My first introduction to Dick Tracy was the cartoon series of the 1950s (60s?) and then later the Sunday comics. I saw the big screen Warren Beatty/ Madonna effort and was curious about these earlier efforts. I wasn't expecting much but was pleasantly surprised by this adaptation. Gruesome, played by Boris Karloff, looks as if he just stepped out of the Chester Gould strip (without the lavish makeup of the 1990s version) and several supporting characters also have the grotesque look that made the comic popular. The story revolves around a mysterious gas that can temporarily freeze people. While they're in suspended animation, the baddies can rob the bank (the perfect plan huh?) Anyway, it's up to Dick Tracy (Ralph Byrd) to solve the mystery and put an end to Gruesome's crime spree. It's all good fun with more plot than you'd expect and a solid amount of screen time to Karloff. Humour peppers the thrills to make it an enjoyable film.
53 Reviews
best of the Dick Tracy series
blanche-226 July 2009
"Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome" was the last of the Dick Tracy films, but the series ends on a high note, with Boris Karloff as Gruesome, and he's true to his name. It's not clear why this series didn't continue.
The premise is a funny one - bank robbers use this freezing spray to stop people mid-sentence and mid-movement. Tess Truheart (Anne Gwynne) is in a phone booth when the robbers spray, so she's able to crawl to a telephone and call Dick. Gruesome is the head honcho, but he's not going to be easy to catch.
The characters in the film all have the grotesque look of the comic strip characters and the same crazy names, I.M. Learned, A. Tomic (physicist) etc. Gwynne is more like Anne Jeffreys was - beautiful and street smart, more of a leading woman than the ingénue cast in another of the films. I think that characterization of Tess as good-looking and sharp works better for the character than a sweet girl next door type.
This Dick Tracy was more expensive the others and stars the preferred Tracy, Ralph Byrd, who also did the Dick Tracy TV series.
Enjoyable.
The premise is a funny one - bank robbers use this freezing spray to stop people mid-sentence and mid-movement. Tess Truheart (Anne Gwynne) is in a phone booth when the robbers spray, so she's able to crawl to a telephone and call Dick. Gruesome is the head honcho, but he's not going to be easy to catch.
The characters in the film all have the grotesque look of the comic strip characters and the same crazy names, I.M. Learned, A. Tomic (physicist) etc. Gwynne is more like Anne Jeffreys was - beautiful and street smart, more of a leading woman than the ingénue cast in another of the films. I think that characterization of Tess as good-looking and sharp works better for the character than a sweet girl next door type.
This Dick Tracy was more expensive the others and stars the preferred Tracy, Ralph Byrd, who also did the Dick Tracy TV series.
Enjoyable.
Boris Karloff Elevates This Dick Tracy Film
ccthemovieman-15 April 2008
This was my first look at one of these old Dick Tracy movies. I believe most of them were very short, like those, a little over an hour long, and pretty fast-moving. Apparently, this is the fourth and last one of the films. I read where many people think it's the best, so I started here....and wasn't disappointed. It was entertaining.
What I found, at least in this movie, was a mixture of crime and some humor. Here, too, was a little sci-fi thrown in as someone invented a gas that would freeze anyone near it for about 15 minutes. The crooks, of course, freeze everyone at the First National Bank, and then go in and rob it. (These were the days before video cameras.)
Early on, one of the characters mentions something about a creepy-looking guy, "someone like Boris Karloff." The guy WAS Boris Karloff. Later, a doctor who could help the police figure out this mystery gas goes by the name of "Dr. A. Tomic," physicist. Still later, there is a dramatic scene in a room with a big sign that reads, "Y. Stuffem, taxidermist." The film is full of these little corny things making it a crime-comedy type of story.
Yet, the bad guys are tough guys. Karloff is convincing as a big thug who would kill without remorse. To me, he really makes this movie and elevates the crime angle of it beautifully. He was one-of-a-kind: had the perfect look and voice for scary roles on film. Skelton Knaggs, as "X-ray," as a frightening face.
What I found, at least in this movie, was a mixture of crime and some humor. Here, too, was a little sci-fi thrown in as someone invented a gas that would freeze anyone near it for about 15 minutes. The crooks, of course, freeze everyone at the First National Bank, and then go in and rob it. (These were the days before video cameras.)
Early on, one of the characters mentions something about a creepy-looking guy, "someone like Boris Karloff." The guy WAS Boris Karloff. Later, a doctor who could help the police figure out this mystery gas goes by the name of "Dr. A. Tomic," physicist. Still later, there is a dramatic scene in a room with a big sign that reads, "Y. Stuffem, taxidermist." The film is full of these little corny things making it a crime-comedy type of story.
Yet, the bad guys are tough guys. Karloff is convincing as a big thug who would kill without remorse. To me, he really makes this movie and elevates the crime angle of it beautifully. He was one-of-a-kind: had the perfect look and voice for scary roles on film. Skelton Knaggs, as "X-ray," as a frightening face.
