unsold DICK TRACY Pilot (Dozier, 1967)

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Directed by Larry Peerce from a script by Hal Finberg inspired by the work of Chester Gould; starring Ray McDonnell, Jan Shutan, Ken Mayer, Jay Blood, Allen Jaffe, and Victor Buono. Unreleased; watched 2023w15 via YouTube.

Save for what I can describe only as the "drunken baritone" vocals to an otherwise Dozier-typical and snappy theme song (a la BATMAN and THE GREEN HORNET) and the standard bloodbath of the mid-late 1960s television, I can't figure why this little imperfect gem didn't get picked up to series.

An all-too-brief 28 minute, pitch-perfect blend of the Dozier-BATMAN camp with the Dozier-GREEN HORNET seriousness (that unfairly killed the show) featuring a great cast – especially Ray MacDonnell as Tracy (he'd go on to have a 40-year run on ALL MY CHILDREN) – that wasn't afraid to dive into the deep end of the fantastic when it came to villainy (Buono's Wellesian Mr. Memory is a great start – Lon Chaney Jr. was to be cast as Pruneface had this been picked up to series; makeup test photos were taken (cart before horse, example one), below) in a story that felt ripped from a Gould comic – dug the Bat-Pole inspired entrance to Tracy's home crime lab, Tracy’s Swedish microscope magnifying eyedrops, and the use of the two-way wrist TV.

Making up LCjr as Pruneface – this would have been amazing! | via

Happy to add that one of the treasures in my DT collection is this 1967 bagetelle game featuring the incarnations from this unaired, unsold pilot (cart-horse, two):

Really wish this had been picked up. Had the potential to be something special.

/20230415

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… {cooked}:: baked ravioli for the second time this week, in less of a manic rush... {tried}:: barefoot running shoes; could possibly get used to them... {wrote}:: tomorrow's newsletter though there was nothing there this morning which was only slightly terrifying... {read}:: THE BOOKS OF JACOB, 473-445… {assembled}:: bags 35-37... {(seasonally) cushioned}:: the patio couch for the dogchildren (having relinquished dibs) and the swing chair thing for K... {did not break}:: my toes... {this has been}:: a day in the life of; tomorrow will be another. Until then...

/20230414

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… {ate}:: at a winery that used to be a gas station with great friends... {gushed (over)}:: PICARD 3-9... {wrote}:: a whole bunch of the thing I couldn't figure out earlier this week but (still) think I might have figured out now... {mowed}:: the lawn, with help from Derbz…{read}:: THE BOOKS OF JACOB, 488-473… {threw}:: shade at Space Karen's latest stupid Twitter shit… {celebrated}:: the return of Natalie Merchant… {this has been}:: a day in the life of; tomorrow will be another. Until then...

"The Real Renfield"

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Excellent read on the tragic story of one of the best actors of the 30’s and 40’s:

With the onset of World War II, Frye took an overnight job at Douglas Aircraft—to aid the war effort, and because he needed the money. Now without an agent, Frye would spend his days pounding the pavement, winning tiny roles in films for “Poverty Row” studios and bigger ones in exploitation films like Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. In 1941, he even appeared at an LA theater reprising his role of Renfield in a stage production of Dracula. 

Aged beyond his years, a beaten-down Frye was increasingly suffering from heart problems. But because of his Christian Scientist faith, he refused any treatment. This inaction led to his final, deadly heart attack.