Feature1947·65m·5.5

Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome

KARLOFF PETRIFIES THEM!

ActionCrimeMysteryThriller

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.

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Cast

Boris Karloff

Gruesome

Ralph Byrd

Dick Tracy

Anne Gwynne

Tess Trueheart

Edward Ashley

Dr. L.E. Thal

June Clayworth

Dr. I.M. "Irma" Learned

Lyle Latell

Pat Patton

Tony Barrett

Melody

Skelton Knaggs

X-Ray

James Nolan

Dan Sterne

Joseph Crehan

Chief Brandon

Milton Parsons

Dr. A. Tomic

Ernie Adams

Waiter at Hangman's Knot (uncredited)

Phil Arnold

Sneezing Bank Customer (uncredited)

Walter Bacon

Bar Patron (uncredited)

Lex Barker

City Hospital Driver (uncredited)

Eddie Borden

Bank Customer (uncredited)

Robert Bray

Sergeant (uncredited)

Robert Clarke

Fred (Police Analyst) (uncredited)

George Cooper

Stone (Bank Teller) (uncredited)

Suzi Crandall

Blonde Bank Customer (uncredited)

Details

Status: Released
Original language: English
Languages: English
Budget: —
Revenue: —
Age rating: —
Quality: 4K UHD · HDR10 · Dolby Vision
Production: RKO Radio Pictures

Crew

Director

John Rawlins

Writers

Robertson White, Eric Taylor, William Graffis, Robert E. Kent

Paul Sawtell

Original Music Composer

Frank Redman

Director of Photography

Elmo Williams

Editor

Gallery

Reviews

CinemaSerf

7/7/2022

6.0

Now this made me laugh - it is certainly one of the more preposterous of these adventure yarns. Dick Tracy (Ralph Byrd) and Tess Trueheart (Anne Gwynne) are called in to investigate a series of intriguing bank robberies where the customers/staff are poleaxed by a nerve gas that enables the robbers to calmly rob the place without anyone even knowing. Of course, at the bottom of the dastardly scene is "Gruesome" - one of the livelier outings for Boris Karloff that I've seen. The script is terrible, and the still-life effects are pretty cheap and cheerful photographic freezes, but you can tell that they - including the wonderful research scientist "I.M. Learned" and Skelton Knaggs ("X-ray") - are having a good time on set. They are there to entertain us, and that they do.

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