Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome

Rating:
Summary: 1940's Nostalgia
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Dick Tracy takes on Gruesom Boris Karloff
Review: In "Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome," the 1947 RKO film based on Chester Gould's comic strip detective, Ralph Byrd and Boris Karloff play the title characters. L. E. Thal (Edward Ashley), a disreputable doctor, gains possession of a gas, which temporarily paralyzes people. Gruesome uses the gas to stage a daring bank robbery, but the crime is witnessed by Tess Truehart (Anne Gwynne) who calls Tracy. At that point the entire affair becomes standard cops and robbers, although I have to admit that Karloff steals every scene from the hero. Director John Rawlins creates a serial-style with a series of episodes of varying degrees of excitement until the climax. It just seems to be that Gruesome does not look that, well, gruesome. Given all the times they insisted on burying the actor beneath makeup, it is rather ironic that there do not put much on Karloff to play "Gruesome."

Rating:
Summary: Will Dick Tracy be a match for Boris Karloff? Yes, BUT...
Review: In "Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome," the 1947 RKO film based on Chester Gould's comic strip detective, Ralph Byrd and Boris Karloff play the title characters. L. E. Thal (Edward Ashley), a disreputable doctor, gains possession of a gas, which temporarily paralyzes people. Gruesome uses the gas to stage a daring bank robbery, but the crime is witnessed by Tess Truehart (Anne Gwynne) who calls Tracy. At that point the entire affair becomes standard cops and robbers, although I have to admit that Karloff steals every scene from the hero. Director John Rawlins creates a serial-style with a series of episodes of varying degrees of excitement until the climax. It just seems to be that Gruesome does not look that, well, gruesome. Given all the times they insisted on burying the actor beneath makeup, it is rather ironic that there do not put much on Karloff to play "Gruesome."

Rating:
Summary: Boris Karloff Is The Main Attraction
Review: 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.