Dick Tracy’s Dilemma 1947

A ruthless killer called “the Claw” stalks a fur warehouse heist, setting off a tense chess game between a shrewd insurance investigator, a seasoned detective, and a web of shady accomplices. The Claw, a figure famed for dispatching victims with a prosthetic hook, strikes at Flawless Furs when his partners Ryan and Taylor break in and gun down a guard. At the crime scene, Detective Dick Tracy, Ralph Byrd, arrives alongside the fur company’s owner, Humphries, and the insurance representative, Peter Premium, William B. Davidson, while Mr. Cudd, Al Bridge, quietly notes the stakes. The insurance firm faces a 24-hour deadline to recover the stolen furs or pay out, a pressure that threads through every move after the body is hauled to the morgue.

In the wake of the body, Tracy and Patton, his capable assistant, search for clues and uncover a cryptic note: three men orchestrated the hit, and a truck bearing the name “Daisy” was used. The lead evaporates as the robbers disguise the truck and vanish into the urban maze. The trail shifts to a junkyard hideout, where the robbers make a call to their boss from a nearby bar. An unlikely informant—Sightless, a blind beggar who can’t resist eavesdropping—overhears the conversation, but a narrow brush with The Claw nearly costs him his life as he slips away.

Sightless heads straight to detective Tracy, but Vitamin Flintheart, Ian Keith, blocks his entry with a mix of skepticism and bravado. After a quick listen to the message, Vitamin manages to relay it to Tracy, who, with Patton, tracks their suspect to Longshot Lillie, Bernadene Hayes, the fence who is questioned but cannot identify the trio. In a brutal counterstrike, The Claw discovers Sightless’ apartment and murders the blind man with his lethal hook; Tracy and Patton arrive just in time for a chase that leaves The Claw wounded but not captured.

The killer’s next move is clever but perilous: he tries to make a call from Sightless’ phone, leaving Tracy with a telltale dial pattern—the first digits scratched into the device. Tracy heads to the insurance office to level charges, while Patton returns with evidence that points back to Humphries. The owner’s plan emerges clearly: sell the stolen furs back to the insurer after the 24-hour grace period and collect the penalty money. Humphries places a call to the bar to arrange a meeting with a payoff of $50,000, but Tracy’s instincts tighten the noose around him.

As the plot thickens, Vitamin—moved by guilt for sending Sightless to danger—adopts a bold ruse, masquerading as a blind beggar to slip into the bar and root out the truth. Meanwhile, Sam, played by Tony Barrett, and Fred, Tom Keene, seize a chance to seize the money for themselves, only to be cut down by The Claw in a cold, efficient spree. Their deaths are witnessed by Vitamin, who also overhears The Claw speaking with Humphries about the furs’ location.

The tension peaks as Tracy and Patton shadow Humphries while The Claw grows suspicious of the blind beggar’s act. A dramatic confrontation erupts at the bar, and the pursuit returns to the junkyard, where a life-or-death chase ends at a high-voltage generator. The Claw, clinging to his weapon, touches the charged wire and is killed by an electric shock, bringing the murderous spree to a shocking close.

Along the way, the investigation threads through a cast of supporting figures who shape the case: Mr. Cudd, Al Bridge, and the shrewd, calculating Humphries, Charles Marsh, as the orchestral pulse behind the criminal scheme. Tess Trueheart, Kay Christopher, remains a quiet anchor of loyalty within Tracy’s orbit, her presence reminding the detective of what he’s protecting as he pieces together motives, alibis, and the clock that ticks down to a fatal deadline.

In the end, the case resolves not merely as a clever caper but as a study in how a single criminal’s hubris can unravel a carefully laid plan. The Claw’s notoriety is sealed as his hook-tipped certainty meets a sudden, electric justice, and Tracy, with the steadiness of a seasoned investigator, closes the book on a case that twists through deception, bravado, and sacrifice.

• Ralph Byrd as Dick Tracy

• Jack Lambert as Steve “The Claw” Michel

• William B. Davidson as Peter Premium

• Al Bridge as Mr. Cudd

• Ian Keith as Vitamin Flintheart

• Bernadene Hayes as Longshot Lillie

• Jimmy Conlin as Sightless

• Charles Marsh as Mr. Humphries

• Kay Christopher as Tess Trueheart

• Tony Barrett as Sam

• Tom Keene as Fred

• Lyle Latell as Pat Patton