Dick Tracy Returns (1938) User Reviews

Flawed, but fun, an improvement over the original.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 22 June 2023]

Dick Tracy aims to bring down a criminal family unit, headed up by the merciless Pa Stark.

Having ....endured the previous movie, I have put off watching this one for about five years I guess, so today was the day I took the cellophane off the dvd.

You could easily dismiss this film as nonsensical and cheap, but in my review I've tried to partly consider what audiences way back in 1938 would have thought, and what the alternatives would have been.

It's very raw, but there are lots of action sequences, and it's a good old fashioned story of the good guys taking on the baddies.

Some of the dialogue has to be heard to be believed, some of it will have you hiding behind a cushion.

At this early stage, I don't think I could suggest that Ralph Byrd is my idea of Dick Tracy, but I'm not sure if that's down to the actor, or the script, he'd of course play the character for a long time.

6/10.

Sorry - but it's not very good.

[stevergy2000 · 5/10 · 10 November 2016]

Unlike the other three reviewers of this serial, I was quite disappointed.But let me start with a good point. At least the writers came up with a plausible set of characters for the bad guys. The Stark Gang is a noticeable improvement over the Spider (with his tattoo-flashlight signature on the forehead of his victims) and the Lame One (with his three-inch sole added to his shoe and stuttering step) of the original Tracy serial. But there the writers lost their sense of originality and commitment to a believable story. All they did was come up with ten or so special new inventions (super fast boat, special airplane engine, have the Stark gang mysteriously find out about it, have them contact the agent for a 'foreign power' (I guess in '38 you couldn't yet say Germany or Japan - FDR was still keeping the US neutral then, only to have Tracy and his men foil their plans. Then, on to the next episode with a 'insert here' new super special device. One decent story arc throughout the entire 15 chapter - like the Arc Indiana Jones goes after in Raiders (which Lucas and Spielberg supposedly fashioned after these serials) would have been much, much more engaging. The cliffhanging ends of the episodes were also very hackneyed. In virtually all cases, you could predict how Tracy once again cheated death. Car over the cliff? Simple: insert a shot of him jumping out just before it goes over. (And don't worry that he is seemingly unhurt even though the car was going 40+mph). But what REALLY irked me for this one was that unlike most 15 chapter serials that include one 'clip show' episode that reprises events from prior chapters (thus only giving more work to the editor, and sparing all the rest of the crew - hence, saving money), this serial had TWO such episodes. Way to bail on even a modicum of believable credibility, writers! Overall, 5/10

A serial that does the job

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 29 June 2017]

DICK TRACY RETURNS is a follow up to the original DICK TRACY, with Ralph Byrd returning to the title role alongside some of his peers. I watched the condensed film version of the story, which cuts out all of the cliffhanger endings and endless recaps of the previous instalments and makes for a more fluid watch, even if you lose some of the material at the same time.

This time around, Tracy locks horns with the criminal Stark clan, presided over by the delightfully sinister Charles Middleton as Pa Stark. Middleton was well known for playing Ming the Merciless in the Flash Gordon serials and he makes for a good adversary here. Overall, the serial feels more polished than its predecessor, with plentiful action and special effects which hold up even in the 21st century. It has all of the humour, thrills, and spectacle you could wish for, and there's very little faffing about to boot.

One of the best serials

[TC-4 · 18 November 1999]

There are good serials and there are mostly bad ones. The bad ones are cheaply made and very boring and use lots of "stock footage". This is the exception. The storyline is very original and is full of action. There are also lots of location scenes and the special effects were used here for the first time and not made for some other serial and reused here. I can see why serials were discontinued around the early fifties. TV came along and by then the serials were nothing like this one. It would be nice to get a nice print on a DVD of this one. My only problem and the reason I would give this a 9 instead of a 10 is the background music. For most of the scenes it is great but when they start fighting it goes to some speeded up uncomprehensible music that should only be used in a cheap western, otherwise it is terrific.

Dick Tracy - The Second Serial

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 6/10 · 25 July 2022]

Dick Tracy and his FBI team tackle the machinations of the Stark Gang led by the villainous Pa Stark and his five sons. A decent serial but not quite as good as the first one. Ralph Byrd as Tracy is solid as usual but his team, although the same characters, are acted by different people to less effect. It also has two recap episodes. One you may tolerate in a 15 part serial as a useful reminder but two are needless. It has a good baddie though in Pa Stark, played by the always welcome gaunt Charles Middleton but his five sons are barely distinguishable. The action is well staged with fisticuffs and gunfights galore and the locations suitable.

