13h ago

TIL that every so often, Warren Beatty does a cheap TV special where he's interviewed in character as Dick Tracy so he can retain the screen rights.

theinternetsaysitstrue.com Petty Revenge: Warren Beatty and Dick Tracy | The Internet Says it's True

In 2009 and again in 2023, Warren Beatty shows up on TV in the middle of the night on an obscure interview-style show. He's dressed as his 1990 Dick Tracy character and the appearances are just BIZARRE. That's because they have one sole purpose: to keep the Dick Tracy rights in Beatty's name. In thi...

I guess there was a huge legal fight that he eventually won through argument and opponent apathy, so as long as he doesn't let the character sit completely idle, he keeps the rights despite no longer giving a fuck either. It's utterly petty, and if I cared more about Dick Tracy I'd probably find it infuriating rather than hilarious.

2009

2023

31 comments

Wikipedia claims, according to the podcast episode here, the 2023 appearance was unnecessary because Dick Tracy becomes public domain in 2027. No idea how true that is, but if it is true, that adds an interesting wrinkle to the story.
- Partly true, but as we've seen from the Steamboat Willie thing, the specific aesthetics of the Beatty movie, and even elements like the two-way wrist radio (introduced 1946) or any villains who came along later than 1932 will still be protected for a while.
  
  Yeah and it ran until the 70s, so there will be a lot of legal land mines with using that character for quite awhile.
- I think he just has a weird "dress up like Dick Tracy" kink.
  
  If he loses the hat and his coat fades, he's a shoe in for Columbo.
  
  He has too many eyes.