Dick Tracy's G-Men

Dick Tracy's G-Men

Directed by	William Witney John English
Produced by	Robert M Beche
Written by	Franklin Adreon Ronald Davidson Barry Shipman Sol Shor Chester Gould (comic strip)
Starring	Ralph Byrd Irving Pichel Ted Pearson Phyllis Isley Walter Miller George Douglas
Cinematography	William Nobles
Distributed by	Republic Pictures
Release date(s)	1939
Running time	(15 chapters) / 270 min
IMDb profile

Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939) is a 15-Chapter Republic Movie Serial starring Ralph Byrd based on the Dick Tracy comic strip by Chester Gould. It was directed by William Witney and John England.

[edit] Plot

Zarnoff, foreign spy and mad scientist, escapes from the gas chamber and swears vengence against the man who put him there, Dick Tracy, who must chase him down again in return.

Ralph Byrd as Dick Tracy
Irving Pichel as Nicolas Zarnoff
Ted Pearson as Agent Steve Lockwood
Phyllis Isley as Gwen Andrews
Walter Miller as Henchman Robal
George Douglas as Henchman Sandoval

"G-Man" is a contemporary slang term for an agent of the FBI. In the comic strip Dick Tracy is actually a police detective.
This serial, like all the sequels to the 1937 original Dick Tracy serial, was permitted by an interpretation of the original contract, which allowed a "series or serial". Therefore, Chester Gould was not paid again for the right to produce this serial.
Phyllis (Gwen Andrews) Isley went on to win an Academy Award for best actress four years later in 1943 for The Song of Bernadette, under a the screenname Jennifer Jones.

Preceded by: Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939)	Republic Serial Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939)	Succeeded by: Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939)
Preceded by: Dick Tracy Returns (1938)	Dick Tracy Serial Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939)	Succeeded by: Dick Tracy vs Crime Inc (1941)