Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941)

On December 27, 1941, Republic Pictures released the first chapter of the fourth Dick Tracy serial, Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941). Once again, Ralph Byrd played Detective Dick Tracy. In this series, Dick Tracy works with “The Commission” to attack crime but suspects one of the members of the commission is the mysterious Ghost.

The Ghost’s henchman Lucifer, played by John Davidson, has created a device, which renders The Ghost invisible. A buzzing sound is the only clue that the men are using the device. The Ghost must accomplish his mission quickly because the machine can only keep him invisible for a few minutes.

The serial runs 15 chapters of about 15 minutes each, so Detective Tracy has several close calls and The Ghost narrowly escapes several times during the series. Dick Tracy must figure out how to capture an invisible opponent, who walks into the police station under their nose.

John Davidson, who played Lucifer, was born on Christmas Day, December 25, 1886. Davidson began working on the stage at 25 years of age in 1911. By 1915, he started working in films. Davidson never rose higher than supporting roles in mostly “B” films. Charlie Chan film fans will remember him as the Karzdas brothers in The Chinese Cat (1944).

Davidson continued acting in films until he was in his seventies. He passed away on January 16, 1968 at 81 years of age.

I would suggest watching Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (affiliate link) like a television show. I watched 2 to 3 chapters at a time and took about two weeks to finish it. Let me know what you think.

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