One of the Reasons characters like Batman, Spider-Man and The Flash have enjoyed success on TV is because they have great rogues galleries to draw upon. Dick Tracy has one of the best line ups of villains around, which makes me think the character would be perfect for a series that could take its time exploring them (rather than cramming them all into a single story, a mistake the movie version made.
The movie also made the mistake of killing them off wholesale.
ReplyDeleteThe most fascinating thing about Dick Tracy's rogues in the comic strips was once they were killed off, they never returned. Wish so many others would follow this example today.
ReplyDeleteThe only time TV successfully introduced his rogues on an individual basis was the syndicated "Dick Tracy" cartoon series of the 1960's! However, there was also once an episode of "The Adventures of Mr. Magoo" that did a pretty good of grouping them together. The rogues had formed a Mafia-like organization (led by Pruneface) that decided they had finally had enough of Tracy. So, they hired an international hit man, known only as "Squinty Eyes," to take him out. And I'm pretty sure you can guess which bald myopic Jim Backus sound-alike he coincidentally resembled!
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw that mini-movie as teenager, I found it pretty good. Fast-paced and funny, yet with a plot that was suspenseful and easy to follow, at the same time. Something else that seems to have died out with the Silver Age of animated cartoons.