Fun, fast-paced B-movie with a fun cast
oliverkneale31 May 2000
While none of the four Dick Tracy films made by RKO in the 1940's are particularly extraordinary they're fun, the actors are charming, and the atmosphere of the films is nice and seedy. Plus, they often mixed in a little sci-fi and some comic strip style humor (such as characters named Dr. A. Tomic and I. M. Learned) in with the bargain basement film noir that manages to set the films somewhat apart from other crime-themed B-films of the time.
The final film in the series, Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome, is probably the best of the four, mostly due to the absolutely wonderful cast. Boris Karloff is dependably creepy and charismatic as the main villain. Minor 1940's B-movie icon, Ann Gwynne is the sexiest Tess Trueheart of the early films. The incomparably menacing, ghostly Skelton Knaggs plays X-Ray and, like he always did, steals every scene he's in. Everyone is great.
The story, concerning Karloff using a gas that puts people into temporary suspended animation to rob a bank, moves at a gallop and is delivered with humor and style. There's not a dull moment in the film and it's more than worth the vintage B-movie enthusiast's time.
The final film in the series, Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome, is probably the best of the four, mostly due to the absolutely wonderful cast. Boris Karloff is dependably creepy and charismatic as the main villain. Minor 1940's B-movie icon, Ann Gwynne is the sexiest Tess Trueheart of the early films. The incomparably menacing, ghostly Skelton Knaggs plays X-Ray and, like he always did, steals every scene he's in. Everyone is great.
The story, concerning Karloff using a gas that puts people into temporary suspended animation to rob a bank, moves at a gallop and is delivered with humor and style. There's not a dull moment in the film and it's more than worth the vintage B-movie enthusiast's time.
Paralysis Gas
bkoganbing18 January 2012
Dick Tracy and his exploits step into the world of science fiction Ralph Byrd as animation's favorite square jawed police detective gets involved with none other than Boris Karloff as Gruesome in Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome.
Usually Boris Karloff is the mad scientist concocting such things as a paralysis nerve gas which leaves folks paralyzed so that others think they could be dead. But here he's a ruthless career criminal who gets a dose of the stuff outside a waterfront dive and appear so dead that he's brought to the morgue by Lyle Latell as Tracy's sidekick Pat Patton. When he gets up and walks out of the morgue making Latell the victim of a horse laugh that's only the beginning.
Karloff realizes the possibilities as does the inventor of the paralysis gas for criminal enterprise and he uses it in several bank jobs. But it was his hard luck to have Tess Trueheart in the bank on the first job and in a telephone booth so that the paralysis wouldn't effect her. She recognizes the robbers and Karloff as Gruesome is not hard to miss. Hell Boris Karloff isn't hard to miss. Tess played by B movie queen Anne Gwynne.
Byrd is put in some real harm's way in the final confrontation with Karloff. Gruesome is pretty ruthless in eliminating witnesses and Byrd is almost caught in the trap he set for him.
Boris Karloff as Gruesome lifts Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome a notch over a lot of B films.
Usually Boris Karloff is the mad scientist concocting such things as a paralysis nerve gas which leaves folks paralyzed so that others think they could be dead. But here he's a ruthless career criminal who gets a dose of the stuff outside a waterfront dive and appear so dead that he's brought to the morgue by Lyle Latell as Tracy's sidekick Pat Patton. When he gets up and walks out of the morgue making Latell the victim of a horse laugh that's only the beginning.
Karloff realizes the possibilities as does the inventor of the paralysis gas for criminal enterprise and he uses it in several bank jobs. But it was his hard luck to have Tess Trueheart in the bank on the first job and in a telephone booth so that the paralysis wouldn't effect her. She recognizes the robbers and Karloff as Gruesome is not hard to miss. Hell Boris Karloff isn't hard to miss. Tess played by B movie queen Anne Gwynne.
Byrd is put in some real harm's way in the final confrontation with Karloff. Gruesome is pretty ruthless in eliminating witnesses and Byrd is almost caught in the trap he set for him.
Boris Karloff as Gruesome lifts Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome a notch over a lot of B films.
Dick Tracy vs Boris Karloff
utgard1425 January 2014
This is the fourth and final of the RKO Dick Tracy films. It's also the best. Why is it the best? Well, look no further than the cast. Horror great Boris Karloff plays the villain Gruesome. Karloff could do no wrong and he elevates this whole picture. The plot involves a paralyzing nerve gas and a bank robbery. Skelton Knaggs is also in this as Gruesome's cohort in crime, X-Ray. More characters with fun names like a piano player named Melody and several doctors (Dr. L.E. Thal, Dr. A. Tomic, Dr. I.M. Learned). These movies weren't "A" productions. They were turned out quickly and cheaply. But still, they are fun, fast-paced detective stories with mystery, action, and humor. This one, like I said, is the best of the lot. Karloff fans will love it.
Karloff makes the day
arfdawg-122 April 2014
A gang of criminals, which includes a piano player and an imposing former convict known as 'Gruesome', has found out about a scientist's secret formula for a gas that temporarily paralyzes anyone who breathes it.
When Gruesome accidentally inhales some of the gas and passes out, the police think he is dead and take him to the morgue, where he later revives and escapes.
This puzzling incident attracts the interest of Dick Tracy, and when the criminals later use the gas to rob a bank, Tracy realizes that he must devote his entire attention to stopping them.
