Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome

KARLOFF PETRIFIES THEM!

Directed by John Rawlins

Produced by RKO Radio Pictures

A mid-century crime thriller built on a clever sci-fi gimmick and the cat-and-mouse pursuit of a detective against a criminal gang, with Karloff's imposing presence lending menace to the proceedings.

A gang of criminals, which includes a piano player and an imposing former convict known as 'Gruesome', has found out about a scientist's secret formula for a gas that temporarily paralyzes anyone who breathes it. When Gruesome accidentally inhales some of the gas and passes out, the police think he is dead and take him to the morgue, where he later revives and escapes. This puzzling incident attracts the interest of Dick Tracy, and when the criminals later use the gas to rob a bank, Tracy realizes that he must devote his entire attention to stopping them.