| Dianne Yollman | |
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First Appearance: |
April 23rd, 1942 |
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Known Relatives: |
Yollman, Husband |
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Created By: |
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Can Be Found: |
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Dianne was an actress and the wife of Yollman, a successful actor. She was a slender woman with light-colored hair.
Van Dyke's Revenge
Before marrying Yollman, she had been engaged to Clarke Van Dyke, who later became Yollman’s understudy. The two men looked very similar, the only difference being Van Dyke’s dark hair to Yollman’s blond.
Van Dyke devised a scheme of kidnapping Yollman and holding him captive under hypnosis (with the aid of Matri), intending to take over Yollman’s role and win back Dianne’s affections. Dianne became troubled by Yollman’s disappearance and asked Van Dyke to enlist Dick Tracy to find her missing husband. When Matri was killed in a car accident, he had Yollman’s cigarette case on his person. Dianne was called upon to identify the body, but she claimed not to know him.
Dianne then went to Van Dyke’s apartment, where Yollman was still mesmerized. Van Dyke was panicking over Matri’s absence, and Dianne told him that Matri was dead. Dianne and Van Dyke seemed to be in love and Dianne told Van Dyke that Yollman would have to be disposed of. Van Dyke sent Dianne away, unaware that Yollman had revived and overheard their plot. Yollman took Van Dyke to the theater (at gunpoint) and mocked his rival. Tracy had observed Dianne coming and going from Van Dyke’s apartment, and had her held for further questioning.
Yollman’s torment of Van Dyke went on for several hours until Van Dyke was injured in an accident. Yollman believed Van Dyke had been killed and he fled. Dianne was rushed to Van Dyke’s side, where they both expressed regret for how they had treated Yollman. She claimed to love her husband and that she only wanted him back.
Yollman went into hiding, believing himself to be a wanted man. He was eventually identified after suffering a serious injury, and he and Dianne reconciled in a hospital. Van Dyke agreed to step aside.