Dick Tracy (1937) - a 15-chapter Republic movie serial - Chapter 04 - Death Rides the Sky

A criminal gang known as the Spider Ring attempts to bring down San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge using a secret sonic machine, then steals plans for a new high-speed airplane and later spreads counterfeit money. Their activities prompt an investigation by government agent Dick Tracy (Ralph Byrd) and his assistants, Steve Lockwood (Fred Hamilton) and Mike McGurk (Smiley Burnette). The ring's leader, a shadowy figure called The Lame One, soon attacks Tracy's brother to stop the investigation.

Dick Tracy (1937) is a 15-chapter Republic movie serial directed by Alan James and Ray Taylor, produced by Nat Levine, written by Morgan B. Cox, George Morgan,Barry Shipman and Winston Miller, based on the Dick Tracy comic strip by Chester Gould, cinematography by William Nobles and Edgar Lyons, starring Ralph Byrd, Kay Hughes, Smiley Burnette, Lee Van Atta, John Picorri, Richard Beach, Carleton Young, Fred Hamilton, and Francis X. Bushman. Screen debut appearance of Mary Kelley. Released on February 20, 1937.

Francis X. Bushman who plays G-Man chief, Clive Anderson had been in films since 1911 and was one of the first matinee idols. He is probably best remembered for his role as Messala in the silent "Ben-Hur" (1927). Lee Van Atta and Smiley Burnette both appeared in the serial "Undersea Kingdom" (1936). Burnette of course would go on to be one of the best known "B" western sidekicks riding with Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Charles Starrett (The Durango Kid).

This serial was budgeted at $112,334 although the final negative cost was $127,640 (a $15,306, or 13.6%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial until "S.O. S. Coast Guard" was released later in the year.

It was filmed between 30 November and 24 December 1936 under the working titles "Adventures of Dick Tracy and The Spider Ring". The serial's production number was 420.

In this serial, Dick Tracy is a G-Man (FBI) in San Francisco rather than a Midwestern city police detective as in the comic strip. Most of the Dick Tracy supporting cast and rogues gallery were also dropped and new, original characters used instead (for instance the characters of Tracy's girlfriend Gwen Andrews and his detective partner Mike McGurk were stand-ins for Tess Trueheart and Pat Patton respectively). Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould approved the script despite these changes.

This was the first serial based on Chester Gould's popular comic strip produced by Republic Pictures in the late 30s. The others were: "Dick Tracy Returns" (1938), "Dick Tracy's G-Men" (1939), and "Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc." (1941). They were all permitted by an interpretation of the original contract, which allowed a "series or serial". That meant the creator, Chester Gould, was only paid for the rights to produce this serial but not for any of the sequels.

The title character was played by Ralph Byrd in all three films.

Stunts:
George DeNormand as Dick Tracy (doubling Ralph Byrd)
Loren Riebe (doubling Jack Gardner)

Special effects:
John T. Coyle
The Lydecker brothers

The Spider's flying wing was reused for the later, unconnected, Republic serial "The Fighting Devil Dogs" (1938).

The cliffhanger for Chapter 03, "The Fur Pirates," a motorboat chase, is copied in the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989).

Dick Tracy is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror, and was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate. Gould wrote and drew the strip until 1977, and various artists and writers have continued it. Basing the character on U.S. federal agent Eliot Ness, Gould drafted an idea for a detective named "Plainclothes Tracy" and sent it to Joseph Medill Patterson of the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate. Patterson suggested changing the hero's name to Dick Tracy, and he also put forward an opening storyline in which Tracy joined the police after his girlfriend's father was murdered by robbers. Gould agreed to these ideas, and Dick Tracy was first published on October 4, 1931.

American film historian William C. Cline wrote 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." Ralph Byrd "played the part [of Dick Tracy] to the hilt, giving his portrayal such unbridled, exuberant enthusiasm that the resulting excitement was contagious." Byrd became identified with the character following the release of this serial. The final chapter reunion between Dick and Gordon Tracy, as Gordon lies dying and his memory returns, is "one of the few moments of real emotional drama ever attempted in serials". This added to the human quality of Dick Tracy, which was present in both this serial and Chester Gould's original strip.

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