History WesternAnimation / TheDickTracyShow

* CoolCat: At the end of "Mardi Gras Grab," Joe Jitsu turns into a light brown one and plays the saxophone.

** An early 1960s commercial for Soaky, a bubble bath in containers resembling popular cartoon stars, features Tracy and Muskie Muskrat from ''WesternAnimation/TheDeputyDawgShow''. The spot was animated at Terrytoons and featured the voices of Everett Sloane (Tracy) and Dayton Allen (Muskie).

* DistractedByTheSexy: At the end of the episode "Hawaiian Guy," Joe Jitsu radios to Tracy that the case is wrapped up but is now distracted by a "moving bush." He has his eyes on a hula girl in a grass skirt.

* EarlyBirdCameo: Go-Go Gomez appeared in a ''WesternAnimation/MrMagoo'' cartoon prior to this series.

* KarloffCopy: Pruneface speaks with an impression of Creator/BorisKarloff, albeit in a gruffer cadence.

* Joe Jitsu, an Asian kung-fu master/detective.

** Likewise in "The Wedding Ring Ring," Joe is distracted by what sounds like a rather provocative feature in the nickelodeon he's viewing.

* {{Expy}}: Go-Go Gomez is basically a human [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Speedy Gonzales]].

* CounterfeitCash: In "Champ Chumps," Joe Jitsu is out to break up a counterfeit money ring from Stooge and Mumbles, when Joe knocks on the door asking for change for a $10 bill, he gets back a $7 bill and a $3 bill.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* CourtroomAntic: "Court Jester" had Stooge Viller and Mumbles on trial for forgery, only Stooge has taken it on the lam. The prosecution can't get Mumbles to admit they're guilty because [[ChewbaccaDefense nobody can understand his mumbling without Stooge there to decipher it.]]

* UpToEleven: In "Racer Chaser," Joe Jitsu is pursuing Stooge Viller and Mumbles, who have stolen a race car. To catch up with them, Joe extends his car's speedometer by writing the range "150" to "500" below it, enabling him to go that fast.
** "The Banana Peel Deal" has Hemlock Holmes manipulating a conveyor belt control panel that reads "Fast," "Faster," and "Yowie!" to capture the Brow and Oodles.
** "Lie Detector" has Hemlock using said machine on Stooge and Mumbles. When a blatant lie is told, [[ReadingsBlewUpTheScale the machine's needle breaks off at "Whopper,"]] then the detector bonks them on the head and washes their mouths out with soap.

* BlindingBangs: Oodles. We do see his eyes as they enlarge in shock (episode "Alligator Baggers") when the Brow tells him he has to wrestle an alligator (this after Oodles claims he can beat anybody or anything).

''The Dick Tracy Show'' is an American animated TV series based on [[ComicStrip/DickTracy Chester Gould's comic strip crime fighter.]] The series was produced by UPA for UsefulNotes/{{syndication}} in the 1961/62 season and was fared out to three studios (Jack Kinney, Larry Harmon and Grantray-Lawrence) as UPA had closed down its animation unit. The series consisted of 130 five-minute episodes, and each station used its own on-camera presenter, usually dressed in a police uniform.

''The Dick Tracy Show'' is an American animated TV series based on [[ComicStrip/DickTracy Chester Gould's comic strip crime fighter.]] The series was produced by UPA for UsefulNotes/{{syndication}} in the 1961/62 season. The series consisted of 130 five-minute episodes, and each station used its own on-camera presenter, usually dressed in a police uniform.

* Hemlock Homes, a British-accented bulldog who was accompanied by the Retouchables, a group similar to the Keystone Kops.

* BookEnds: Hemlock Homes was the police officer in the first episode ("Red Hot Riding Hoods") and the last ("The Chinese Cookie Caper").

* BullyBulldog: Averted with Hemlock Homes.

* CountingToPotato: "Rocket and Roll" had Stooge and Mumbles about to launch Hemlock Homes and the Retouchables in a rocket to the moon. When Joe Jitsu gets the drop on them, Stooge starts counting down fast, causing the rocket to creep upwards. Joe counters by counting back up fast, causing the rocket to descend back.

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Hemlock Homes may be a bumbler, but he's never cowered to the criminals he goes after.

* DogStereotype: Hemlock Homes is an English Bulldog with an English accent.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Heap O'Calory was a caricature of actor Creator/AndyDevine. Hemlock Homes' voice was a cheap imitation of Creator/CaryGrant.
** Homes' voice is virtually lampshaded in the debut episode "Red Hot Riding Hoods," which has him answering a phone call from someone that B.B. Eyes (fooling Holmes with a booby-trapped phone booth) says is named Judy. Holmes replies vibrantly, "Judy, Judy, Judy!"

