Dick Tracy Collection: (Dick Tracy, Detective / Dick Tracy vs. Cueball / Dick Tracy's Dilemma / Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome)

Description

"Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome" starring Boris Karloff. Interview with creator Chester Gould. "Dick Tracy in B Flat" starring Bing Crosby (Tracy), Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore & Jimmy Durante. 4 Radio Broadcasts.

Customer Reviews:

For the Budget Conscious May I Suggest..........2006-11-12

I just watched two of these Tracy flicks, Dick Tracy Detective and Dick Tracy meets Gruesome and both were pretty good. They are Universal productions so unlike a Monogram or similar studio, these have a decent production quality.
I wont review the movies here but if your a Tracy fan you'll enjoy them. I got three of these flicks on the 50 Movie Pack Mystery ASIN: B0001HAGTW here at Amazon, and it was half the price of this package, its only 3 of the 4 films but you get another 47 movies to make up for it and the prints were decent.

Dick Tracy: The Ultimate Collection.......2001-02-20

If you liked the Dick Tracy comics, you'll love these 4 films. The first 2 on disc 1 star Morgan Conway, a little known actor, who does look the part. The other 2 on disc 2 bring back Ralph Byrd who played the role in 4 cliff hanger serials in the 30s. Plus there are some nice little extras after each movie on each side of each disc. So put on your yellow trenchcoats it's time for some grade B mysteries of grade A caliber.

Classic Dick Tracy (Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome / Dick Tracy VS Cueball / Dick Tracy's Dilemma)

Average customer rating:

Dick Tracy
Don't bother
Dick Tracy Bonanza
Dick Tracy Bonanza

Classic Dick Tracy (Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome / Dick Tracy VS Cueball / Dick Tracy's Dilemma)
Starring: Morgan Conway , Anne Jeffreys , Lyle Latell , Rita Corday , and Ian Keith
Director: Gordon Douglas , and John Rawlins
Manufacturer: Bfs Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Television | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005N5RV
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Description

3 Great Movies on 1 DVD. Star Power, Exciting Genre with Extras on each DVD.

Customer Reviews:

Dick Tracy .......2004-10-19

(...) the three films and a scant extras on CLASSIC DICK TRACY make it a tremendous value.
The films:
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome - Boris Karloff plays Gruesome, who robs banks and likes to incinerate his victims.
Dick Tracy vs. Cueball - Dick Wessel plays Cueball, who steals diamonds and likes to strangle his victims with a leather strap.
Dick Tracy's Dilemma - Jack Lambert plays The Claw, who steals furs and likes to hack his victims with the hook at the end of his right arm.
The extras: Short text biographies of Boris Karloff and Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould, a very short selected Karloff filmography, and a harmless page or two of Dick Tracy trivia.

"Gruesome" and "Dilemma" star Ralph Byrd as Tracy, a role his square jaw suggests he was born to play. Morgan Conway plays the super cop in "Cueball." Byrd played Tracy in an earlier serial, while Conway was the first to play him in a movie.
These short films were produced by RKO Radio Studios, which gave us some of the greatest psychological crime dramas in history. The production values, cinematography, and supporting cast are all above average for these quickly produced low budget films.
RKO gilded its reputation by presenting films that probed the twisted psychology or its heroes and villains. The beauty of formulaic entries like these Dick Tracy movies is that they avoid that approach entirely. The Bad Guy is wired to receive signals from nothing higher than his reptile brain. Gruesome, Cueball, and the Claw are simply evil, all greedy appetite with a well-honed fight-or-flight response. They have no depth at all. The short biography on Gould tells us that he wrote Tracy in reaction to the "glamorized" gangsters of the 1930s. He wanted to give the public a Good Guy to root for. Ergo Dick Tracy, a vacant trenchcoat and fedora who's hardwired to that attic space in the brain that controls our dedication to Justice and fighting Evil. Beyond canceling dinner dates with sweetheart Tess Trueheart (a running gag throughout all the movies, one which wore thin pretty quick) and chasing criminals, there isn't much to Tracy's personality. The criminals may have been drained of their glitz, but they're still a lot more interesting than the hero.
I enjoyed all these movies immensely. I'm not all that familiar with Dick Tracy, but I imagine we have Gould to thank for having his villains hang out with characters like Filthy Flora in such colorfully named dives as The Hanging Noose and the Dripping Dagger. Vitamins Flintheart, a bad and annoyingly flamboyant actor, and Tracy sidekick, seems a Gould character as well. The transfer seems uniformly well done. Things stay in focus and there's no buzzing on the soundtrack. Better yet, the transfer prints were in very good shape, considering their age. Best of all, these pleasant films are suitable for all ages.

