Today I Learned @lemmy.world wjrii @lemmy.world 3w 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

32 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.
I doubt anyone under 30 even knows who Dick Tracy is, but okay. You do you, Beatty.
- That's not true, I'm sure many of us over 30 have never heard of him either
- Why is 30 the cutoff? I'm in my 30s and haven't even heard of anyone referencing this character.
  
  There was a pretty popular Dick Tracy movie in 1990, so he was fairly relevant in the early '90s. I figured those 30 and older may remember. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Yeah, cause he kept the rights all to himself and squandered the character's popularity.
Which is shitty of him. He never made a sequel and at his age it’s not gonna happen. Should have sold the rights post Sin City and someone could have made a cool movie out of it
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.
- 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.
TIL: Warren Beatty is still alive.
He also pays for Dick Tracy comic books to be produced every one in a while for the same reason.
I just heard this on the Free With Ads podcast lol

32 comments