Title: Dick Tracy – Chapter 8: Battle in the Clouds Serial Title: Dick Tracy (1937, Republic Pictures, 15-part serial) Chapter: 8 of 15 Release Date: April 3, 1937 Directed by: Alan James & Ray Taylor Written by: George H. Plympton, Morgan Cox, Barry Shipman, Winston Miller Produced by: Henry MacRae Based on: Dick Tracy comic strip by Chester Gould Studio: Republic Pictures Runtime: Approx. 20 minutes Format: Black and White, Mono Sound Language: English Country: United States Genres: Action, Crime, Aviation, Serial Adventure --- Synopsis: Continuing directly from the cliffhanger of Chapter 7, Tracy and Junior are rescued seconds before the mine explosion by Gwen and McGurk, who arrive with a portable radio jammer that deactivates the Spider’s remote detonator. The team regroups and learns that the villain's next move involves the hijacking of a prototype military aircraft carrying experimental radar equipment. Meanwhile, The Spider’s agents, led by Karns, infiltrate the airfield disguised as ground crew. Their objective: replace the real pilot with X-3—Tracy’s own brother Gordon—still under the Spider’s mind control. Unaware of Gordon’s involvement, Tracy boards a secondary escort plane to ensure the safety of the radar prototype during its cross-country test flight. During the flight, Tracy grows suspicious when the lead aircraft deviates from its flight plan and begins broadcasting coded Morse signals. A daring mid-air battle ensues as Tracy uses a magnetic tether device to latch his plane onto the fuselage of the rogue aircraft. He climbs aboard mid-flight in one of the serial’s most dramatic stunts. Inside the stolen aircraft, Tracy confronts the masked pilot, only to discover it's his brother, Gordon. A tense struggle erupts as Tracy attempts to disable the auto-pilot system and regain control of the plane, while also trying not to harm Gordon, who begins showing flashes of confusion and memory. On the ground, Gwen intercepts a distress signal and coordinates an emergency landing route with military radio towers. The chapter ends in a high-altitude cliffhanger as Tracy and Gordon wrestle for control of the aircraft during a thunderstorm—with the aircraft spiraling toward a mountain range as lightning flashes all around. --- Main Cast: Ralph Byrd as Dick Tracy Kay Hughes as Gwen Andrews Lee Van Atta as Junior Carleton Young as Gordon Tracy / X-3 Smiley Burnette as Mike McGurk John Picorri as The Spider John Dilson as Dr. Moloch Jack Ingram as Karns Robert Kent as Federal Agent Norton --- Key Elements: First aerial combat scenes of the serial, filmed using a combination of stock footage, miniatures, and cockpit mockups. Tracy uses a grappling device and an oxygen mask to transition between aircraft at 10,000 feet—a stunt rarely attempted at the time in Republic productions. Introduction of the "Magnetron Radar Array," a fictional piece of military tech used as the MacGuffin for the latter half of the serial. Gwen and McGurk gain a stronger presence in this chapter, intercepting enemy code using a converted ham radio. Gordon (X-3) shows signs of memory return during turbulence, hinting at future redemption. Cliffhanger: The stolen aircraft descends rapidly in a lightning storm, its wing clipped by a radio tower as Tracy and Gordon fight in the cockpit. --- Trivia: One of the most expensive chapters to film, due to the use of full-scale mockup aircraft and complex rigging for mid-air sequences. The stunt of Tracy boarding the aircraft in flight was achieved with clever editing and rear projection, though promotional material claimed it was done "for real." A replica of the "Magnetron" appeared years later in another Republic serial, King of the Rocket Men (1949). Gordon’s brief hesitation during the cockpit fight was a last-minute addition to foreshadow his eventual internal struggle against the Spider’s control. Republic reused some of the cockpit footage for later aviation-themed serials and B-films. A promotional still of Tracy leaping between planes became a favorite image in 1940s serial advertising.