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Post by petrolino on Oct 12, 2019 4:19:43 GMT
Seems he's the godfather of the controversial crime comic, the perverted priest of pulp confessionals, the brazen balls-out artist who inspired a generation of gruesome grotesques and their parodies.
But who was Chester Gould?
'Sooner Or Later?'
"Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight was seen as a vanguard for superhero movies in 2008: a massive box office success that also earned a staggering eight Academy Award nominations and eventually won two. But Nolan’s second Batman adventure wasn’t the first comic-book movie to break through the Oscars’ once-impenetrable ceiling. It wasn’t even the one that did it best.
Before comic-book movies ruled the box office, the genre was littered with one-offs (Howard the Duck, The Rocketeer, The Shadow) and franchises that are already being remade today (Superman, Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy was an outlier. A star-packed callback to the glory days of trench-coat-clad crime fighters and a nostalgic confection set to the music of Stephen Sondheim, it was unafraid to not just nod, but fully lean on its roots as a two-dimensional story ripped right from the funny pages.
Now, as it turns 25 years old, Dick Tracy still hasn’t gotten its due—even though it has three Oscars to show for itself. Based on the Chester Gould comic-strip character of the same name, Dick Tracy imagines a stylized, thirties-era world where men are men and bad guys, well, are kind of gloriously deformed in a way that’s damn hard to ignore."
- Kate Erbland, 'Dick Tracy Turns 25 : Why Has Everyone Forgotten The Original Prestige Comic Book Movie?' (Vanity Fair)
Your guess is as good as mine ...
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Post by BATouttaheck on Oct 12, 2019 4:31:51 GMT
Was in NYC soon after Dick Tracy opened and saw Warren Beatty exiting The Plaza Hotel. Almost did not recognize him without the bright yellow raincoat and fedora.  Talked to the doorman to verify that it had indeed been WB and it was ! Good tipper too ! |
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Post by petrolino on Oct 12, 2019 13:11:15 GMT
Was in NYC soon after Dick Tracy opened and saw Warren Beatty exiting The Plaza Hotel. Almost did not recognize him without the bright yellow raincoat and fedora. Talked to the doorman to verify that it had indeed been WB and it was ! Good tipper too !
It's like somebody said we've got this hat, suit and coat, but we need somebody strong and imposing to wear this outfit. I dressed up like Dick Tracy to go out and looked ridiculous - too short for the coat, I have a slight limp. He fits it like a glove with his sturdy shoulders, his 6'2" frame, his rock solid posture.
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spiderwort
Junior Member
@spiderwort
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Post by spiderwort on Oct 12, 2019 13:35:36 GMT
Hi, Petrolino. Just wanted to add my two cents about this very influential and interesting man. He was born in in the small town of Pawnee, Oklahoma in 1900 (pop. today about 2200 people). I've spent time there, because that's where my grandfather was born and raised. And to this day if you visit the town you will see the following mural painted on the side of a downtown building.   Gould stayed in Oklahoma until he went to graduate school at Northwestern in Chicago, after which he created Dick Tracy. Another interesting bit about Pawnee, which I know from my family history: When Edna Ferber was doing research for her novel, "Cimarron," about the Oklahoma land run, she rented a room in Pawnee from my mother's aunt. I was told this by that aunt's daughter (my 2nd? cousin), whom coincidentally I rented a room from when I was attending graduate school at Northwestern. Small world. |
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Post by petrolino on Oct 12, 2019 14:20:35 GMT
Hi, Petrolino. Just wanted to add my two cents about this very influential and interesting man. He was born in in the small town of Pawnee, Oklahoma in 1900 (pop. today about 2200 people). I've spent time there, because that's where my grandfather was born and raised. And to this day if you visit the town you will see the following mural painted on the side of a downtown building. Gould stayed in Oklahoma until he went to graduate school at Northwestern in Chicago, after which he created Dick Tracy. Another interesting bit about Pawnee, which I know from my family history: When Edna Ferber was doing research for her novel, "Cimarron," about the Oklahoma land run, she rented a room in Pawnee from my mother's aunt. I was told this by that aunt's daughter (my 2nd? cousin), whom coincidentally I rented a room from when I was attending graduate school at Northwestern. Small world.
That's so cool. I grew up watching the 'Dick Tracy' cartoons on tv. When the movie came out, I bought 'Dick Tracy' memorabilia, including a massive coffee mug shaped as Dick's head, a coat and a fedora.
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Post by kijii on Oct 12, 2019 14:25:44 GMT
I remember Dick Tracy since childhood. He had a large variety of villins he was after all the time: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dick_Tracy_characters. Who was Gravel Gurdy and BO Plenty? What's funny is that us kid didn't get the humor--double meaning-from the name BO Penty. Then there was Sparkle Penty He is famous for his two-way wrist radio that he could use while out in his police car. There was also one box of the comic strip--I especially remember the colored Sunday funnies--that was devoted to crime stopping tips about crime prevention. |
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Post by teleadm on Oct 13, 2019 0:38:34 GMT
... and I sometimes hesitate to write a new thread on this forum. You are the heart and soul of this forum, petrolino |
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