At the behest of a foreign power, three ambassadors scheduled to attend a secret NATO conference are kidnapped by the evil Mr. Memory (Victor Buono). With no clues as to who is responsible, Chief Patton (Ken Mayor) assigns the case to his best detective, Dick Tracy (Ray MacDonnell). Tracy relies on his team, Lizz (Jan Shutan) and Sam Catchem (Monroe Arnold) to help him find the missing ambassadors.
When an ambulance used in the kidnappings is found it leads Tracy to the Alexander Rest Home and Dr. Alexander (Vinton Hayworth). Alexander claims his ambulance was stolen but his nervousness is noticed by Tracy. When Alexander tells Mr. Memory about Tracy’s visit, the diabolical criminal has him eliminated.
Mr. Memory sets a trap for Tracy, but he manages to escape it. Now knowing who is responsible for the kidnappings, Tracy and his team zero in on Memory and his minions.
“Dick Tracy” was released in 1967 and was directed by Larry Peerce. It is a half hour live action-adventure program based on the comic book character Dick Tracy by Chester Gould. The episode entitled “The Plot to Kill NATO” was a pilot for the series that was never picked up.
The pilot was produced by William Dozier, the man responsible for the live action “Batman” television series starring Adam West. Had the series been picked up it would have been the second series based on the detective. The first was in 1950 and starred Ralph Byrd.
The format of the show is reminiscent of that used for “Batman” but without the “Oofs”, “Pows” and “Whams” that peppered the fight scenes of the dynamic duo. It still had some minor camp, but it was far more subdued. For the most part the episode is played straight except for Buono’s over acting.
The expectation that the series would be sold is obvious in that two regular characters, Davey Davison as Tess Truehart Tracy, and Eve Plumb as Bonnie Braids, were cast and show in the credits even though they are not in the pilot.
The producers even hired Lon Chaney Jr. as a character named “Prune Face” for one of the unmade episodes. Chaney even had some makeup tests done for the role.