# The Dick Tracy Show

The Dick Tracy Show is an American animated television series based on Chester Gould's comic strip crime fighter. The series was produced from 1961 to 1962 by UPA.
In the show, policeman Dick Tracy employed a series of cartoony subordinate flatfoots to fight crime each week, contacting them on his two-way wristwatch radio. Tracy himself hardly appeared on the show at all. The opening was designed so that local TV hosts dressed as policemen could introduce the cartoon by barking orders into a prop intercom, with Tracy answering "Okay, chief, I'll get on it right away."

## Summary

Everett Sloane voiced Tracy, while Mel Blanc, Paul Frees, Benny Rubin and others voiced many of the other characters, including:
* Joe Jitsu, a parody of Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto (featuring many movie images of Chinese and Japanese culture). He is an intelligent detective who fights with martial arts (repeatedly slamming his victim to the ground while saying "So sorry!... Excuse me, please!... Begging your pardon!"). He is named after the Japanese martial art of jujitsu. Benny Rubin provided his voice throughout the series.
* Hemlock Holmes, a loud, bumbling, Cockney police bulldog (named in honor of Sherlock Holmes and with a voice patterned after Cary Grant's) voiced by Jerry Hausner. He is backed up by his own police squad, the Retouchables—named after the Untouchables, but looking and behaving more like the Keystone Cops.
* Heap O'Calorie, a parody of Andy Devine, voiced by "Uncle" Johnny Coons. This redheaded Irish street cop has a serious weight problem and a penchant for stealing apples from an outdoor fruit stand. Before setting out on an assignment, Heap would invariably get the "word on the street" from a bongo-pounding beatnik (named "Nick") who communicated solely by beating coded messages on his drums.
* Manuel Tijuana Guadalajara Tampico "Go-Go" Gomez, Jr., essentially a human version of Speedy Gonzales, another Blanc character, though Paul Frees did his voice for most of the series. Go-Go wears a big Sombrero and a big grin and is often seen lounging in a hammock while waiting for an assignment.
A gag used in several shows was that if one of Tracy's detectives found themselves in sudden danger (a bullet speeding towards them, falling off a cliff, etc.) he would yell, "Hold everything!" The action would obediently screech to a halt and "wait", while the detective called headquarters for further instructions. Action would resume only after the sign-off catchphrase, "Six-two and even, over and out" was spoken at the end of the call.
Villains taken from Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould's popular comic strip usually had names that served as descriptions of their physical appearance or some other peculiarity. All were paired with another villain for the cartoon series. They included Flattop who worked with B.B. Eyes, Pruneface and Itchy, Stooge Viller and Mumbles, The Brow and Oodles, and The Mole and Sketch Paree. Each pair of crooks had at least one member who smoked either a cigar or a cigarette on an extender. One villain created specifically for the cartoon was Cheater Gunsmoke, who appeared in two episodes. Gunsmoke was a Texas-sounding cigar smoker with a literal cloud of smoke obscuring his face and head. Of all the villains in the animated series, Stooge had made his first appearance in the comic strip earliest (1933) and Oodles latest (1955), six years before the show was aired.
Some of the villains were given voices patterned after famous actors. Flattop sounded like Peter Lorre, B.B. Eyes like Edward G. Robinson, Pruneface like Boris Karloff, and The Brow like James Cagney.
The cartoons seldom involved the title character. The opening scene of every episode showed Tracy in his office, speaking into a two-way radio the words: "Okay, Chief! I'll get on it right away. Dick Tracy calling..." He would then hand the case over to one of his comic law-enforcement assistants, who engaged in slapstick battles with the crooks (who, compared to their comic strip counterparts, were penny ante and not as bright). Tracy showed up at the very end, usually by car or helicopter, to congratulate the assistant on a job well done and take the crooks into custody. Tracy, as Chief of Detectives, presented an image of calm professionalism in contrast to the comedic roles that the funny subordinates played.

### Lesson

Tracy would play a more prominent role in some episodes that were bookended with a quick lesson on real-world crime fighting. In these, Tracy would explain to the viewer how their local police use methods such as fingerprinting or the use of composite artists to help identify suspects.

