoff escapes through a drug he ingests before being brought to the death chamber. For the rest of the serial, he wages war with the man who sent him there, Dick Tracy. Very good cat and mouse game between Tracy and Zarnoff, couple with good action sequences, make this serial well recommended. Watch for the stock footage of the Hindenburg disaster. Great score as well. In terms of serials, 9 out of 10.
AD
