Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Henry Kujawa 3rd of 4 RKO films. Okay, but not as good as the previous two. Vitamin's back, but dumber than before. Pat's still there, as dumb as ever. NO Junior. And classy Tess has been replaced with cutie Tess. (You wish they'd hold onto the same actors for the duration of a series, don't you?) The big change is... Morgan Conway was replaced by the guy HE replaced, Ralph Byrd, allegedly, because the "exhibitors" made a stink and INSISTED on it.I dunno. "Everybody" says Byrd's the best, Byrd "looks just like Tracy". The jaw, maybe. Conway's got THE EYES. And more... Conway had LOTS MORE personality and charisma. It didn't matter in the serial I saw-- that was 90% ACTION, ACTION, ACTION! But put Tracy in a film-noir murder mystery with the actual cast of characters from the comics, and you need more that that. But I guess I'm in the minority.But hey. I liked TIMOTHY DALTON as Bond, too. (AND George Lazenby!)These run very formula. Mystery, character humor, lots of brutal killings, and a sicko doing most of them who gets his in the end. Last time the guy was HIT by a SPEEDING TRAIN! This time, it's ELECTROCUTION. By accident. Bet that hurt! Wouldn't you know it? I can't find my copy of DICK TRACY MEETS GRUESOME. Seems every time I try to watch a set of tapes, at least ONE of them goes missing. (Grrrrrrrr.)

blanche-2 Ralph Byrd returns as Dick Tracy in "Dick Tracy's Dilemma," a 1947 B movie with some noirish aspects. It's fast and well-directed.Here Tracy is after a killer called The Claw, who has a hook for a hand. The plot involves stolen furs, murder, and insurance fraud.If you thought Tess had nothing to do in the Morgan Conway movies, here Tess is practically an extra. The actress, Kay Christopher, was quite different from Anne Jeffreys. Christopher's Tess is sweet, where Jeffreys had more of a worldliness - it's the ingenue versus the leading lady. I never read the comics, so I don't know which one was more like Tess.Kudos to Ian Keith, an actor I love, for his portrayal of Vitamin. He was a wonderful actor.Directed with a brisk pace by John Rawlins, who adds several nice noir touches to this one, including one brilliant shot almost at the end of the film. I won't tell you what it is. You'll know it when you see it.

gftbiloxi Originated by Chester Gould's syndicated comic strip, Dick Tracy has been a durable cinematic character with appearances ranging from 1930s serials to an over-hyped 1990 blockbuster-style motion picture starring Warren Beatty and Madonna--but the character's film appearances are perhaps most fondly recalled from the 1940s RKO Pictures series. Written with stacco dialogue and seldom running more than an hour, they were welcome "B" movies at almost every matinée.Clocking in at exactly sixty minutes, DILEMMA plays out a fast clip. A fur heist and insurance scam turns deadly when a criminal employs "The Claw"--and not only does the movie rack up an impressive body count, it has considerably more suspense than the usual Dick Tracy flick. Ralph Byrd, who frequently played Dick Tracy, is quite good, but the edge of this film comes from the supporting cast: Jack Lambeth's the Claw is memorably dark; Ian Keith, a noted stage actor whose film credits include QUEEN Christina, scores as the comic Vitamin Flintheart; and Bernadene Hayes proves memorable in the brief role of Longshot Lillie. The cast is very nicely rounded out by Kay Christopher as a particularly appeal Tess Trueheart and such character actors as Lyle Latell, William B. Davidson, Tony Barrett, and Tom Keene.High art it isn't, but DICK TRACY'S DILEMMA is fun in and of itself, fast moving, well acted, and well director by "B" movie workhorse John Rawlins. Certainly among the better outings for the famous character, it's very entertaining. Recommended for Dick Tracy fans everywhere.

Neil Doyle RALPH BYRD takes over the Dick Tracy role with good results, looking more like the square-jawed comic book hero than Morgan Conway. He's on the trail of "The Claw" (played very effectively by JACK LAMBERT) and the film is chock full of many noir-like scenes involving "The Claw" and his pursuit of victims, who seems to enjoy using his hook to kill a few unlucky men.IAN KEITH is back as Vitamin Flintheart, once again upstaging everyone with his theatrical flair for speeches and having a little more to do with the plot and KAY CHRISTOPHER fills in for Anne Jeffreys as Tess Trueheart.But, in truth, Byrd is given little opportunity to show how well he was cast in the part since most of the crime drama involves the intriguing villain with the hook for a hand who drags his foot and walks the shadowy streets on his hunt for the kill.Summing up: Good little crime drama about fur thieves proves that low-budget thrillers like this from RKO could be rewarding enough for noir fans.