### Mr. Magoo crossover

UPA was also the producer of the Mr. Magoo cartoons, and a crossover was arranged between Tracy and Magoo in a 1965 episode of the TV series The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo. In this episode, "Dick Tracy and the Mob", Tracy persuades Magoo (a well-known actor in the context of the Famous Adventures series) to impersonate an international hit man whom he resembles named Squinty Eyes, and infiltrate a gang of criminals made up of Pruneface (their leader in this case), Itchy, Flattop, Mumbles, The Mole, The Brow and Oodles. Unlike the earlier animated Tracy shorts, this longer episode was played relatively straight, with Tracy getting much more screen time, and Chief Patton was part of the episode. It is notable for pitting Tracy against a coalition of most of his foes, a concept that would be adopted more than two decades later in the 1990 film. None of Tracy's assistants (Hemlock Holmes, Joe Jitsu, etc.) appeared and several villains sounded nothing like their Dick Tracy Show counterparts. For example, Howard Morris took over the roles of Flattop and Oodles, although Everett Sloane reprised his role as Tracy.

## Original syndicated run

These 130 five-minute cartoons were designed and packaged for syndication much in the same way as Associated Artists Productions packaged the 231 Popeye cartoon shorts and the pre-1948 Warner Bros.' short subjects. Usually intended for morning and afternoon children's television series, a local host would introduce the cartoon as part of the show.
The cartoon show was a success perhaps as a child's version of The Untouchables that was popular at the time. Local hosts of the show offered "Dick Tracy Crimestopper" badges and certificates their viewers could request by mail. Mattel toys manufactured a series of Toy gun and a board game with the Dick Tracy logo and the Crimestoppers could communicate with each other by toy Dick Tracy wrist radios.