Don't bother.......2002-12-25

The collection of Dick Tracy movies offered by the Roan Group is much better, and the Roan DVDs offer all of the movies on two discs. This set is not worth spending your money on. You will pay a lot more for a lot less by buying this.

Dick Tracy Bonanza.......2001-11-13

In 1945, the world beheld Dick Tracy, a popular comic strip, materialize to screen. The first film (which is not in this collection), was entertaining, but lacked the excitment, and the panache of the comic strip.
RKO Radio Pictures (it's distributar), realized this, and started to make pictures that were almost identical to the beloved comic strip.
"Dick Tracy Meets Cueball", was in the greatest Gould tradition. For one, Morgan Conway is just the image of good old Dick, and the story, is amazingly entertaining.
The others were exellent too, and here are the ratings and casts for each of them:

Dick Tracy Meets Cueball ***** PG
with Morgan Conway
Anne Jeffreys
Dick Wiesel
Lyle Latel
Rita Corday
Ian Keith

Dick Tracy's Dillema ***** PG
with Ralph Byrd
Lyle Latel
Ian Keith
Jack Lambert
Kay Christopher

BORIS KARLOFF.RALPH BYRD in
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome ***** G
with Anne Gwenn
Lyle Latel

Dick Tracy Bonanza.......2001-11-13

Dick Tracy, Detective / Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome

Average customer rating:

Dick Tracy, Detective / Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome
Starring: Great Detectives: Dick Tracy Detective
Manufacturer: Mill Creek Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0007P0XZA
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Average customer rating:

Amusing Installment In The Dick Tracy Series
Boris Karloff Is The Main Attraction
1940's Nostalgia

Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (B&W)
Starring: Boris Karloff , Ralph Byrd , Anne Gwynne , Edward Ashley , and June Clayworth
Director: John Rawlins
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

Customer Reviews:

Amusing Installment In The Dick Tracy Series.......2007-08-03

Originated by Chester Gould's syndicated comic strip, Dick Tracy has been a durable cinematic character with appearances ranging from 1930s serials to an over-hyped 1990 blockbuster-style motion picture starring Warren Beatty and Madonna--but the character's film appearances are perhaps most fondly recalled from the 1940s RKO Pictures series. Written with stacco dialogue and seldom running more than an hour, they were welcome "B" movies at almost every matinee.

The 1947 DICK TRACY MEETS GRUESOME is very typical of the series in terms of style, plot, and Ralph Byrd, who frequently played the character; it is atypical in the sense that it also features a major star, none other than Boris Karloff, who appears as Gruesome. In this particular tale, the criminal Gruesome is taken to meet a mysterious professor--and through him stumbles onto a chemical that makes people freeze in their tracks for several minutes. It's an ideal weapon for a bank heist, but Gruesome runs afoul of Tess Trueheart (Anne Gwynne, popular WWII pin-up and "B" actress in such titles as FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE and HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN), who is on the scene and unaffected. Tess manages to alert Tracy and the manhunt is soon underway.

The film makes use of cartoonist Gould's knack for odd names--on this occasion including Dr. A. Tomic--and shoot-'em-up action, and Karloff scores a particularly menancing turn with, of all things, a furnace. No one would accuse it of being high-end or particularly inventive, but it is a fun little flick of its time; while casual viewers will find it very slight, Tracy fans will have fun.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Boris Karloff Is The Main Attraction.......2003-05-04

In DICK TRACY MEETS GRUESOME the famous detective is able to trick Gruesome by placing a false story in the newspapers about another criminal who is going to squeal on Gruesome. Boris Karloff plays the part of Gruesome and he dominates the movie. Ralph Byrd has the role of Dick Tracy and Anne Gwynne is Tess Truehart.

The film was a big success for a "B" movie in both the United States and in Great Britain.

