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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dick Tracy vs. The Claw: Perhaps The Best In The 1940s RKO Film Series, August 4, 2007
This review is from: Dick Tracy's Dilemma (DVD)
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 matinee.
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.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fine picture, okay movie, no frills., February 5, 2003
This review is from: Dick Tracy's Dilemma (DVD)
"Dick Tracy's Dilemma" is a pretty standard 1940s potboiler. Starring Ralphy Byrd as Tracy, the famed detective faces "The Claw" is this entry of the series. The movie is nothing special, but it's a fast paced, reasonably entertaining time-waster. The no-frills DVD has sharp, not very scratchy picture. There are only four chapter links.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Dick Tracy Meets The Claw, March 27, 2010
Dick Tracy's Dilemma, 1947 film
The film begins with a man standing in the dark; he walks with a limp and has an artificial right hand. The watchman is hit in the head. Thieves steal boxes from a fur vault. "The Blinking Skull" is a bar, Dick Tracy checks the back room. Fuses were removed to turn off the lights. The insurance adjusters arrive to check the vault. The watchman was found dead, blocks away. They find his scribbled not with a clue. "Sightless" overhears a conversation but makes some noise and drops pencils. Can he escape? Dick and Pat get the message about Hemp Street. Lily shows up alone. She is brought in for questioning and tells all she knows; she is held as a material witness. "Sightless" won't talk now. Dick Tracy deduces the first four digits of the telephone number. Pat dials all the combinations until he gets a response.
Pat figures out the number and the caller. "Vitamin" watches the people who go into that bar. Will there be a disagreement over splitting the loot? Will "The Claw" find out they are being watched? A buzzer warns when the police arrive, "The Claw" escapes. [No junk yard dogs?] Dick climbs over the wall. "The Claw" runs away and hides by the electrical transformers. "DANGER High Voltage." There is poetic justice to end this drama. But a call draws Dick Tracy away on a new job: "Hatchet Harry" was seen in a railroad yard.
Note the cast of villains in this film. The criminals in the cartoon all had some distinctive feature, a fantasy from some criminologist that is long out of date. [This was copied in some of the "James Bond" stories.] This cartoon strip appealed to adults like some cartoon ons TV today. Some claimed the character and face of "Dick Tracy" was based on Eliot Ness. The background of these stories show life in the 1940s.
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