### Episodes

| No. | Title | Direction | Story |
| 1 | Red Hot Riding Hoods | Ray Patterson | Homer Brightman |
| 2 | Pearl Thief Grief | Grant Simmons | Homer Brightman |
| 3 | Jewel Fool | Brad Case | George Atkins |
| 4 | Scrambled Yeggs | Ray Patterson | Homer Brightman |
| 5 | The Oyster Caper | Clyde Geronimi | Ed Nofziger |
| 6 | Two Heels on Wheels | Grant Simmons | Homer Brightman |
| 7 | Cheater Gunsmoke | Brad Case | Dave Detiege |
| 8 | Gruesome Twosome | Ray Patterson | Homer Brightman |
| 9 | Racer Chaser | Grant Simmons | Bob Ogle |
| 10 | The Purple Boy | Brad Case | Ed Nofziger |
| 11 | Surprised Package | Steve Clark | Homer Brightman |
| 12 | Tanks a Heap | Steve Clark | Dave Detiege |
| 13 | Phony Pharmers | Ray Patterson | Ed Nofziger and Bob Ogle |
| 14 | Champ Chumps | John Walker | Homer Brightman |
| 15 | Stockyard Caper | Brad Case | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 16 | A Boodle of Loot | Grant Simmons | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 17 | The Parrot Caper | Clyde Geronimi | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 18 | Rogue's Gallery | John Walker | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 19 | The Catnap Caper | Ray Patterson | Bob Ogle |
| 20 | The Snow Monster | Brad Case | George Atkins |
| 21 | Hawaiian Guy | Steve Clark | Bob Ogle |
| 22 | Tick Tock Shock | John Walker | Homer Brightman |
| 23 | Lab Grab | John Walker | George Atkins |
| 24 | Escape from Sing Song | Brad Case | Dave Detiege |
| 25 | The Onion Ring | Clyde Geronimi | Bob Ogle |
| 26 | Funny Money | Clyde Geronimi | Homer Brightman |
| 27 | Flea Ring Circus | Steve Clark | Bob Ogle |
| 28 | The Flower Plot | Brad Case | George Atkins |
| 29 | The Brain Game | Clyde Geronimi | George Atkins |
| 30 | Penny Ante Caper | Steve Clark | Dave Detiege |
| 31 | Wheeling and Stealing | Paul Fennell | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 32 | Big Bank Bungle | Steve Clark | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 33 | Tobacco Load | Brad Case | Dave Detiege |
| 34 | The Boomerang Ring | Brad Case | Homer Brightman |
| 35 | Mummy's the Word | John Walker | Bob Ogle |
| 36 | Trickery at Sea | Grant Simmons | Dick Shaw |
| 37 | Stamp Scamp | Clyde Geronimi | Dave Detiege |
| 38 | The Hot Ice Bag | Ray Patterson | Homer Brightman |
| 39 | Cooked Crooks | Paul Fennell | George Atkins |
| 40 | The Elephant Caper | Grant Simmons | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 41 | Baggage Car Bandits | John Walker | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 42 | Gym Jam | Clyde Geronimi | George Atkins |
| 43 | Bowling Ball Bandits | Clyde Geronimi | Homer Brightman |
| 44 | Rock-a-Bye Guys | John Walker | Homer Brightman |
| 45 | The Ruby of Hamistan | John Walker | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 46 | The Platterpuss Plot | Clyde Geronimi | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 47 | The Nickle Nabbers | Paul Fennell | Dave Detiege |
| 48 | The Bearskin Game | Clyde Geronimi | Ralph Wright |
| 49 | The Newspaper Caper | Steve Clark | Dick Shaw |
| 50 | Grandma Jitsu | John Walker | Bob Ogle |
| 51 | Kidnap Trap | Brad Case | Homer Brightman |
| 52 | Tacos Tangle | Ray Patterson | Bob Ogle |
| 53 | Rocket Racket | Grant Simmons | Bob Ogle |
| 54 | The Venetian Bind | Grant Simmons | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 55 | Bomb's Away | John Walker | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 56 | The Fish Filchers | Grant Simmons | Bob Ogle |
| 57 | The Elevator Lift | Jerry Hathcock | Dick Shaw |
| 58 | The Alligator Baggers | Brad Case | Homer Brightman |
| 59 | Hooked Crooks | Paul Fennell | Dave Detiege |
| 60 | Lighthouse Creepers | Grant Simmons | Bob Ogle |
| 61 | The Vile Inn Case | Steve Clark | Ralph Wright |
| 62 | The Banana Peel Deal | Paul Fennell | Kin Platt |
| 63 | The Casbah Express | Paul Fennell | Tedd Pierce |
| 64 | The Retouchables | Clyde Geronimi | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 65 | Horse Race Chase | Ray Patterson | Homer Brightman |
| 66 | The Fixed Stare Case | Steve Clark | Ralph Wright |
| 67 | Cop and Saucer | Jerry Hathcock | Kin Platt |
| 68 | The Gold Grabbers | Clyde Geronimi | Dick Shaw |
| 69 | The Copy Cat Caper | John Walker | Bob Ogle |
| 70 | The Loch Mess Monster | Clyde Geronimi | Homer Brightman |
| 71 | The Windmill Caper | John Walker | Bob Ogle |
| 72 | The Old Suit Case | Jerry Hathcock | Ralph Wright |
| 73 | Smashing the Ring Ring | Jerry Hathcock | Chris Hayward and Lloyd Turner |
| 74 | Snow Job | Paul Fennell | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 75 | Court Jester | Steve Clark | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 76 | The Two Way Stretch | Ray Patterson | Nick Bennion |
| 77 | Steamboat Steal | Grant Simmons | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 78 | The Big Blowup | Jerry Hathcock | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 79 | Fowl Play | Clyde Geronimi | Homer Brightman |
| 80 | Bettor Come Clean | Paul Fennell | Dave Detiege |
| 81 | The Great Whodunit | Steve Clark | Tom Hicks and Bob Ogle |
| 82 | The Skyscraper Caper | Clyde Geronimi | Kin Platt |
| 83 | Hotel Havoc | Steve Clark | Bob Ogle |
| 84 | The Log Book Case | Paul Fennell | Ralph Wright |
| 85 | The Copped Copper Caper | John Walker | Bob Ogle |
| 86 | Small Time Crooks | Steve Clark | Bob Ogle |
| 87 | Evil Eye Guy | John Walker | Homer Brightman |
| 88 | Mole in the Hole | Jerry Hathcock | Homer Brightman |
| 89 | Feathered Frenzy | Ray Patterson | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 90 | Trick or Treat | Clyde Geronimi | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 91 | Down the Drain | Steve Clark | Kin Platt and Marty Murphy |
| 92 | Gang Town | Steve Clark | Dave Detiege |
| 93 | The Medicine Show Case | Jerry Hathcock | Ralph Wright |
| 94 | Air Freight Fright | John Walker | Dick Shaw |
| 95 | The Castle Caper | Clyde Geronimi | Cecil Beard and Bob Ogle |
| 96 | The Camera Caper | Steve Clark | Bob Ogle |
| 97 | The Big Punch | John Walker | Dave Detiege |
| 98 | Oil's Well | Grant Simmons | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 99 | Mardi Gras Grab | Ray Patterson | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 100 | The Manor Monster | Jerry Hathcock | Bob Ogle |
| 101 | Hot on the Trail | Paul Fennell | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 102 | Rocket n' Roll | Clyde Geronimi | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 103 | Lumber Scamps | John Walker | Homer Brightman |
| 104 | The Cold Cash Caper | Paul Fennell | Bob Ogle |
| 105 | Football Brawl | John Walker | Dick Shaw |
| 106 | The Ivory Rustlers | Jerry Hathcock | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 107 | A Case for Alarm | Grant Simmons | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 108 | Ghostward Ho! | Ray Patterson | Bob Ogle |
| 109 | Ham on the Lam | Steve Clark | Homer Brightman |
| 110 | Two Goons in the Fountain | Ray Patterson | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 111 | The Monkey Tale | Steve Clark | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 112 | The Pigeon Coup | Clyde Geronimi | Cal Howard |
| 113 | The Tower of Pizza | Steve Clark | Homer Brightman |
| 114 | The Old Mummy Case | Clyde Geronimi | Ralph Wright |
| 115 | Island Racket | Clyde Geronimi | Dick Shaw |
| 116 | The Big Seal Steal | John Walker | Homer Brightman |
| 117 | Crooksters' Last Stand | John Walker | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 118 | Choo Choo Boo Boo | John Walker | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 119 | The Van Vandals | Jerry Hathcock | Ralph Wright |
| 120 | The Bank Prank | John Walker | Cal Howard |
| 121 | The Film Can Caper | Grant Simmons | Bob Ogle |
| 122 | The Bird Brain Pickers | Clyde Geronimi | Homer Brightman |
| 123 | Quick Cure Quacks | John Walker | Dick Shaw |
| 124 | The Lie Detector | Clyde Geronimi | Homer Brightman |
| 125 | The Stuffed Pillow Case | Steve Clark | Bob Ogle |
| 126 | The Big Wig | Steve Clark | Al Bertino and Dick Kinney |
| 127 | The Last Blast | Jerry Hathcock | Ralph Wright |
| 128 | Crime Flies | Ray Patterson | Bob Ogle |
| 129 | The Sweepstakes Caper | John Walker | Cal Howard |
| 130 | The Chinese Cookie Caper | Grant Simmons | Bob Ogle |

