17h 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

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31 comments

Yep, it's super weird. No one gives a shit about Dick Tracy anymore. And I even liked the Dick Tracy movie. Also, even if they did, no one is going to want to see an 87-year-old Dick Tracy.
- no one is going to want to see an 87-year-old Dick Tracy
  I think he knows that as well as anybody. That's why it's so delightfully stupid and petty.
  
  I wouldn't be so sure he does. There's a good reason a lot of people suspect Carly Simon's You're So Vain was written about him.
  
  It's beyond suspicion now. In 2015, Carly Simon said the second verse is about him. But to your point of his vanity:
  Simon tells People, “I have confirmed that the second verse is Warren,” adding, “Warren thinks the whole thing is about him!”
  
  I hadn't read that before. That's great, I love it!
  
  That song was clearly written about Jack Donaghy.
  
  Lemon!
  
  He wrote the song according to his video recorded for his yet-unborn child.
  
  Riiiight!
  So probably still about Beatty then.
  
  common misconception, actually that song is about me
- What's been fun is buying my first smartwatch, Samsung, and calling my wife from my watch and talking to he like Dick Tracy.
  
  I felt the same way when I got a smartwatch! And then I thought, "my god I'm old."
- This feels like someone he hates wants to make money on Dick Tracy and Beatty is doing what he can to prevent that.
  
  Considering he has a reputation of being an extremely petty person, that wouldn't shock me. But it also wouldn't shock me if he thought everyone loved Dick Tracy because he's Warren Beatty and what Warren Beatty loves, everyone loves. It's just that those bastard producers just don't get it that every kid in America is glued to their newspaper every morning reading the adventures of Dick Tracy.
- You’d think Disney would make it into a Broadway musical like they have with every other Disney property.
  
  Even Disney knows no one gives a shit about Dick Tracy.

31 comments