Never saw a Dick Tracy movie before and wow.
This one with Boris Karloff is just amazing.
Very tight and well directed.
But it's Karloff who makes the film. Playing Gruesome, he's like no other Karloff you've seen in movies.
When Gruesome accidentally inhales some of the gas and passes out, the police think he is dead and take him to the morgue, where he later revives and escapes.
This puzzling incident attracts the interest of Dick Tracy, and when the criminals later use the gas to rob a bank, Tracy realizes that he must devote his entire attention to stopping them.
Never saw a Dick Tracy movie before and wow.
This one with Boris Karloff is just amazing.
Very tight and well directed.
But it's Karloff who makes the film. Playing Gruesome, he's like no other Karloff you've seen in movies.
Boris Karloff robs a bank and steal the show
Tweekums7 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
When the eponymous Gruesome gets out of the slammer he meets up with fellow criminal and part time pianist 'Melody'. Melody explains that he has an idea for a job that will involve scientist Dr A. Tomic; Gruesome goes to meet the man but while snooping around his office he opens a container which releases a gas. He staggers out and it looks like he has died. He isn't dead though and wakes up in the police morgue! He escapes and comes up with a plan; he and his gang will use a refined form of the gas to rob a bank. When released the gas freezes everybody where they stand; the only witness is Dick Tracy's girlfriend who was in a phone box at the time. As the gang flee Melody shoots a policeman and soon Dick Tracy and the homicide squad are on their trail.
This story is was rather fun if more than a little preposterous; not only does the gas instantly freeze people it also seems to negate the laws of physics concerning the conservation of momentum moving people do not fall over and when they wake they move as if nothing has happened. This doesn't really matter as it isn't meant to be taken seriously. The names of the bad guys adds to the fun, not only do we have Gruesome and A. Tomic; there is also X-Ray, Dr. L. E. Thal and Dr Learned! The action is fun with Tracy getting into danger more than once although nobody will doubt he will prevail; the only question is how he will do so and what will happen to the various bad guys. Ralph Byrd does a solid job as Dick Tracy but it is Boris Karloff who steals the show with his performance as Gruesome; playing the role straight rather than overplaying the part. Overall a fun way to pass an hour.
This story is was rather fun if more than a little preposterous; not only does the gas instantly freeze people it also seems to negate the laws of physics concerning the conservation of momentum moving people do not fall over and when they wake they move as if nothing has happened. This doesn't really matter as it isn't meant to be taken seriously. The names of the bad guys adds to the fun, not only do we have Gruesome and A. Tomic; there is also X-Ray, Dr. L. E. Thal and Dr Learned! The action is fun with Tracy getting into danger more than once although nobody will doubt he will prevail; the only question is how he will do so and what will happen to the various bad guys. Ralph Byrd does a solid job as Dick Tracy but it is Boris Karloff who steals the show with his performance as Gruesome; playing the role straight rather than overplaying the part. Overall a fun way to pass an hour.
'No useless killings!'
zeppo-26 June 2005
Boris Karloff as Gruesome adds a genuine feeling of menace to this addition of Dick Tracy potboilers. I liked the way his character refers to a henchman killing a cop as a 'useless killing'. Unlike the 'worthwhile killings' he employs when he decides to get rid of the people who stand in his way. A superb example of twisted criminal logic!
Once again, the character of Dick Tracy is dull and goes through the motions but gets his man in the end anyway. A disappointment is that Gruesome doesn't meet his fate in a more exciting and...well...gruesome fashion in keeping with the style of this series of films. Especially as Gruesome cold bloodliy shoots and kills a woman to stop her squealing to the cops! For just over a hour, these short films deliver some fast entertainment, there's flaws in the plots, the budgets are low but they are fun. And that's fair enough for me.
Once again, the character of Dick Tracy is dull and goes through the motions but gets his man in the end anyway. A disappointment is that Gruesome doesn't meet his fate in a more exciting and...well...gruesome fashion in keeping with the style of this series of films. Especially as Gruesome cold bloodliy shoots and kills a woman to stop her squealing to the cops! For just over a hour, these short films deliver some fast entertainment, there's flaws in the plots, the budgets are low but they are fun. And that's fair enough for me.
"Smart? He's weird. I tell 'ya, if I didn't know better I'd swear we were doing business with Boris Karloff."
classicsoncall19 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I got a great kick out of the line Dick Tracy's detective assistant Pat Patton (Lyle Latell) used referencing the star of the film. It's the second time I know of when Boris Karloff or one of his characters is called by name in a movie. In "Charlie Chan At The Opera", a stage manager responds to a ruckus in the theater by proclaiming - "This opera is going on tonight even if Frankenstein walks in!"
"Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome" is a wonderful take on the comic strip of the 1940's and '50's as I remember them. You always had those great play on word names for characters; here two of the principals are Dr. A. Tomic and his aide I.M. Learned, while Boris Karloff as Gruesome takes up with a gangster named Lee Thal. When Tracy investigates a taxidermy parlor later in the film, a sign reveals the name of the owner as Y. Stuffum. It's too bad audiences of today are too sophisticated to find the fun in this kind of punditry.
