Way back in 1990, when I was still a kid, and when the live-action Dick Tracy was hitting theaters, one of my local TV stations decided to get into the act by re-running The Dick Tracy Show. I thought "Oh cool! Now I can see Dick Tracy animated!" I started watching an episode, and sure enough, there ol' Dick was there, but he was delegating all of the crime-fighting to his deputies, a badly-drawn rabble of ethnic stereotypes. It would seem the people at UPA had pulled "bait & switch" trick on the kids since this show first aired in 1961. I don't know for sure, but I suspect that the animators found that Dick Tracy himself too difficult (or too expensive) to animate using their particular limited-animation style. So, Tracy's relegated to the show's opening, which can be reused for each episode, the remainder of the show is devoted to Tracy's staff, all with far more simplified character designs.
And to top it off, I don't even remember seeing any of the original Chester Gould villains in any of the episodes I saw.
And to top it off, I don't even remember seeing any of the original Chester Gould villains in any of the episodes I saw.