## Controversy

The Dick Tracy Show was pulled from syndication in the mid-1970s and mid-1980s, and was not seen for years afterward because of what some perceived as racist undertones and use of ethnic stereotypes and accents. Some Asian and Hispanic viewers charged that Joe Jitsu and Go-Go Gomez were offensive stereotypes. Two stations in Los Angeles removed the airings and edited episodes were then sent out while one station, KCAL Channel 9, which at the time was owned by Disney, continued to broadcast The Dick Tracy Show until July 4, 1990. Henry G. Saperstein, then the chairman of UPA, stated "It's just a cartoon, for goodness' sake." Saperstein also pointed out that Hemlock Holmes and Heap O'Calorie (who are British and Irish respectively) are also ethnic stereotypes. The ethnic stereotypes are also the primary reason the diginet MeTV Toons will not air the series.

## Home media

Select episodes were first released on VHS in 1986 by Hi-Tops Video, under the name of "Dick Tracy and the Oyster Caper". In 1990, the complete series was released by Paramount Home Video in thirteen volumes, each containing ten episodes and Crimestopper tips by Tracy (voiced by Everett Sloane).
All episodes were released by Classic Media on a 4-disc DVD "Collector's Edition" set in 2006 to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the premiere of the Dick Tracy comics. In 2007, Classic Media released two 16-episode volumes, with the first containing episodes 1-16 and the second containing episodes 17-32.

## In other media

* Go-Go Gomez made his first appearances in The Mr. Magoo Show the year before the premier of The Dick Tracy Show. He appears in the episodes "Requiem for a Bull" and "Fuel in the Sun". He is called by his full name and is voiced by Mel Blanc in these appearances, but is voiced by Paul Frees in The Dick Tracy Show.
* The UPA version of Dick Tracy was scheduled to appear as a cameo in the deleted scene "Acme's Funeral" from the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Curiously Dick Tracy already appeared as a cameo in the novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary K. Wolf.
* Joe Jitsu makes a cameo in the Drawn Together episode "Foxxy vs. the Board of Education" and is depicted as an Asian student who is paid to take the SAT for other students.