Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome
(also known as Dick Tracy meets Karloff)
USA
Year: 1947
B&W
Genre: Detective/Mystery/SF/Superhero
Playing Time: 65 minutes
 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039320/

STARRING/CAST:
Ralph Byrd - Dick Tracy
Anne Gwynne - Tess Truehart
Boris Karloff - Gruesome
Skelton Knaggs - Rudolph X-Ray
Edward Ashley - Dr. Lee Thal
June Clayworth - Dr. I.M. Learned (Irma), Prof. Tomic's Assistant
Lyle Latell - Pat Patton, Plainclothesman
Tony Barrett - 'Melody' Fiske
Jim Nolan - Dan Sterne, Newspaper Reporter
Joseph Crehan - Chief Brandon
Milton Parsons - Dr. A. Tomic

Other actors:
Robert Clarke - Fred, police analyst; Harry Harvey, Jr. - Humphrey, a guard; William Gould - "Pop", hospital desk sgt.; Ernie S. Adams - Bartender at Hangman's Knot; Phil Arnold - Sneezing customer; Lex Barker - City hospital driver; Sean McClory - Officer Carney; Lee Phelps - Detective in car; Bert Roach - Crandall, a customer; Jason Robards, Sr. - Mr. Fax, bank vice pres.; Harry Strang - Officer Tim; Morgan Conway; Anne Jeffreys; Bela Lugosi 

Plot:
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. 

Review:
Befitting his status as a genre star, Boris Karloff earns top billing over leading man Ralph Byrd in RKO's final Dick Tracy caper. The former Frankenstein monster plays an escaped convict masterminding a daring bank robbery. To get in and out of the bank without being noticed, the gang uses an asphyxiating gas that leaves anyone inside momentarily frozen in place. Everyone, that is, except for bank customer Tess Truehart (Anne Gwynne), who is able to contact Dick Tracy (Byrd) from a phone booth in the bank. With little or no clues, Tracy and his man Friday, Pat Patton (Lyle Latell), question the bank customers but none can shed any light on the mysterious goings-on. The disappearance of Dr. A. Tomic (Milton Parsons) and the odd behavior of his associate, Dr. I.M. Learned (June Clayworth), crack the case wide open, however, and Tracy is eventually able to track down both Gruesome and the surprising identity of his boss, L.E. Thal (Edward Ashley). According to some reports, RKO wanted to release Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome as "Dick Tracy Meets Karloff" but that title was vetoed by Karloff himself. The legendary horror star apparently later accepted his own box-office value and a 1949 Universal comedy was released as Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff. 

There are 4 movies with "Dick Tracy":
Dick Tracy aka Dick Tracy, Detective (1945)
Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946)
Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947)
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947, this one)

Based on the comic strip:
"Dick Tracy" created by Chester Gould in 1931

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CREDITS:

Art Directors:
Albert S. D'Agostino, Walter E. Keller

First Assistant Director:
James Lane 

Director:
John Rawlins

Editor:
Elmo Williams

Composer Music Score:
Paul Sawtell

Conductor/Musical Direction/Supervision:
Constantin Bakaleinikoff

Makeup:
Gordon Bau

Production Designer:
Albert S. D'Agostino, Walter E. Keller

Cinematographer:
Frank Redman

Producer:
Herman Schlom

Set Designer:
James Altwies, Darrell Silvera

Special Effects:
Russell A. Cully

Screen Story:
William H. Graffis, Robert Kent

Screenwriters:
Eric Taylor, Robertson White