From the Files of the Batcomputer #30: Dick Tracy Pilot

We take a look at another William Dozier pilot for another comic related property. This time, it's Dick Tracy - He's a Good Cop. This time though, Dozier went all out with a full length half-hour episode featuring Victor Buono as the villain, Mr. Memory - which starts the batter of questions about where this show was going.

In "The Plot to Kill NATO", Mr. Memory kidnaps three NATO ambassadors at the request of Major Powers. His method of operation seems interesting enough, but there is still something lacking in his character. And yet, despite this, the pilot is an enjoyable viewing experience with a lot of recommend including Jan Shulman as Liz and the well choreographed fight scenes.

John is joined by his The Hornet's Sting co-host, Jim Beard, to pitch these questions. Just how committed was Dozier to this property? What would a relationship with Chester Gould have been like had the show gone forward? Why wasn't one of the established villains used in the pilot? And why did Dozier still build in little nods to Batman and The Green Hornet when both shows were on their last legs?

Any comments or questions on this episode, please post them here or by writing thebatcavepodcast@gmail.com.

A native of Toledo, Ohio, Jim Beard was introduced to comic books at an early age by his father, who passed on to him a love for the medium and the pulp characters who preceded it. After decades of reading, collecting and dissecting comics, Jim became a published writer when he sold a story to DC Comics in 2002. Since that time he's written official Star Wars and Ghostbusters comic stories and contributed articles and essays to several volumes of comic book history.

His prose work includes GOTHAM CITY 14 MILES, a book of essays on the 1966 Batman TV series; SGT. JANUS, SPIRIT-BREAKER, a collection of pulp ghost stories featuring an Edwardian occult detective; MONSTER EARTH, a giant monster anthology; and CAPTAIN ACTION: RIDDLE OF THE GLOWING MEN, the first pulp prose novel based on the classic 1960s action figure.

Currently, Jim provides regular content for Marvel.com, the official Marvel Comics website, and is a regular columnist for Toledo Free Press.

Websites

http://www.facebook.com/thebeardjimbeard

http://www.sgtjanus.blogspot.com