Skip to content
HOLLYWOOD METRICS
HomeAboutCraftNewsAnalyticsScriptsBooksPricingAPIMCP
Catalog/Action/Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome poster
B
Strong
MASTER SCORE 59.1 / 100
1947·Action / Crime / Drama·1h 5m

DICK TRACY MEETS GRUESOME

“KARLOFF PETRIFIES THEM!”

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.

Above the Line
John Rawlins·DirectorRobertson White·ScreenplayEric Taylor·ScreenplayFrank Redman·Director of PhotographyPaul Sawtell·Original Music ComposerElmo Williams·Editor
Cast
Boris Karloff·GruesomeRalph Byrd·Dick TracyAnne Gwynne·Tess TrueheartEdward Ashley·Dr. L.E. ThalJune Clayworth·Dr. I.M. "Irma" LearnedLyle Latell·Pat PattonTony Barrett·MelodySkelton Knaggs·X-RayJames Nolan·Dan SterneJoseph Crehan·Chief Brandon
Full Crew
(19 credits)
Directing· 2
John Rawlins·DirectorJames Lane·Assistant Director
Writing· 5
Robertson White·ScreenplayRobert E. Kent·StoryEric Taylor·ScreenplayWilliam Graffis·StoryChester Gould·Characters
Camera· 1
Frank Redman·Director of Photography
Editing· 1
Elmo Williams·Editor
Sound & Music· 3
Paul Sawtell·Original Music ComposerTerry Kellum·SoundJean L. Speak·Sound
Art & Design· 5
Albert S. D'Agostino·Art DirectionWalter E. Keller·Art DirectionJames Altwies·Set DecorationDarrell Silvera·Set DecorationGordon Bau·Makeup Supervisor
Production· 1
Herman Schlom·Producer
Other Departments· 1
Russell A. Cully·Special Effects
By the Numbers
59.1
OF 100
Master Score
6.1
OF 10
IMDb
—
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
—
Worldwide Gross
0
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

Find on TMDB
Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#FFFFFF
#006400
#8B0000
Mood
Tense, Ominous
Composition
Centered
Era
1940s
Visual Style
Illustrated

“The movie poster features a man in a dark suit and red tie, his hands raised with fingers splayed, set against a green and yellow background. Below him, the tit”

horrorcrime
Key Elements
ManSuitTieMovie Title
Atmosphere
Gritty
Color Mood
Mixed
Setting
Abstract
Design Score
7/10
More Like This

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Neighboring films in the catalog's similarity graph.

Keep Going

THREE WAYS DEEPER

Auteur
AUT
MORE BY JOHN RAWLINS

Every catalog entry where John Rawlins is credited as director.

Open
Family
GEN
MORE ACTION

Top-ranked films inside action, sorted by master score.

Open
Era
DEC
MORE FROM THE 1940S

The best films of the 1940s, ranked across every available metric.

Open
View on IMDbView on TMDBCatalog
HOLLYWOOD METRICS

The definitive mathematical oracle for cinematic success and creative script intelligence.

74,000+ Films100 Years1.1M+ Reviews
PRODUCT
  • Dashboard
  • Pricing
  • Script Analysis
  • Watch the Demo
  • The Red List
  • News
  • Analytics
  • API
  • MCP Connector
COMPANY
  • About
  • Track Record
  • Trust & Script Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
CONNECT
  • ▶YouTube
  • ◉Instagram
  • ♪TikTok
  • @Threads
  • fFacebook
Get Started Free →
© 2026 Hollywood Metrics. All rights reserved.Powered by bespoke agents and autonomous agentic workflows