Buena Vista Pictures Distribution released Dick Tracy on or around 14 June 1990. Why do I say that? Well, they had some premieres on the 13th and 14th. And then it was released to the nation on the 15th. Normally, I’d celebrate this film on that day. But there’s something better to talk about tomorrow.

I first saw Dick Tracy at the 4-screen Beaverton Drive-In, which was near Portland, Oregon. I could tell that the film looked great. But I wasn’t seeing any of it. The old technology could not compete with the ambient light. I also saw Terminator 2: Judgment Day there, and it too looked terrible. But at least you could enjoy the later film with its normal color palette.

So in preparation for this article, I watched the print I’ve embedded below. Wow! What a find! It does indeed look great. And it highlights its comic origins. I often complain about films that swap creativity for professionalism. But this film is a great example of professionalism used creatively. Just check out the shack fight scene at 9:00 in the video below. Amazing!

But I most like how grotesque it all is. This is fully in keeping with the comic. But it highlights just how grotesque the comic was. It’s one thing on the page. It’s another to see Flattop’s triangular face! And he’s not alone!

Of course, you could argue that there are problems presenting ugly people as inherently bad and attractive people as inherently good. I don’t think you can argue against this. Our society assumes this. And it isn’t because of pulp properties. It’s because humans are horrible and superficial.

And speaking of attractiveness, Glenne Headly as Tess Trueheart steals every scene she is. Because of course she does! She does that in almost every film she was ever in. But Dick Tracy would be worth watching even without her!

Other 14 June Anniversaries

Filmmakers

• Takeo Murata (1910-1994): Screenwriter of Godzilla and Rodan.
• Gene Barry (1919-2009): Actor best known for The War of the Worlds.
• Larry Vincent (1924-1975): LA horror show host.
• Diablo Cody (1978-): Screenwriter known for Juno and Lisa Frankenstein.

Films

• Bucket of Blood (1934): a worthy effort to bring “The Tell-Tale Heart” to the screen.
• The Monster That Challenged the World (1957): The army releases a giant caterpillar that must be stopped.
• Anatomy Of A Psycho (1961): A murderer’s brother gets vengeance.
• Captain Kronos — Vampire Hunter (1974): A vampire is sucking the life out of young women but a hero has arrived!
• The Stuff (1985): Larry Cohen’s amazing take on the zombie film.
• Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991): Big budget version of the usual story that works well.
• The Cable Guy (1996): Free cable isn’t free.
• Deep in the Woods (2000): Slasher about actors at a castle.
• The Bourne Identity (2002): Action film that is pretty much the opposite of the novel.
• Scooby-Doo (2002): Excellent live-action version of the cartoon.
• Survival Island (2004): Young people on an island unleash something evil.
• Cthulhu (2007): You can never go home — because of your father’s cult.
• Man of Steel (2013): Can all the fun be drained from Superman? Yes!
• The Dead Don’t Die (2019): What if Jim Jarmusch made a zombie film?
• Shaft (2019): Who’s the black private dick that’s a sex machine to all the chicks? As a comedy.

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Dick Tracy (1990) poster via Original Film Ar under Fair Use.