Episode 282 · Film year 1990
Dick Tracy (1990)
- Special Guests
- Glenne Headly, Garyn G. Roberts, Dan Kampling
- Guest Co-Hosts
- Jared Case, Frank Santopadre
Show notes
Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy is a beautiful recreation of the four-color world of Chester Gould's square-jawed detective. It's also something of an uneasy marriage of Stephen Sondheim songs, Madonna, and a cavalcade of character actors as Gould's "Rogues Gallery."
Interviews feature Glenne Headly who plays Tracy's love interest, Tess Trueheart, as well as author Garyn G. Roberts, and Dick Tracy aficionado Dan Kampling. We also hear just a bit of executive producer Floyd Mutrux from a previous interview.
Jared Case and Frank Santopadre join Mike to debate if the film ultimately works.
Interviews feature Glenne Headly who plays Tracy's love interest, Tess Trueheart, as well as author Garyn G. Roberts, and Dick Tracy aficionado Dan Kampling. We also hear just a bit of executive producer Floyd Mutrux from a previous interview.
Jared Case and Frank Santopadre join Mike to debate if the film ultimately works.
Labels: Al Pacino Danny Elfman Dustin Hoffman Ed O'Ross Floyd Mutrix Frank Santopadre Jared Case Madonna Seymour Cassel Warren Beatty
Watch
Music credits
- "Bat/Tracy?" - Danny Elfman
- "Dick Tracy" - The Ventures
- "Tess's Theme" - Danny Elfman
- "The Powerful Fully-Transistorized Dick Tracy Two-Way Wrist Radio" - Man or Astro-man?
- "Dick Tracy" - Ice-T
Links & resources
- Buy Dick Tracy on Blu-ray (opens in a new tab)
- Buy Dick Tracy and American Culture: Morality and Mythology, Text and Context by Garyn G Roberts (opens in a new tab)
- Buy Chester Gould: A Daughter's Biography of the Creator of Dick Tracy by Jean Gould O'Connell (opens in a new tab)
- Buy Dick Tracy The Official Biography by Jay Maeder (opens in a new tab)
- Read Dick Tracy: A (Re)appreciation by Jared Case (opens in a new tab)
- Read Looking Back at Dick Tracy by Becky Lea (opens in a new tab)
- Read Remember Dick Tracy? by Keith Phipps (opens in a new tab)
- Learn more about the Cash & Epps collection at MSU (opens in a new tab)
- Visit the official Stephen Sondheim website (opens in a new tab)
- Visit the official Frank Santopadre website (opens in a new tab)
- Hear more of Frank Santopadre on Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast (opens in a new tab)
- Learn more about the Nitrate Picture Show (opens in a new tab)
- Hear more from Floyd Mutrux (opens in a new tab)
Related episodes
Episodes that share keywords with this one.
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice (2024)
Shared: Composer Danny Elfman, Danny Elfman
Chris Stachiw, Father Malone
Batman Returns (1992)
Shared: Composer Danny Elfman, Danny Elfman
Daniel Waters, Sam Hamm, Mark Reinhart, Mark Gledhill
The Rocketeer (1991)
Shared: Silver Screen Partners IV, Paul Sorvino, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Joe Johnston, Paul De Meo, Danny Bilson, Jon Polito and others
Death Game / Knock Knock
Shared: Seymour Cassel
Sondra Locke, Larry Spiegel, David Worth, Nicholas Schlegel
Comments (8)
Anonymous Elfman was actually hired to replicate the Batman sound, because Beatty was so impressed by his work on Batman. He actually said that "Warren was insane". Despite the music being similar to Batman, Elfman actually did compose original Gershaw inspired music, particularly with the track "Crime Wave", and "Tess's Theme". Saw the film earlier finally. Enjoyed it enough, though I wasn't big on the love triangle.lrobhubbard Actually, in the strip, it's the Kid (Junior)who marries the Moon Maiden - who, years later, is killed in a car bomb attempt on Tracy's life -- and also puts an end to the more fantastic/sci-fi elements in the strip up until then.JESSE Surprised there was no mention of the prequel Dick Tracy comics Kyle Baker did.Mike White Can't know *everything*.
Kit ^ written by John Francis Moore, drawn & coloured & lettered by Baker. "the four-color world of Chester Gould's square-jawed detective" -??! one of the most bemusing things about the film was Beatty's insistence on the bright, bold colour scheme for an artist who worked in stark black & white. (NB: downloading now, maybe this is addressed in the episode.)Mike White I think you're forgetting the full-color Sunday comics as opposed to the daily strip. Dick Tracy was known for his yellow fedora and trench coat. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s5DceFtyqdU/UusyYnuTiMI/AAAAAAAADaQ/qTxiK4HNKeM/s1600/Dick+Tracy+influence+p6.JPG
Zontar Just wanted to point out that it was Junior Tracy that married Moon Maid on Oct. 4, 1964. In 1965 they had a daughter “Honey Moon”. Mysta ("Moon Maid") was killed by a car bomb meant for Dick Tracy in 1978.Mike White Okay then.