Dick Tracy’s Dilemma **½ (1947, Ralph Byrd, Lyle Latell, Kay Christopher) – Classic Movie Review 5594

Ralph Byrd takes over takes over from Morgan Conway as an ideal Dick Tracy (a role he had previously played in four Republic Studios serials) for the third installment of the four-part film series released by RKO Radio Pictures. Director John Rawlins’s modest but speedy 1947 yarn, told without any surprises up its sleeve but helped with a good cast.

This time Tracy is up against Steve ‘The Claw’ Michel (Jack Lambert), a one-armed bandit with a hook for a hand who is part of a fur heist. After the gang murders the nightwatchman on the raid, police send in an undercover agent to watch their hideout, but The Claw kills him.

Lyle Latell returns as Pat Patton, Kay Christopher takes over as Tess Trueheart and Ian Keith returns as Vitamin Flintheart.

Also in the cast are Jack Lambert, Jimmy Conlin, Bernadene Hayes as Longshot Lillie the Fence, Harry Strang, Jason Robards Sr, Harry Harvey, Sean McClory, Al Bridge, William B Davidson, Tony Barrett, Richard Powers [Tom Keene] and William Gould.

It is also known as Mark of The Claw.

Robert Stephen Brode’s screenplay is based on the comic strip by Chester Gould.

It is preceded by Dick Tracy (1945) and Dick Tracy vs Cueball (1946). It is followed by Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947), after which Byrd bows out as Dick Tracy (cinema-wise, anyway, for a TV series followed for him in 1950-51). The TV show ran for 39 episodes until Ralph Byrd died unexpectedly of a heart attack on 18 August 1952, aged 43.

All four RKO studios Dick Tracy features were released on video in 1990 to cash in on the Warren Beatty Dick Tracy movie’s publicity.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5594

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