Dick Tracy

Dick Tracy, the hard-boiled hero of Dick Tracy, a newspaper comic strip created by Chester Gould in 1931. Gould originally wanted to name both the detective and the strip Plainclothes Tracy, but he was overruled by Joseph Medill Patterson, owner of The Chicago Tribune–New York News Syndicate.

Dick Tracy became a policeman to avenge the murder of Emil Trueheart, the father of Tracy’s longtime love interest, Tess. Tracy was portrayed as an incorruptible plainclothes detective in a Midwestern city that resembled Chicago. He was jut-jawed and eagle-nosed and usually wore a fedora, a dark suit, a white shirt, and a necktie. He was relentless in pursuing criminals, who in the 1930s were Prohibition gangsters, robbers, crooked politicians, and criminal defense lawyers. Later his criminal adversaries were grotesque villains of repulsive physiognomy with such self-descriptive names as Pruneface, Flyface, the Mole, Wormy, the Blank, Laffy, and Rhodent. Tracy’s first partner was the comical Pat Patton, and he was later succeeded by Sam Catchem, a professional detective. Other significant characters are Junior Tracy, B.O. Plenty, Gravel Gertie, Sparkle Plenty, policewoman Lizz, and Diet Smith.

Ralph Byrd played Dick Tracy in film serials, several feature films, and a television series (1950–53). The character appeared in radio serials and comic books, and Dick Tracy’s image helped sell toys and merchandise. The film Dick Tracy (1990), in which Warren Beatty directed himself in the title role, featured a star-studded cast that included Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, and Madonna.