The comic strip, created by Chester Gould, appeared daily in The Dayton Herald and The Sunday Journal Herald for many years.
His popularity grew, and by 1937, Republic Pictures brought the character to television.
Dayton native Ralph Byrd was chosen from hundreds of applicants considered for the role of the ace detective.
For this edition of Vintage Dayton, we went into the archives for the story of Byrd, who brought Dick Tracy to life on the screen. Click below for the full story.
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More on local actor history
• Before actress Allison Janney was a star, she was an aspiring figure skater from Oakwood
• Southwest Ohio’s first movie stars: The Gish sisters, silent film idols in Hollywood’s infancy
• ‘I find all my own parts’: How Rob Lowe’s path to stardom started with a Wright State play at age 12
• Before Woody Harrelson became a star, he was the Lebanon HS ‘class flirt’
Did you know?
Here are a few interesting Dayton history facts we’ve learned from our stories:
• The Waco Aircraft Company in Troy was the first aircraft company to use assembly line production and shock strut landing gear.
• The Town & County Shopping Center attracted shoppers from surrounding areas decades before construction of the Dayton Mall, The Mall at Fairfield Commons, The Greene and Austin Landing.
• Edmund Earl Emerick III was convicted of murder in the March 1994 slayings of Robert Knapke and Frank Ferraro at Sloopy’s Bar in the Oregon District.
We want your help!
Do you have any requests or ideas that you would like to see us cover in this history newsletter?
What about cool old photos or stories of your own?
Let us know and we’ll include them in future newsletters.
A reader from Bellbrook recently reached out to us for more information about the city’s history.
• Click here for our story: Almost ‘Opdykeville’? 5 things to know about Bellbrook history
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Thank you for reading.
