Shoulders

First appearance: January 14th, 1946

Shoulders (probable alias, real name unrevealed) was "fixer" in Dick Tracy's city. He liased between various criminal operations as well as some corrupt city officials. He was successful, broad-shouldered, and was generally handsome except for a misshapen left ear. He had a girlfriend called Honey Doll, who flattered him frequently.

Early Encounter with Tracy

Shoulders first attracted the attention of Dick Tracy after Tracy caught one of Shoulders henchmen, Roach, attempting to pick his pocket. Roach was working a scheme that Shoulders had devised, whereing Roach's young daughter, a girl called Themesong, would sing on a street corner and attract a crowd. Roach would then pick the peoples' pockets while they were distracted.

Shoulders arranged to bail out Roach and Themesong, which prompted Tracy to believe that they were part of a larger criminal organization. Tracy determined to eliminate the crime and corruption, which made Shoulders nervous. He attempted to sever ties with Roach and Themesong. When Themesong arrived at his apartment, Shoulders became furious, beliveing that the girl had led the police to him. He threw a lamp at Themesong, which prompted Roach to come to his daughter's defense. Shoulders shot Roach, killing him, and fled.

Themesong had witnessed the ordeal, but refused to talk to the police. She feared for her own safety, as well as

that of her sickly mother. She had also been instilled with the criminal code against "squealing". Through some clever trickery, Tracy was able to appeal to Themesong's conscience. Before she could make an official statement, Shoulders tracked down Themesong and shot her.

Shoulders then abandoned Honey Doll and made his way to a local airfield. He stole a small airplane at gunpoint and attempted to make his escape. The plane, seemingly out of control, crashed into a gasoline storage tank and burst into flames. Shoulders was belived to have been killed in the explosion. Themesong eventually recovered, and she and Honey Doll provided enough information for the police to begin dismantling Shoulders' organization.

The Return of Shoulders

Shoulders, however, had tricked the authorities. He had not been in the plane when it crashed. Rather, he had set the controls and then leapt out of the plane just before it took off, faking his death.

Shoulders reappeared at the end of the following year. He was now operating a jewel smuggling ring living in a suburb with a widowed woman and her young daughter. The girl was enamored of her new "Daddy", even though Shoulders showed her no affection.

Shoulders was posing a brush salesman, using that as a cover for his daily travels wherein he would collect and distibute stolen jewels and payments. By chance, Tracy encountered evidence of Shoulders' activities, and the detective eventually tracked down Shoulders' new home. Shoulders' family was shocked to learn that he was a wanted man.

Shoulders went on the run, and following a series of betrayals by his cohorts, found himself shot and bleeding to death. He hid in an antique store run by the spinster Miss Varnish. Shoulders convinced Miss Varnish to let him stay in her spare room in exchange for a weekly rent payment and some odd jobs while he recovered. Shoulders disposed of his car and the other evidence of his crimes, excpet for a small stash of money and jewels (as well as a gun) that he hid in an antique pot that hung from a rafter in Miss Varnish's store. Shoulders expressed genuine happiness at his new situation.

Tracy continued his manhunt and was able to track Shoulders to his new hideout. Tracy revealed to Miss Varnish the nature of tenant's history, and she agreed to aid the police. Shoulders learned that the police were closing on him and he prepared to flee. He attempted to retrieve his hidden stash, but Tracy surprised him and knocked the ladder that Shoulders was standing on out from under him. Shoulders, hanging from the ceiling, struggled to grab his gun out of the antique pot. He was finally able to, but he grabbed it awkwardly and the gun went off, shooting Shoulders through the head. He fell to the floor, dead.

Appearances in Other Media

Archie's TV Funnies

In the 1971 animated series "Archie's TV Funnies", Shoulders was depicted as a criminal who kidnapped Tess Tracy and Mrs Van Hoosen. He tried to kill them both, but knocked unconscious by a falling ceiling.\

Movie Continuity

Shoulders was a character in the 1990 "Dick Tracy" feature film. He was played by actor Stig Eldred. Shoulders was a member of Lips Manlis' gang who, along with 4 others, was killed at the Seventh Street garage by Flattop and Itchy.

In the comic-book tie-in, Shoulders was shown to be a low-level thug, mostly functioning as a bruiser and enforcer who worked closely with Rhodent.

Notes

Shoulder's facial features were apparently inspired by the actor Victor Mature, although Mature had dark hair.
Shoulders was one of the very few characters in the strip to be revived by Chester Gould after their apparent death (see also Jean Penfield and Mumbles).
In the late 1990s, a false rumor briefly circulated that rock star David Bowie had played Shoulders in the 1990 film as a cameo.
The action figure from Playmates Toys gave Shoulders' real name as Frank Foley, but this name does not appear anywhere else.

Known Relatives

Unnamed wife
Unnamed step-daughter