At the center of the story is a newly discovered gas formula that renders it's victims motionless, and comes in handy for Gruesome in pulling off a bank job. That scene brought to mind an episode of 'The Twilight Zone' which would have come out some years later; if memory serves that story also took place in a bank.
The plot didn't seem to hold together all too consistently as to the effectiveness of the gas formula. In the warehouse scene when Gruesome attempts to render Tracy motionless to capture him, the villain enters the area where he set off the gas capsule shortly after with no ill effect. The film's windup which follows had Tracy and Gruesome in a bit of a contrived cat and mouse game exchanging gunfire. The elevator hauling the villain off to the furnace had me a bit nervous but fortunately justice wasn't carried that far.
For his part, Ralph Byrd as Dick Tracy reminded me a little bit of actor Pat O'Brien. Tracy's girlfriend Tess Trueheart was played fetchingly by Anne Gwynne, and rounding out the bad guy cast were Skelton Knaggs as X-Ray and Tony Barrett as piano player Melody.
This is the first Dick Tracy film I've seen, and it had enough of the Chester Gould comic strip fun to suggest looking up some of the other titles. As a fan of the genre, I found it to compare favorably to other detective series of the era, notably Charlie Chan, Bulldog Drummond and Mr. Moto. For a decidedly different view of Boris Karloff, try catching him in any one of the five films he starred in portraying the Oriental Detective Mr. Wong.
"Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome" is a wonderful take on the comic strip of the 1940's and '50's as I remember them. You always had those great play on word names for characters; here two of the principals are Dr. A. Tomic and his aide I.M. Learned, while Boris Karloff as Gruesome takes up with a gangster named Lee Thal. When Tracy investigates a taxidermy parlor later in the film, a sign reveals the name of the owner as Y. Stuffum. It's too bad audiences of today are too sophisticated to find the fun in this kind of punditry.
At the center of the story is a newly discovered gas formula that renders it's victims motionless, and comes in handy for Gruesome in pulling off a bank job. That scene brought to mind an episode of 'The Twilight Zone' which would have come out some years later; if memory serves that story also took place in a bank.
The plot didn't seem to hold together all too consistently as to the effectiveness of the gas formula. In the warehouse scene when Gruesome attempts to render Tracy motionless to capture him, the villain enters the area where he set off the gas capsule shortly after with no ill effect. The film's windup which follows had Tracy and Gruesome in a bit of a contrived cat and mouse game exchanging gunfire. The elevator hauling the villain off to the furnace had me a bit nervous but fortunately justice wasn't carried that far.
For his part, Ralph Byrd as Dick Tracy reminded me a little bit of actor Pat O'Brien. Tracy's girlfriend Tess Trueheart was played fetchingly by Anne Gwynne, and rounding out the bad guy cast were Skelton Knaggs as X-Ray and Tony Barrett as piano player Melody.
This is the first Dick Tracy film I've seen, and it had enough of the Chester Gould comic strip fun to suggest looking up some of the other titles. As a fan of the genre, I found it to compare favorably to other detective series of the era, notably Charlie Chan, Bulldog Drummond and Mr. Moto. For a decidedly different view of Boris Karloff, try catching him in any one of the five films he starred in portraying the Oriental Detective Mr. Wong.
Slow and dull, even with Boris Karloff
djensen124 April 2005
Karloff as Gruesome is the only redeeming feature of this slow programmer. Ralph Byrd is Tracy here, and more wooden and less square-jawed than Morgan Conway. As usual, Tracy is basically a jerk, mistreating his fiancée and foster son Junior by frequently running out on them and making them wait for him, as if no one else in the city can work a murder.
The plot is the usual collection of scientists and thugs on a crime spree, with double-crosses among the bad guys. Gruesome gives him a run for his money, outwitting Tracy's detectives, using the amazing freeze gas, and just killing whoever gets in his way. The support is largely the same faces as in other Dick Tracy flicks, altho some play different characters.
The plot is the usual collection of scientists and thugs on a crime spree, with double-crosses among the bad guys. Gruesome gives him a run for his money, outwitting Tracy's detectives, using the amazing freeze gas, and just killing whoever gets in his way. The support is largely the same faces as in other Dick Tracy flicks, altho some play different characters.
Get that cat out of here!
yonhope20 July 2005
What is that cat doing in the bank, again?
Lex Barker, soon to become Tarzan is here in an ambulance driver role. He looks so good everyone forgets the plot. Meanwhile Gruesome gets away.
The chatty bank guard is good.
Boris Karloff wanted to be gruesomer than usual so he decided to copy Moe's hairstyle from the Three Stooges. It works. Karloff is excellent but you wouldn't want Gruesome for a piano bar date. The piano player/mobster never plays piano. They should have had Liberace in that role. It really would have worked.
The newspaper reporter could have tried for a spin-off.
I see this movie all the time at the 99 Cent Store. It is a great bargain. It is a good print of the film. The car chases are much better than today's chases. In the forties if a policeman saw a car driving away from somewhere, he could just shoot at it or shoot out the tires so it would crash into a taxidermy shop. Today they don't shoot at big crowds of people. Everyone in this movie has a gun.
