Dick Tracy's foe for this serial is the crime boss and Masked Mystery Villain The Spider/The Lame One and his Spider Ring. In the process of various crimes, including using his Flying wing and sound weapon to destroy the Bay Bridge in San Francisco and stealing an experimental "Speed Plane", the Spider captures Dick Tracy's brother, Gordon. The Spider's minion, Dr. Moloch, performs a brain operation on Gordon Tracy to turn him evil, making him secretly part of the Spider Ring and so turning brother against brother.
Practical Effects
Flying wing destroying Bay Bridge—1937 miniature work slaps.
Costume
The Spider's full-face mask: villain fashion icon before it was cool.
Director
Alan James
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Ralph Byrd played Tracy in four separate serials from 1937-1947, becoming synonymous with the character decades before Warren Beatty's 1990 version.
The 'sound weapon' destroying infrastructure reflected 1930s anxieties about technological warfare before radar was even public knowledge.
US