1940's Nostalgia.......2001-02-02

Boris Karloff certainly looks the part as the recently released convict named Gruesome. The nerve gas story is corny as is the bank robbery scene especially when one bloke is frozen just as he is about to sneeze. Ralph Byrd returns as Dick Tracy and he later starred in the early 50's TV series. People who are familiar with the B movies of the 1940's will recognise character actors Milton Parsons and Skelton Knaggs as a professor and his assistant respectively. If you feel like going on a nostalgia trip watch this.

Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome/Dick Tracy, Detective

Average customer rating:

Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome/Dick Tracy, Detective
Starring: Boris Karloff; Morgan Conway
Director: Multi
Manufacturer: Miracle Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0002PX5J6
Release Date: 2002-02-02

Product Description

Double Feature, 2 Movies For The Price Of 1

Crime Stoppers, Vol. 1: Mr. Wong, Detective/Dick Tracy's Dilemma/Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome

Average customer rating:

Very Enjoyable Collection
Get a clue, people...
Quick Watson, we've not a moment to lose!
The Great Detective lives on!

Crime Stoppers, Vol. 1: Mr. Wong, Detective/Dick Tracy's Dilemma/Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome
Starring: Ralph Byrd , Lyle Latell , Kay Christopher , Jack Lambert , and Ian Keith
Director: John Rawlins , and William Nigh
Manufacturer: Sling Shot
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00003ETQB
Release Date: 2000-08-22

Customer Reviews:

Very Enjoyable Collection.......2007-02-12

All 3 of these films are very enjoyable, with clear picture and terrific sound. They are all short, and the time invested watching them was well-spent. They are classics of the B-movie genre; 2 with Karloff, 2 with Dick Tracy (not the same ones!), all with quick editing, rapid-fire dialogue, witty repartee and wonderful characters. Some politically correct persons may take issue with Karloff's Mr. Wong, but it's what they did back then with low-budget films. I enjoyed this trio of films immensely. PS~A lot of reviewers here got this confused with a Sherlock Holmes anthology, apparently of poor quality. Ignore reviews about this product that refer to the Sherlock Holmes product...

Get a clue, people..........2005-07-29

Sherlock Holmes is not even on this video!

The 3 movies on Crime Stoppers Vol 1 are:

Mr. Wong, Detective - Detective Wong investigates the death of a chemical manufacturer and discovers an international spy ring plotting to steal the secret formula for an invisible poisonous gas. Starring Boris Karloff.

Dick Tracy's Dilemma - An evil villain known as The Claw, named for the steel hook in place of his hand, has murdered a man while robbing a shipment of furs. It's Dick Tracy's job to hunt him down and bring him to justice! Starring Ralph Byrd.

Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome - Boris Karloff plays Gruesome, a delightfully creepy mastermind behind a clever group of bank robbers who use a special gas that temporarily immobilizes people in their tracks. Starring Ralph Byrd.

BONUS features:
"Breakdowns of 1940" - Warner Bros blooper reel
Classic Popeye cartoon - "Popeye for President"
Tales of Mystery and Supense radio show - "Consequences" starring Jimmy Stewart, originally broadcast May 19, 1949.

Quick Watson, we've not a moment to lose!.......2000-07-21

These films of an earlier age are everything a good modern film should not be. They are campy, over-acted, cliche-ish, over dramatised and poorly dubbed (with a british actor's voice for background speech).

In spite of all of that, there is no one else who can play Sherlock Holms and Dr. Watson as can Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. And the bumbling Inspector LeStrade is priceless. These are classic and timeless films - great fun to watch - one can almost put them in a category with Charlie Chaplain. Very good entertainment value in spite of their short running time (each film generally only ran about one hour in length) and obvious age.

I'd managed to tape all 14 of them from the late night movies a while back; and now watch them whenever I'm in the mood for light entertainment. I'm thrilled that they are finally being released in the DVD format -- hopefully we'll see the entire set re-published.

If you're one of those who turn up their nose at older films because of a lack of action, effects and the like, this collection is not for you. But if you enjoy films of the 40's and liked the exploits of the world's most famous detective, this is a set to get. Get your coat, Watson -- the game is afoot!

~P~

The Great Detective lives on!.......2000-06-20

Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce will be forever remembered as "Hollywood's Holmes and Watson". This DVD gift pack (one hopes the first of many) recaptures the timeless duo in four adventures.

In "The Woman In Green", Holmes finds himself wrapped up in Ripper-like murders of young London women. When he investigates a beautiful woman who is also a master hypnotist, he finds he may end up dead. Features Henry Daniell in a wonderful performance of Holmes' most famous nemesis, Professor Moriarty.

"Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon" finds Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson fighting Nazis in World War II. Loosely based on 'The Dancing Men', Holmes must locate and reclaim the secret plans of a devastatig weapon before the Nazis use it for their own evil purposes. The WWII Holmes films are excellent documents of the times. Many people don't remember the militarization of Hollywood during the 1940s when every film had to pass the litmus test of "How will this help us win the war?" Every film from an American studio was used to a degree as propaganda to help in the war effort. The Sherlock Holmes film series was no exception, and thus we find our beloved characters unaged in the then present day - without explanation, but still an enjoyable film.

Getting away from the War, we come to "Dressed to Kill" where Holmes finds that a music box is the key to an elaborate counterfeiting scheme. Patricia Morrison is great in this film and Rathbone and Bruce have their share of moments as Holmes and Watson.

Finally, probably my favorite, "Terror By Night" is a great Holmes adventure which has as much comic relief as intrigue. A murder has been committed on a train, and Holmes must find the killer before the train reaches it's destination. It's high adventure at high speed where Holmes finds himself reunited with bumbling Scotland Yard Inspector Lestrade, who has just the right amount of comic timing.

Product Description

DICK TRACY DETECTIVE-TRACY MEETS GRUESOME (DVD MOVIE)

Customer Reviews:

TRACY MY HERO.......2005-05-05

I have always loved mystery movies and this DVD has two! If you like the old films like the Thin Man, The Shadow, Mr.Wong Detective... you will love these two movies.

Congratulations to Marengo Films... these are very nicely done. This DVD is a bargain.

Dick Tracy DVD.......2000-12-13

This is a must for Dick Tracy Fans! This DVD released by Marengo Films pairs Dick Tracy Meets Grusome with Boris Karolff and Dick Tracy Detective. The presentation is very well done, the DVD cover has the old comic book look from the 1940's. All the detail is there, the quality is especially good and for the price you can't go wrong!

Mystery Movie Marathon Volume 2: 8 Movie Pack

Average customer rating:

Mystery Movie Marathon Volume 2: 8 Movie Pack

Manufacturer: RightNow Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video
Product Features:

BONUS: Each movie comes with a portable-media friendly version that can be downloaded to your Apple iPod!
Eight feature films on four DVDs
Bulldog Drummond Escapes;Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome;Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon;Impact;Algiers;Kansas City Confidential;The Mandarin Mystery;The Green Glove

ASIN: B000GW1RTA

Product Description

The legends of Mystery are gathered here for you in this definitive DVD collection of some of the greatest Mystery classics to ever come out of Hollywood. This 8 DVD collection is sure to provide you with countless hours of entertainment. Mystery Movie Marathon Volume 2: 8 Movie Pack includes: Bulldog Drummond Escapes directed by James Hogan and starring Ray Milland; Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome directed by John Rawlins and starring Boris Karloff; Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon directed by Roy William Neill and starring Basil Rathbone; Impact directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Brian Donlevy; Algiers directed by John Cromwell and starring Charles Boyer; Kansas City Confidential directed by Phil Karlson and starring John Payne; The Mandarin Mystery directed by Ralph Staub and starring Eddie Quillan; The Green Glove directed by Rudolph Mate and starring Glenn Ford

Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome/Dick Tracy Dilemma

Average customer rating:

Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome/Dick Tracy Dilemma

Manufacturer: Family Value Collection
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0009VV6YY

Product Description

2 Movies on 1 DVD! Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947) Dick Tracy investigates the theft of a fortune of fur coats, a possible insurance swindle and several murders, all linked to a huge thug who wears a hook in place of his right hand. Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947) Boris Karloff plays a theif Gruesome, who renders his victims helpless with nerve gas.

Mystery Classics Volume 2: Dick Tracy Detective, Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome, Dick Tracy vs. Cueball, The Shadow Strikes (Scourge of the Underworld)

Average customer rating:

Mystery Classics Volume 2: Dick Tracy Detective, Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome, Dick Tracy vs. Cueball, The Shadow Strikes (Scourge of the Underworld)
Starring: Mystery Classics
Manufacturer: Mill Creek Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Horror | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Horror | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0009W3092
Release Date: 2004-01-01

DVD:

DVD

DVD