All the sets are fun to imagine as being real. The hospital, the chemist's lab, the conveyor belt. The cars were beautiful back in the '30s and '40s. There is a lot to enjoy here. I saw this when I was a kid of about 8. It was great then, it is fun today.
Now get that cat out of the bank.
Tom Willett
Lex Barker, soon to become Tarzan is here in an ambulance driver role. He looks so good everyone forgets the plot. Meanwhile Gruesome gets away.
The chatty bank guard is good.
Boris Karloff wanted to be gruesomer than usual so he decided to copy Moe's hairstyle from the Three Stooges. It works. Karloff is excellent but you wouldn't want Gruesome for a piano bar date. The piano player/mobster never plays piano. They should have had Liberace in that role. It really would have worked.
The newspaper reporter could have tried for a spin-off.
I see this movie all the time at the 99 Cent Store. It is a great bargain. It is a good print of the film. The car chases are much better than today's chases. In the forties if a policeman saw a car driving away from somewhere, he could just shoot at it or shoot out the tires so it would crash into a taxidermy shop. Today they don't shoot at big crowds of people. Everyone in this movie has a gun.
All the sets are fun to imagine as being real. The hospital, the chemist's lab, the conveyor belt. The cars were beautiful back in the '30s and '40s. There is a lot to enjoy here. I saw this when I was a kid of about 8. It was great then, it is fun today.
Now get that cat out of the bank.
Tom Willett
Oh, Man! Karloff! LOL
tlm121517 February 2015
I'd stumbled upon the entire Dick Tracy cartoon series on DVD while browsing the public library catalog -- aren't libraries great? -- and was pleasantly surprised to see these old live action Tracy movies on our shelves. (Alas, no Mumbles, Prune Face, Flat Top or Hemlock Holmes!) There was some lame acting, but, despite that, it actually wasn't too bad. The real attraction was Boris Karloff playing a toothpick-chomping hood! I wasn't expecting that, but it was totally worth the price of admission! :-D Had no idea he was as agile as he was, especially when you see him plodding through monster pictures. The scene in the morgue, the character names (Drs A. Tomic, L. E Thal and I. M. Learned), the punnery, and the action made it a nice 60-odd minute romp.
Too much comic strip to be believable
jcholguin8 August 2001
Boris Karloff as the character Gruesome has the perfect face "sourpuss" for the role. He even played a dead man who comes "back to life" in the police morgue. Karloff inhaled some experimental gas that caused his body to be declared dead. A certain physicist named A. Tomic has completed the experimental gas and developed a gas that renders any breathing creature of the gas "frozen" for about 12 minutes before coming out of this state without any knowledge of it. Gruesome is able to rob a bank because of this process. This plot was something that I saw on a "Twilight Zone" involving a stopwatch that stops time thereby allowing the wearer to rob a bank.
This film had too many elements of a comic strip such as the plot and the names like "X-ray, A. Tomic, Gruesome and Dr. I. M. Learned" to be taken seriously. This film was more in a vain of comedy at times than a drama.
This film had too many elements of a comic strip such as the plot and the names like "X-ray, A. Tomic, Gruesome and Dr. I. M. Learned" to be taken seriously. This film was more in a vain of comedy at times than a drama.
Karloff Excels in a Solid Dick Tracy Feature
Snow Leopard9 June 2005
Ralph Byrd is well-suited to the role of Dick Tracy, and this is a solid B-feature overall. But it is Boris Karloff, in the role of "Gruesome", who lifts the movie above the norm for its genre. He makes his character come vividly to life, and makes him into a believable and formidable foe for Tracy.
The story is enjoyable, if a bit on the wacky side, with a gang of criminals taking advantage of a gas that is supposed to cause temporary paralysis in anyone who breathes it. Tess and Pat also get their moments as they help Tracy track down the gang.
Karloff was an impressive and unusual talent, using his appearance, voice, and mannerisms in all kinds of ways, generally relying on the little things and on understated actions to create his character. He was certainly in a number of movies of far greater stature than this one, but in this, as in almost all of his roles, he is very interesting to watch, and he adds a great deal to the movie.
The story is enjoyable, if a bit on the wacky side, with a gang of criminals taking advantage of a gas that is supposed to cause temporary paralysis in anyone who breathes it. Tess and Pat also get their moments as they help Tracy track down the gang.
Karloff was an impressive and unusual talent, using his appearance, voice, and mannerisms in all kinds of ways, generally relying on the little things and on understated actions to create his character. He was certainly in a number of movies of far greater stature than this one, but in this, as in almost all of his roles, he is very interesting to watch, and he adds a great deal to the movie.
Standard Screwy Stuff with Karloff a Scene Stealer
LeonLouisRicci22 December 2015
There's more wordplay than usual in the final entry in the Series. For better or worse we are given Names that evoke chuckles and sighs. But the Characters personified are more of that specialized Tracy Comic-Strip charm.
Boris Karloff is decidedly "Gruesome", carries the show and steals every Scene He appears. Although Skelton Knaggs as "X-Ray" can't be ignored with a sinister voice and coke-bottle glasses. Ralph Byrd as Tracy pretty much just reacts to things happening around. He is straight laced and squared jawed dutiful.
