Plot:
A night street corner, Dorothy Stafford is walking home when someone grabs her. Later, her body is found.
The police decide they need Dick Tracy on the case. The long suffering Tess Trueheart is waiting for him to take her to dinner. In an interrogation room, Dick
is grilling a guy about a robbery.
On the scene, Dick questions the woman who found the body.
Back at the police station, Dick is looking through Stafford’s purse. She had some money and a note demanding $500 or would be killed by Split Face. Tess
wakes up after waiting for Dick to get back.
Swirling newspaper montage ensues.
In the morning, Dick checks with Jr. who is investigating prowlers in the kitchen. Fingerprint test prove Dick and Tess raided the icebox. Dick and his
partner, Pat, head off to meet with the Chief and Mayor.
In the Mayor’s office, he shows Dick a note he got demanding $10,000 or else and its signed Split Face. The Mayor is terrified that Split Face will get him.
Dick and Pat are able to find one connection from Dorothy Stafford to a Wilbur Thomas. Arriving at the guy’s house, they discover his slashed body. Suspecting
that Split Face is nearby, the chase is on. Dick thinks he is hiding in a house. Checking the backyard, Pat discovered some bloodstains. Dick talks with the house
owner, Steve Owens, owner of the Paradise Club. Owens turns down Tracy’s offer of police protection.
Back at the Thomas crime scene, Dick inspects things.
Later, he calls Tess and is going to take her out for dinner. The Mayor wants action and is supposed to drop the money off tonight.
Dick suspects the victims will be killed whether they pay or not.
At Paradise Club, Dick and Tess arrive. He asks about Steve when Owens’s daughter greets him. Mentioning a suspicious guy in the garden, Dick offers
to check it out. Tess goes with him.
Split Face spies on them. Dick and Tess search the house when the power cuts out. Dick heads to the basement to check the fuse box. Tess stays alone
in the dark house unaware of Split Face sneaking up on her. The lights suddenly flare on. Dick chases after Split Face. Hot pursuit,
huhhhh-coooo-cooooo-coooo. Sorry, the inner Roscoe P. Coltrane must be unleashed every so often.
Split Face ditches the car and runs into a building.
Dick searches and winds up on the roof and meets Professor Starling, an astrologist. Searching the good professor’s room, Starling uses his crystal ball
and foretells that 14 men and women who are rich and poor will die. No, it will be 15 victims. The cops bust in. Dick finds a knife and takes Starling to the station.
Dick has Tess if she recognizes Starling who seems to hypnotize her. The cops will check the knife to see if it’s the murder weapon. Split Face is
watching all of this from the shadows.
Dick wonders if the scar could be a makeup job. He and Tess head back to the Paradise Club. He wants her to see Steve Owens. Judith is sure her
father is gone and sometimes vanishes to gamble. She is too scared to go home. Dick offers to let her stay at his place. Tess volunteers to stay, too. A
guy named Dick and 2 chicks…
Tess has been going through the mug books. Apparently, no one can find any pictures of Steve Owens. Apparently several knives like the murder
weapon have been sold to an undertaker.
Pat and Dick arrive at the Deathridge Mortuary. Apparently, the guy’s scalpels vanished without him noticing them.
Later, Dick questions Starling and finds there is a connection between the astrologist and the undertaker. Later, Dick thinks having Deathridge meet
Starling will reveal something but let the good professor sweat it out first.
Tracy’s home, Judith is stewing because she doesn’t have any clothes, etc…
Dick goes to check out Pat who was to bring in Deathridge. At the mortuary, Tracy finds a dead mortician. Skulking about, he finds Pat who was knocked out.
Dick learns that Starling was just released from the station and could have had enough time to whack Deathridge.
Starling heads back to his apartment and grabs a wad of hidden cash. Split Face is waiting for him. Starling wrote the letters to get some cash off the
people Split Face was going to kill anyways. The scarred crazy man has taken care of Deathridge already and will take care of Starling.
Dick arrives at the apartment building and finds the mortally wounded Starling who dies before revealing anything.
Meeting the chief, Tracy reveals that Starling was exhorting money from the people, and he knew Split Face. 14 people: men and women: rich and poor. 12
jurors and 2 alternates. The Mayor remembers being on a jury where the defendant slashed his girlfriend to death and swore vengeance on the jury. Split
Face’s real name is known: Alexis Banning.
Judith is about to leave Tracy’s house. Tess calls her man. Split Face sneaks in grabs Tess. He tells Tracy to call off the dogs or she’ll get it. Leaving
in the car, Jr. climbs on the back of the car to follow them.
Dick puts an APB on a car with 10 year old boy on the back.
The car stops. Split Face takes Tess to a warehouse. Jr. sneaks up on them. Hearing a noise, Split is able to capture Jr.
Tracy has followed a number of clues Jr. left behind. The detective thinks that Split Face is on the old docks.
Split Face hides the car.
At the docks, Tracy finds tire tracks which lead into a shed.
Split Face ties and gags Tess and Jr.
Dick and Pat are searching the warehouse. Tracy goes after Spit Face.
Let the bare knuckle brawl begin. Dick cleans Split Face’s clock.
Later, Tracy learns that Split is in jail and got the scar in a prison fight. He’s about to take Tess and Jr. out to eat. However, another case pops up. Long
suffering Tess at the end ensues.
