The Dick Tracy Show facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Dick Tracy Show |
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| Genre | Animation / Crime / Adventure / Comedy |
| Created by | Chester Gould |
| Written by |
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| Directed by |
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| Presented by | UPA |
| Voices of |
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| Theme music composer | Carl Brandt |
| Composer(s) | Carl Brandt George Steiner |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 130 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Editor(s) | Ted Baker |
| Running time | 5 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | First-run syndication |
| Picture format | Color (Technicolor) |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | January 1, 1961 – January 1, 1962 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo |
The Dick Tracy Show was an American animated TV show. It was based on the famous comic strip detective created by Chester Gould. The show was made by UPA from 1961 to 1962.
In the cartoon, policeman Dick Tracy sent his funny detective helpers to fight crime. He would talk to them using his special two-way wristwatch radio. Dick Tracy himself didn't appear much in the show. The beginning of each episode was designed so that local TV hosts could pretend to be police chiefs. They would give orders into a fake intercom, and Tracy would answer, "Okay, chief, I'll get onto it right away."
Before this cartoon, there was a live-action TV show called Dick Tracy. It aired on ABC from 1950 to 1951.
Contents
Meet Dick Tracy's Team
Everett Sloane was the voice of Dick Tracy. Other voice actors like Mel Blanc, Paul Frees, and Benny Rubin voiced many of the other characters.
- Joe Jitsu was a smart detective who used martial arts to fight bad guys. He would slam his enemies to the ground while saying things like "So sorry!" and "Excuse me, please!" His voice was done by Benny Rubin.
- Hemlock Holmes was a loud, clumsy police bulldog. He was named after the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. His voice, done by Jerry Hausner, sounded a bit like Cary Grant. Hemlock had his own police group called the Retouchables. They were named after a serious law enforcement team, but they acted more like the silly Keystone Kops.
- Heap O'Calorie was a red-haired police officer who loved to eat apples. He was voiced by "Uncle" Johnny Coons. Before starting a case, Heap would get secret messages from a beatnik named Nick. Nick would tap out coded messages on his bongo drums.
- Manuel Tijuana Guadalajara Tampico "Go-Go" Gomez, Jr. was a character similar to Speedy Gonzales. He often wore a big sombrero and a big smile. Go-Go was usually seen relaxing in a hammock, waiting for his next assignment. Paul Frees did his voice for most of the series.
A funny trick used in many episodes was when a detective was in danger. If a bullet was flying at them or they were falling off a cliff, they would yell, "Hold everything!" The action would stop, and the detective would call headquarters for new instructions. The action would only start again after they said, "Six-two and even, over and out."
The Villains of the Show
The bad guys in The Dick Tracy Show came from Chester Gould's comic strip. Their names often described how they looked or something special about them. In the cartoon, they usually worked in pairs.
- Some villains included Flattop (who worked with B.B. Eyes), Pruneface (with Itchy), Stooge Viller (with Mumbles), The Brow (with Oodles), and The Mole (with Sketch Paree).
- Many of these bad guys smoked cigars or cigarettes using a long holder.
- One villain made just for the cartoon was Cheater Gunsmoke. He sounded like he was from Texas and had a cloud of smoke around his face.
- Some villains had voices that sounded like famous actors. Flattop sounded like Peter Lorre, B.B. Eyes like Edward G. Robinson, Pruneface like Boris Karloff, and The Brow like James Cagney.
Dick Tracy himself didn't do much of the detective work in the cartoons. At the start of each episode, Tracy would be in his office. He would talk into his two-way radio, saying, "Okay, Chief! I'll get on it right away. Dick Tracy calling..." Then, he would give the case to one of his funny assistants. These assistants would have silly fights with the bad guys, who were not as smart as their comic strip versions. Tracy would only show up at the very end, usually in a car or helicopter. He would congratulate his assistant and take the crooks away. Tracy was the Chief of Detectives and always seemed calm and professional. This was a big difference from his funny helpers.
Dick Tracy and Mr. Magoo Team Up
UPA, the company that made The Dick Tracy Show, also made the Mr. Magoo cartoons. In 1965, there was a special episode where Dick Tracy and Mr. Magoo met. This is called a crossover. It happened in an episode of the TV show The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo called "Dick Tracy and the Mob."
In this episode, Tracy convinces Mr. Magoo to pretend to be a criminal named Squinty Eyes. Magoo looks a lot like Squinty Eyes. Magoo then goes undercover to join a gang of bad guys. This gang included Pruneface (their leader), Itchy, Flattop, Mumbles, The Mole, The Brow, and Oodles. This episode was more serious than the usual Dick Tracy Show cartoons. Tracy had much more time on screen. It was also special because Tracy fought against almost all of his enemies working together. This idea was later used in the 1990 Dick Tracy movie. None of Tracy's usual assistants appeared in this crossover. Also, some villains sounded different from how they did in The Dick Tracy Show.
The 130 five-minute cartoons were made to be shown in syndication. This means they were sold to different TV stations to air. They were often shown during morning and afternoon kids' TV shows. A local host would introduce the cartoon as part of their program.
The cartoon show was very popular. It was like a kids' version of The Untouchables, a serious crime show that was popular at the time. Local TV hosts would offer "Dick Tracy Crimestopper" badges and certificates that viewers could send away for. The toy company Mattel even made toy guns and a board game with the Dick Tracy logo. Kids could also talk to each other using toy Dick Tracy wrist radios.
Home Video Releases
The show was released on VHS tapes in 1986 by Hi Top video. The first tape was called "Dick Tracy and the Oyster Caper." Then, in 1989, Paramount Home Video released thirteen more tapes. Each tape had ten episodes and "crimestopper tips" from Tracy, voiced by Everett Sloane.
Later, all 130 episodes were released on a 4-disc DVD set called the "Collector's Edition" by Classic Media.
Dick Tracy in Pop Culture
The UPA version of Dick Tracy was supposed to appear in a deleted scene from the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This scene was called "Acme's Funeral." Interestingly, Dick Tracy also had a small appearance, called a cameo, in the book Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary K. Wolf.
