Dick Tracy - November 4, 2015

Dick Tracy - November 4, 2015
Writer: Mike Curtis
Artist: Joe Staton

We turn from the Simpsons' spoof of "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol" to an actual cross-over of that show with the "Dick Tracy" comic strip!

"Dick Tracy" being like "Blondie" (discussed here) a crazily long-running comic strip. It was created by the one-of-a-kind Chester Gould back in 1931 and is still running!

We join the strip in 2015.

Here's the first strip that catches our interest (November 4, 2015):

It's interesting that the Mr. Magoo version exists in the Tracyverse and that composers Bob Merrill and Jule Styne do as well!

Fun to see longtime supporting character Vitamin Flintheart. 

Vitamin first appeared in the Tracy strip way back in 1944 when he got mixed up in the extremely popular Flattop storyline.

He wasn't really a villain, so he became friends with Tracy and would pop up over the years.

His persona as a (somewhat) washed-up ham actor always gave me a John Barrymore vibe. At least the popular conception of Barrymore in his later years when he often spoofed his own image. He was certainly not still at the height of his career, a level that Mr. Flintheart could only dream about!

I know some classic film fans are aghast at "The Great Profile" appearing in such unworthy vehicles as his last movie, billed under and much smaller than bandleader Kay Kyser in "Playmates," but I think he's having a good time.

In any event, I always wondered about the timing of Vitamin Flintheart's debut. John Barrymore had passed away in 1942, so was that too soon for a spoof of him? Or is it an homage? Or am I reading too much into it? Could be...

Getting back into the "A Christmas Carol" world, John was, of course, the younger brother of Lionel Barrymore, the brilliant Ebenezer Scrooge of the golden age of radio.

As mentioned during one of the zillion times I've talked about Lionel's annual portrayal of Scrooge, John substituted for Lionel on the 1936 broadcast, due to the sudden passing of Lionel's wife.

Unfortunately, no recordings of that show appear to exist. Too bad, as that would be awesome to hear, especially since John was supposedly imitating Lionel!

OK, on to the next Dick Tracy strip...