Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc.
Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941) is a Republic Movie serial based on the Dick Tracy comic strip. It was directed by the team of William Witney and John English with Ralph Byrd reprising his role from the earlier serials. It was the last of the four Dick Tracy serials produced by Republic, although Ralph Byrd went on to portray the character again in two features and on television. Plotline. Dick Tracy and his allies find themselves up against a villain known as "The Ghost", with the impossible ability of becoming invisible. Production. "Dick Tracy  vs. Crime, Inc." cost $175,919 (a $1,380 overspend). It was filmed between 17 September and 24 October 1941 under the working titles "Dick Tracy Strikes Again" and "Dick Tracy's Revenge". The serial's production number was 1097. The scenes of giant waves hitting New York were recycled from the RKO Pictures film "Deluge". Cliffhangers. Most of the cliffhangers were stock footage from previous Dick Tracy serials. However, the reuse of the highlights of previous Dick Tracy serials actually added to this serial, making it seem like a "best of" compilation. Release. Theatrical. "Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. 's official release date is 27 December 1941, during Christmas week 1941, although this is actually the date the seventh chapter was made available to film exchanges. The serial was re-released on 8 October 1952, under the title Dick Tracy vs. Phantom Empire", between the first runs of "Zombies of the Stratosphere" and "Jungle Drums of Africa". VCI released the serial on 2 DVD discs in 2008. It was later released together with the other three Dick Tracy serials in a boxed DVD set by VCI in 2013. Critical reception. Cline states that the Dick Tracy serials were "unexcelled  in the action field," adding that "in any listing of serials released after 1930, the four Dick Tracy adventures from Republic must stand out as classics of the suspense detective thrillers, and the models for many others to follow." He goes on to describe Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. as one of the most outstanding of all serials. This was a popular serial when first released, and in the opinion of Harmon and Glut, the best of the Dick Tracy serials.