The other returning characters show up and go through Their standard routines. Not as good as the first one in the Series but it is an above average B-Movie thanks to Karloff and a clever gimmick. Fast paced and fun.
Boris Karloff is decidedly "Gruesome", carries the show and steals every Scene He appears. Although Skelton Knaggs as "X-Ray" can't be ignored with a sinister voice and coke-bottle glasses. Ralph Byrd as Tracy pretty much just reacts to things happening around. He is straight laced and squared jawed dutiful.
The other returning characters show up and go through Their standard routines. Not as good as the first one in the Series but it is an above average B-Movie thanks to Karloff and a clever gimmick. Fast paced and fun.
Delivers the entertainment
wwwj341 August 2009
I first saw this movie on late-night TV in the 1970s, and have seen it a few more times since. It has held up very well, except for the bank robbery scene, which really does get annoying on repeated viewings.
The very effective opening sequence introduces us to the menacing Gruesome (Karloff), his partner in crime Melody, and creepy new associate X-Ray (Skelton Knaggs). Gruesome collapses after inhaling some experimental gas and ends up in the morgue. He awakens and lights a cigarette; Pat Patton, at this desk nearby, notices something in the air but goes back to his writing, and is soon knocked cold by Gruesome, who makes his escape. There's a deft mixture of suspense and comedy in this scene, capped by Patton's line to Tracy, "If I didn't know better I'd swear we were doing business with Boris Karloff!"
By contrast, the bank robbery looks like a 50s sitcom, as the release of paralyzing gas causes everybody on the premises to freeze-frame in a cartoony manner. It's easy to understand why the scene was handled this way; a more realistic treatment that showed the bank customers clutching their throats and writhing as they crumbled to the floor might have been deemed too grim. But I wish this scene hadn't been played entirely as a joke, because it dispels the dark mood established by what went before.
Most viewers probably don't consider the talky scene in which Tracy meets Professor I.M. Learned to be a highlight, but it's one of my favorite parts. I can't tell if June Clayworth (who plays Learned) was much of an actress, but she is just right as the mousy scholar who might or might not be trustworthy. Learned's confrontation with Tracy is alive with ambiguity, and fun to watch.
There are many nice touches. Gruesome always has a toothpick in his mouth, and it shifts like the darting tongue of a reptile. When Gruesome and X-Ray bluff their way into a hospital by impersonating doctors, a desk guard asks Gruesome if he knows how to work the elevator. "Like the fingers on my hand", Gruesome replies, making a trigger-finger gesture.
Strong cast, brisk pace, and nice visual style lift this movie a cut above the average programmer.
The very effective opening sequence introduces us to the menacing Gruesome (Karloff), his partner in crime Melody, and creepy new associate X-Ray (Skelton Knaggs). Gruesome collapses after inhaling some experimental gas and ends up in the morgue. He awakens and lights a cigarette; Pat Patton, at this desk nearby, notices something in the air but goes back to his writing, and is soon knocked cold by Gruesome, who makes his escape. There's a deft mixture of suspense and comedy in this scene, capped by Patton's line to Tracy, "If I didn't know better I'd swear we were doing business with Boris Karloff!"
By contrast, the bank robbery looks like a 50s sitcom, as the release of paralyzing gas causes everybody on the premises to freeze-frame in a cartoony manner. It's easy to understand why the scene was handled this way; a more realistic treatment that showed the bank customers clutching their throats and writhing as they crumbled to the floor might have been deemed too grim. But I wish this scene hadn't been played entirely as a joke, because it dispels the dark mood established by what went before.
Most viewers probably don't consider the talky scene in which Tracy meets Professor I.M. Learned to be a highlight, but it's one of my favorite parts. I can't tell if June Clayworth (who plays Learned) was much of an actress, but she is just right as the mousy scholar who might or might not be trustworthy. Learned's confrontation with Tracy is alive with ambiguity, and fun to watch.
There are many nice touches. Gruesome always has a toothpick in his mouth, and it shifts like the darting tongue of a reptile. When Gruesome and X-Ray bluff their way into a hospital by impersonating doctors, a desk guard asks Gruesome if he knows how to work the elevator. "Like the fingers on my hand", Gruesome replies, making a trigger-finger gesture.
Strong cast, brisk pace, and nice visual style lift this movie a cut above the average programmer.
Good camp
jmp854516 May 2012
I tuned into this movie expecting a very badly done work, but I was pleasantly surprised. The first half hour is a real kick with more laughs than suspense. The remainder of the movie is more akin to what I expected. Boris Karloff was wonderful as "Gruesome" and kept the second half moving. I have to say that some of those guys were incredible shots with a tire shot out with one shot at about 100 yards and police officer killed "instantly" with a quick shot from a getaway car. Like the movie, the marksmanship declined markedly as the movie progressed. All in all, I recommend you watch it if you enjoy the old "B" movies. I plan to look for more in this series and see how they stack up.
Better and worse...
stephaneiainscot14 February 2011
Warning: Spoilers
First lets get this out of the way, Boris Karloff is amazing. Karloff brings serious gravitas for a character in a film such as this. Beyond Karloff, however, the acting is quite suspect. Byrd and Gwynne aren't nearly as compelling as Conway and Jeffreys of the 1945 film.