It was a shame rookie agent Ron Merton, played by dynamic David Sharpe, got offed in the first episode. Would like to have seen more of his character. But at least we got Earle D. Bunn as 'Fertilizer Warehouse Thug' to liven things up.

A bad return

[Prismark10 · 2/10 · 30 September 2017]

Watching the feature film version of Dick Tracy Returns it becomes apparent how departed you are from the comic strip Dick Tracy and how appalling the serials were. It is just difficult to take any of it seriously.

Dick Tracy works for the FBI and he is after Pa Stark, the head of the Stark gang. A rookie FBI agent is shot, but not to worry as Tracy states, he will be fine as he has been placed in an iron lung. The agent dies because no one posted any round the clock guards so Pa Stark sneaked in and pulled the plug on his iron lung.

Then you get a scene of Tracy rounding up some bad guys only for his helper Junior shout 'well done Tracy' enabling the others to attack Tracy and Junior being taken hostage.

It gets better when one bad guy leaves a briefcase with a bomb behind in Tracy's office with Tracy in another room guessing that the bad guy will slip out while leaving his briefcase behind, Junior runs after the bad guy who is getting away in his car, but he manages to throw the briefcase inside the car just before it explodes.

It is all preposterous and silly, even nostalgia cannot save it. Thank goodness for the Warren Beatty version who salvaged Dick Tracy's cinematic reputation.

Tracy vs. the Stark Gang

[Mike-764 · 8/10 · 15 January 2001]

In this sequel to the 1937 serial ( and a heck of a lot better ), Tracy is on the trail of Pa Stark ( Charles Middleton gives a great performance ) and his five sons. After killing a rookie G-Man, Tracy goes after the youngest son ( aptly named the Kid ) and through out the serials he battles the enemy agents and saboteurs Stark is mixed up with to bring the master criminal to justice. Very action packed, but it does contain some corny scenes, but anything was better than the previous entry. In terms of serials, 8 out of 10.

Dick Tracy Returns

[CinemaSerf · 5/10 · 3 November 2023]

Fans of the "Flash Gordon" serials will instantly recognise the nasty "Pa Stark" here as none-other than the dastardly "Emperor Ming" himself - Charles Middleton. Thereafter, though, this has really little to remind you of anything as it condenses, rather clunkily, fifteen episodes of crime-fighting into ninety minutes. It's all about how the eponymous detective (Ralph Byrd) and his feisty stalwart "Gwen" (Lynne Roberts) get on the trail of the vicious and malevolent "Stark" gang. These guys are involved in just about every criminal activity known to man, but it's their international antics - including espionage and sabotage - that particularly interest our sleuth. Again, as with "Flash Gordon" these worked far better as weekly episodes with jeopardy points at the end of each instalment. Cutting it all together like this robs us of much of the anticipation we would have felt before the next episode and actually reduces the story to little better than slightly repetitive series of gun-battles, pistol whipping, seemingly irreversible disaster scenarios with the damsel always in distress but sadly no railway track onto which we could tie the hugely annoying kid "Junior" (Jerry Tucker). The production is basic and the script does little to inject much spice to this overly abridged adaptation that is really turns out to be all too forgettable. Original is definitely best.

Serial Revue

[tomwal · 8/10 · 30 August 2008]

This second entry of the Tracy serials is finally on DVD courtesy of VCI entertainment. Having viewed the first five chapters,it appears that its an improvement over the tape.Sound is Dolby Digital , sharp and crisp.Picture quality varies from chapter to chapter,but is very good overall.If the remaining chapters are the same,it would appear that VCI has done a commendable job restoring this serial,one of the best of the Tracy serials. For the time it was made, this is hard edge story telling. Charles Middleton plays Pa Stark,leader of the notorious Stark gang. He and his sons rob payrolls,deal in hot cars,and cause havoc until Tracy and his G Men get on their trail. In the opening chapter a rookie G man played by stunt ace David Sharpe is shot from behind by one of the Starks during a robbery. He survives and is placed in an iron lung. Fearing that he will identify the shooter,Pa without any remorse,unplugs the iron lung,killing the agent.This is gritty stuff for a serial in 1938! The cast is headed by Ralph Byrd who is perfect in the title roll. Mike McGurk,Junior,Steve Lockwood and Gwen return from the first entry,all played by different actors.The supporting cast,headed by Middleton are all excellent. There is extensive location shooting,chapter endings and resolutions are exciting and for the most part believable. The one downside is the music ,which from time to time, does not fit the action. Over all this long serial ,254 minutes, is fast paced and under the direction of the masters of serial making, William Witney and John English, offers fifteen chapters of non stop action. A must see for anyone who wants to see one of the best of the serial genres .