** In just about every episode with Hemlock Homes, the villains shoot a hole and deflate Hemlock's police hat.

* OneLinerNameOneLiner: From "The Retouchables," after Hemlock Homes, who busted a gut rescuing them from Stooge Viller and Mumbles, finds them waiting in the police car:

** Hemlock Homes' British dialect could also qualify.

* SoapPunishment: Hemlock Homes uses a LieDetector (episode of the same name) on Stooge Viller and Mumbles. When a total whopper is told, the machine uses a bar of soap and washes out the culprit's mouth with it.
* TalkingAnimal: The carrier pigeon in "The Pigeon Coup" and Hemlock Homes the Bulldog.

* TokenNonHuman: Hemlock Homes is the only animal officer Tracy calls for.

** "The Banana Peel Deal" has Hemlock Homes manipulating a conveyor belt control panel that reads "Fast," "Faster," and "Yowie!" to capture the Brow and Oodles.

* YankTheDogsChain: Figuratively and almost literally in "Funny Money." Hemlock Homes and the Retouchables chase Stooge Viller and Mumbles, who have a case of stolen theater box office receipts. At the end of the cartoon, Tracy tells Hemlock that the stolen money was actually [[StageMoney stage money]]. Cue Hemlock collapsing in a dead faint.

-->'''B.B. Eyes:''' We're being tailed or my name isn't B.B. Eyes!

* ActorAllusion: In ''The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo'' installment "Dick Tracy and the Mob," Tracy observes a rap sheet and photo of mob head Squinty Eyes, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Magoo. The notes on him include that he sounds like Jim Backus (who voiced Magoo and Squinty Eyes).

* SecretKeeper: At the conclusion of the crossover with ''Mr. Magoo,'' Magoo wants to tell the press how great of an actor he was impersonating mob boss Squinty Eyes and the harrowing experience he went through, but Tracy advises against it. If the mob (who escaped) found out that an actor impersonated their boss, Magoo's life wouldn't be worth a lead nickel. The mob assumed he was dead anyway following them tying him up with a time bomb in the room.

* SecretKeeper: At the conclusion of the crossover with ''Mr. Magoo,'' Magoo wants to show how great of an actor he was impersonating mob boss Squinty Eyes and the harrowing experience he went through, but Tracy advises against it. If the mob (who escaped) found out that an actor impersonated their boss, Magoo's life wouldn't be worth a lead nickel. The mob assumed he was dead anyway following them tying him up with a time bomb in the room.

* ActorAllusion: In ''The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo'' installment "Dick Tracy and the Mob," Tracy observes a rap sheet and photo of mob head Squinty Eyes, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Magoo. The notes on him I clude that he sounds like Jim Backus (who voiced Magoo and Squinty Eyes).

* ThoseTwoBadGuys: In many of the episodes, villains would be paired up for their crimes: B.B. Eyes with Flattop, Stooge Viller with Mumbles, Pruneface with Itchy, the Brow with Oodles, and Sketch Paree with the Mole.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: After wrapping up the crime in "Hawaiian Guy," Joe Jitsu reports to Tracy that he's being distracted by a "moving bush." Cut to a close-up of a [[DistractedByTheSexy female hula dancer's grass skirt-clad nether region]] before pulling back to show her whole self.

Despite the show's title, Dick Tracy usually appeared at the beginning of the cartoon to assign the case, then only twice more in each animated segment. Once would be in the middle of the action, when the good guy would shout, "Hold everything!" At that point all the action would freeze, and the hero would call Tracy on his two-way wrist radio to fill Tracy in on how things were progressing. The action would resume when Tracy radioed back, "Six-two and even...Over and out!" The last time Tracy would be seen was at the end, to praise his men for their good work. On rare occasions Tracy showed up on screen during the story to get involved.

* CigarChomper: B.B. Eyes, the Brow and Cheater Gunsmoke are all seen with a stogie. Stooge Viller and Sketch Paree each have a cigarette in a cigarette holder.

The series was revamped and re-syndicated in 1990 to take advantage of the publicity surrounding Warren Beatty's big screen version of the character. The Joe Jitsu and Go-Go Gomez cartoons were initially rebroadcast as part of the package, although they were soon pulled and only Heap O'Calory and Hemlock Homes cartoons remained. Tracy would appear in animation again in 1971 as a segment of Filmation's ''WesternAnimation/ArchiesTVFunnies.''

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Tracy looked nothing like Chester Gould's figure in the first episode "Red Hot Riding Hoods," which may be attributed to Ray Patterson's direction of the episode. Ensuing episodes had Tracy looking like the comic strip Tracy.