On the story front, there is much more cartoon atmosphere present compared with the 1945 film. The names of persons and places are all gags, hand-canons are constantly going off at seeming random and Tracy's partner bumbles like no other. Whilst this is fun it isn't done well at all. The film still plays to close to 'real'. Overall this creates a strange unbalanced experience.
**Spoiler**
The entire device to get Tracy to the lair of Gruesome (his body switch for Melody) is ridiculous. If all Gruesome wished was to kill Melody, he wouldn't have stolen and burned him. It would have been much simpler to shoot or knife him in the hospital thus avoiding stealing an ambulance &c.
**Spoiler Over**
Overall, the film is enjoyable and worth a watch. It's flawed and questionable, but Karloff and occasional gags pull it together to create something a notch above average.
On the story front, there is much more cartoon atmosphere present compared with the 1945 film. The names of persons and places are all gags, hand-canons are constantly going off at seeming random and Tracy's partner bumbles like no other. Whilst this is fun it isn't done well at all. The film still plays to close to 'real'. Overall this creates a strange unbalanced experience.
**Spoiler**
The entire device to get Tracy to the lair of Gruesome (his body switch for Melody) is ridiculous. If all Gruesome wished was to kill Melody, he wouldn't have stolen and burned him. It would have been much simpler to shoot or knife him in the hospital thus avoiding stealing an ambulance &c.
**Spoiler Over**
Overall, the film is enjoyable and worth a watch. It's flawed and questionable, but Karloff and occasional gags pull it together to create something a notch above average.
A new Dick Tracy along with horrible writing spells a definite downturn for the series.
planktonrules15 March 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Compared to the next Tracy film (DICK TRACY'S DILEMMA), this is a pretty good film. This isn't saying a lot, considering how horrible the next movie is however. The main problem with both these films were the moronic writing--they just didn't make any attempt to fix plot holes or make the movies make any sense--even within the oddly surreal Dick Tracy world. Also, many of the actors really are about as exciting to watch as a pile of wood shavings--with hardly any discernible personality. The first two films of the RKO series (DICK TRACY DETECTIVE and DICK TRACY VS. CUEBALL) were much better films as the writing was very good.
The biggest plus of this film is having Boris Karloff as the title character and villain. Believe it or not, he plays the role pretty straight and he's pretty good that way. The problem is that he just doesn't get all that much support from the other actors.
The biggest negative was the writing, though in some ways it was still pretty good. The overall plot of the sleeping gas is exactly like the sort of plot you might find in an old Dick Tracy cartoon. However, the film also suffers from so many logical errors that just look sloppy. For example, Tracy pretends to be a wounded bad guy and Gruesome kidnaps him so he can murder him! Why didn't he just strangle the guy in the hospital bed or shoot him--why go to all the trouble of sneaking him out of the hospital just to kill him?! Plus, if you are Tracy, don't you think you would be sure you have backup at this time so you aren't killed?! Nope--this would have mean spending a few extra moments editing or even reading the script before filming!! This film is for lovers of B-detective films only. All others, you'll find the film cheap and dull.
FYI--In DICK TRACY'S DILEMMA (also starring Ralph Byrd), I said in my review that Tracy had all the charisma of a piece of lint. Here in this film he is much more active but also much, much stupider. When he meets with Dr. A. Tomic's assistant, she shows him around his lab. When Tracy sees an unmarked bottle among the many dangerous chemicals, he asks the lady what it is. She says she doesn't know and thinks it MIGHT be harmless. So what does Tracy do? Yep, he tastes the liquid to see what it might be!!! You lose a lot of cops that way! Yep, he is a really big idiot in this film.
The biggest plus of this film is having Boris Karloff as the title character and villain. Believe it or not, he plays the role pretty straight and he's pretty good that way. The problem is that he just doesn't get all that much support from the other actors.
The biggest negative was the writing, though in some ways it was still pretty good. The overall plot of the sleeping gas is exactly like the sort of plot you might find in an old Dick Tracy cartoon. However, the film also suffers from so many logical errors that just look sloppy. For example, Tracy pretends to be a wounded bad guy and Gruesome kidnaps him so he can murder him! Why didn't he just strangle the guy in the hospital bed or shoot him--why go to all the trouble of sneaking him out of the hospital just to kill him?! Plus, if you are Tracy, don't you think you would be sure you have backup at this time so you aren't killed?! Nope--this would have mean spending a few extra moments editing or even reading the script before filming!! This film is for lovers of B-detective films only. All others, you'll find the film cheap and dull.
FYI--In DICK TRACY'S DILEMMA (also starring Ralph Byrd), I said in my review that Tracy had all the charisma of a piece of lint. Here in this film he is much more active but also much, much stupider. When he meets with Dr. A. Tomic's assistant, she shows him around his lab. When Tracy sees an unmarked bottle among the many dangerous chemicals, he asks the lady what it is. She says she doesn't know and thinks it MIGHT be harmless. So what does Tracy do? Yep, he tastes the liquid to see what it might be!!! You lose a lot of cops that way! Yep, he is a really big idiot in this film.
