Dick Tracy vs. Cueball

Dick Tracy vs. Cueball
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Gordon M. Douglas James Anderson (assistant)
Produced by	Herman Schlom
Written by	Characters Chester Gould Story Luci Ward Screenplay: Dane Lussier Robert E. Kent
Starring	Morgan Conway Dick Wessel Esther Howard
Music by	Phil Ohman
Cinematography	George E. Diskant
Edited by	Philip Martin
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release dates	November 22, 1946 (1946-11-22) ( Premiere-New York City )[1] December 18, 1946 (1946-12-18) (U.S. )[2]
Running time	62 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Dick Tracy vs. Cueball is a 1946 American film based on the 1930s comic strip character of the same name created by Chester Gould. The dark and moody film stars Morgan Conway as Dick Tracy in the second installment of the Dick Tracy film series released by RKO Radio Pictures. Dick Tracy vs. Cueball was listed in the 1978 book The Fifty Worst Films of All Time.

Plot

Luxurious diamonds are stolen but before the thief can safely hide them aboard an ocean liner he is strangled by ex-conman Cueball. Cueball takes the valuable diamonds and is given refuge by Filthy Flora, madam of the bawdy Dripping Dagger Bar, and then continues on murdering people that he believes are trying to double-cross him. Dick Tracy allows his attractive girlfriend Tess to act as a buyer for the diamonds but is put in grave danger when Cueball vows to eliminate . . .

Cast

• Morgan Conway as Dick Tracy - The unstoppable detective in search of Cueball.
• Dick Wessel as Harry "Cueball" Lake - A murderous diamond thief. Gets his name after his big, round head. He strangles his victims with a braided leather hatband.
• Anne Jeffreys as Tess Trueheart - Dick Tracy's lovely girlfriend.
• Lyle Latell as Pat Patton - Tracy's bumbling partner.
• Esther Howard as Filthy Flora, madam of the Dripping Dagger.
• Ian Keith as Vitamin Flintheart - An aged thespian and friend of Tracy.
• Max Wagner as Max - Dripping Dagger bartender.

Cast notes

• Trevor Bardette, who played the doomed Professor Starling in the first Dick Tracy film makes a quick cameo as Cueball's first victim Lester Abbott.
• Milton Parsons appears in three of the four Dick Tracy films. In the first, he played the mysterious Mr. Deathridge, in this one, he played Higby, Mr. Priceless's assistant, and in the last film, Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome, he played Dr. A. Tomic. His characters died in two of the pictures.
• Ian Keith does a perfect impersonation of John Barrymore as Vitamin Flintheart.
• The underground workshop movie set in this movie was also used in movie "Confessions of Boston Blackie". Ironically enough, the hero in the Boston Blackie movie series is a former jewelry thief turned private detective.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dick Tracy vs. Cueball.

• Dick Tracy vs. Cueball at the Internet Movie Database
• Dick Tracy vs. Cueball is available for free download at the Internet Archive