For nearly eight decades, Dick Tracy has fought an often bizarre assortment of mobsters, dope pushers and other vermin who inhabit the comic strip underworld originally created by cartoonist Chester Gould.

Although the strip's circulation isn't anywhere near its peak years of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, Tracy remains arguably America's most famous fictional detective.

Despite Tracy's lengthy run, only a few attempts have been made to bring him to the motion picture screen. Just three men — Ralph Byrd, Morgan Conway and Warren Beatty — have portrayed Tracy in the movies. Of the three, only Byrd hit the target because of the energy, enthusiasm and sincerity he brought to the role.

When Byrd is on the screen, his presence dominates the proceedings as evidenced by "Dick Tracy Returns" (VCI, 1938) recently released in a two-disc DVD edition. It is one of four 15-chapter Tracy serials starring Byrd that were produced by Republic Pictures.

In this one, Tracy and his G-Men attempt to track down Pa Stark and his five murderous sons, who are responsible for a vicious crime wave sweeping the country. Stark is played by Charles Middleton with the same kind of chilling evil he displayed in the role of Ming the Merciless in the Flash Gordon serials. The screen writers who created the Stark gang obviously were inspired by the real-life Ma Barker and her sons.

Tracy and Junior (Jerry Tucker), the only other character from the comic strip featured in the cliffhanger, face many a hair-raising peril before the exciting, fast-paced 15 chapters conclude. Max Allan Collins, who wrote the Tracy strip from 1977 to 1992, introduces the film and calls it "the Dick Traciest" of the four serials.

The print of "Dick Tracy Returns" is first-rate, which is amazing considering the film is 70 years old.

Also being released Tuesday by VCI is "Dick Tracy: RKO Classic Collection" (1945-47, $14.99), which includes four features. The first two — "Dick Tracy, Detective" and "Dick Tracy vs. Cueball" — star Morgan Conway, who had been in films since 1934. Conway's gruff personality didn't click with Tracy fans.

Someone at RKO wised up and brought in Byrd to star in the final two — "Dick Tracy's Dilemma" and "Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome." The latter co-stars Boris Karloff.

Byrd, who started his movie career in 1935, performed in dozens of B-budget pictures but was (and still is) forever associated with his role as Tracy. He also played the comic strip cop in a 33-episode "Dick Tracy" TV series (1950-52). Byrd was only 43 when he died of a heart attack in the summer of 1952.

VCI has more of Byrd as Tracy on the way. "Dick Tracy's G-Men" (1939) is set for a DVD release Tuesday and is another exciting, slickly done Republic cliffhanger. Tracy battles an international criminal known as Zarnoff who, among other things, finds a way to cheat death. It features one of the most unusual endings ever seen in a serial. When it comes to movie serials, the Tracys rank right up there at or near the top.

Expected to be released later this year is the final serial, "Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc." (1941).

Also now available from VCI is "Dick Tracy" (1937), Byrd's first outing in the role in which he faces a criminal known The Spider. To order the Tracys or the numerous other serials ("Tailspin Tommy," "The Phantom," etc.) offered by VCI, go to www.vcientertainment.com or call 800-331-4077.