Dick Tracey vs. Boris Karloff
chris_gaskin1233 January 2006
This is the best of the Dick Tracey movies I have seen, where he meets the great Boris Karloff.
In this one, Tracey is assigned to investigate a series of robberies where the robbers use a nerve gas to "freeze" everybody while they pinch the stuff. We see this happen during a bank robbery but a woman in a phone booth witnesses every move of this and calls the police. Tracy's investigation leads him to the gang leader, Gruesome (Karloff) and the lab where the gas is made.
Joing Boris in the cast are Ralph Bryd as Dick Tracy and Anne Gwynne as his wife.
Watch this one if you get the chance, worth seeing just for Boris alone.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5.
In this one, Tracey is assigned to investigate a series of robberies where the robbers use a nerve gas to "freeze" everybody while they pinch the stuff. We see this happen during a bank robbery but a woman in a phone booth witnesses every move of this and calls the police. Tracy's investigation leads him to the gang leader, Gruesome (Karloff) and the lab where the gas is made.
Joing Boris in the cast are Ralph Bryd as Dick Tracy and Anne Gwynne as his wife.
Watch this one if you get the chance, worth seeing just for Boris alone.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5.
Hmm, about what you'd expect ...
Tyrssen-282-2776455 March 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Like many low-budget serials, this one is about as bad as you'd expect, looking more like some of the flaky stuff that had been done ten years previously. The one shining light in this thing is, of course, Karloff. Watch it for him, and it's good for a grin.
Bear in mind, this has no relation to actual law or police procedure! Tracy and his pal whip out those .38's and fire, no matter what the surroundings, and for little reason. He breaks into a professor's house and searches it, all without benefit of a warrant. There are dozens of other things that real cops wouldn't get away with today -- and I don't think they did back then, either!
But as long as you're not expecting "Gone With The Wind," it's good for a bit of fun.
Bear in mind, this has no relation to actual law or police procedure! Tracy and his pal whip out those .38's and fire, no matter what the surroundings, and for little reason. He breaks into a professor's house and searches it, all without benefit of a warrant. There are dozens of other things that real cops wouldn't get away with today -- and I don't think they did back then, either!
But as long as you're not expecting "Gone With The Wind," it's good for a bit of fun.
KARLOFF IS REALLY GRUESOME!
whpratt125 March 2003
Yes, this was a B picture in the late 40's and actors still had to make a living and (Boris Karloff) as Gruesome was the best selection by director John Rawlins. It seems a mysterious gas which temporarily paralyzes people falls into the possession of a disreputable doctor, L.E. Thal(Edward Ashley). Realizing the great criminal opportunities of the strange gas, Gruesome, an ex-convict, enlists Thal's aid in a bank robbery. "Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome" is a thriller-diller only because Boris Karloff is the star performer. The picture has Karloff putting his victims in a huge furnace for safekeeping. Chester Gould, the creator of the comic-strip was proud of this picture in 1947.
Watch it for Karloff
Leofwine_draca11 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
DICK TRACY MEETS GRUESOME is the last of the four cheap and cheerful Dick Tracy films made by RKO. Ralph Byrd returns to the role of the titular detective hero, this time battling against a creepy-looking villain who uses nerve gas to commit bank robberies. At an hour in length this is snappy, effective adventure filler, benefiting immensely from a villainous turn from the excellent Boris Karloff whose presence alone lifts it above the others in this series in terms of entertainment value.
Parody of a Parody
TheFearmakers2 March 2024
Despite the legendary Boris Karloff playing Gruesome, this is the last and weakest of the RKO four-picture series... mainly because it goes for physical comedy over dark noir-like aesthetic and frightful violence: the story taking place mostly in the daylight without the same amount of eerie shadow-play of its predecessors...
The silliness mainly derives from the weapon that Gruesome and his haphazard two-man posse (compared to effectively creepy inventor Skelton Knaggs) use: gas pellets that freeze bank customers as the gang moves in...
Meanwhile Tess Trueheart, safe in a phone booth, witnesses everything... and when Tracy shows up, and the customers come out of their frozen comas, it's not only corny but the comedic scene lasts too long...
Overall Karloff's a one-note (Frankenstein-parody) villain that takes the franchise out with a whimper, far too aware of itself... at one point Lyle Latell's faithful lawman/sidekick Pat (cast in all four features) tells Tracy that Gruesome resembles... Boris Karlof! Thankfully, past heavies Dick Wessel, Mike Mazurki and Jack Lambert weren't very famous.
The silliness mainly derives from the weapon that Gruesome and his haphazard two-man posse (compared to effectively creepy inventor Skelton Knaggs) use: gas pellets that freeze bank customers as the gang moves in...
Meanwhile Tess Trueheart, safe in a phone booth, witnesses everything... and when Tracy shows up, and the customers come out of their frozen comas, it's not only corny but the comedic scene lasts too long...
Overall Karloff's a one-note (Frankenstein-parody) villain that takes the franchise out with a whimper, far too aware of itself... at one point Lyle Latell's faithful lawman/sidekick Pat (cast in all four features) tells Tracy that Gruesome resembles... Boris Karlof! Thankfully, past heavies Dick Wessel, Mike Mazurki and Jack Lambert weren't very famous.
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