Dick Tracy Special: Tracy Zooms In (2023)
No one is surprised when Adult Swim drops half an hour of alternative-comedy art into its late-night lineup — Too Many Cooks begat many a bizarre follow-up. But when Turner Classic Movies teams up with Oscar-winner Warren Beatty, playing an elderly version of Dick Tracy from his 1990 comic book movie, that’s a different story.
In 2010, Beatty did exactly that with the help of movie critic Leonard Maltin, who, God bless him, interviewed Beatty in character in a “movie” that aired exactly once on TCM. The ephemeral special naturally surfaced on YouTube years later and became an instant cult favorite, thanks in large part to the interview being weird as hell. Due to whatever requirements demanded the special be filmed in the first place, Beatty — again, in character as Dick Tracy — leads Maltin through wandering thoughts about crime-fighting and his work on the Beatty film adaptation “of his life.” For many hoping there might be new life to be found in a Dick Tracy film franchise, this is all Beatty had to offer.
But wouldn’t you know… he’s back. Doing... another interview...
Out of nowhere, TCM aired Dick Tracy Special: Tracy Zooms In, another half hour that I would say, having bore witness to the spectacle, is even weirder than the first go-round. In the special, current TCM host Ben Mankiewicz rings Maltin for help when he learns that Dick Tracy is once again asking for an interview.
“Leonard, Dick Tracy has scheduled a Zoom call with me and it’s coming up in a minute!” Mankiewicz exclaims in rightful fear. “I have no idea if he’s trying to be serious or funny!”
Having watched it, I’m not quite sure either — but the TCM crew knows how to play ball.
If you have ever wanted to watch an 85-year-old man bicker and make amends with himself, while one version of him wears a big yellow coat, the day has arrived.