Pruneface
Encyclopedia
Pruneface is a fictional character in the long-running comic strip
Dick Tracy
, drawn by cartoonist
Chester Gould.
derogatory term for "German"), is a brilliant industrial engineer with a horribly deformed face. He sells out to the Nazis
and is involved in espionage
against the United States
, as well as the development of nerve gas.
Pruneface's first appeared (and died) in 1942, having nearly frozen to death due to exposure during a shootout with the police. He would have been executed for espionage
, but the character was revived in 1983. The 1983 story explains that he had been used in an early cryogenics
experiment by Dr. Cyros Freezdrei, and is reanimated using modern medicine. Freezdrei uses Pruneface's revival as a publicity stunt, however, to advertise the services of his cryogenics institute to the wealthy and gullible, whom the doctor and Pruneface plan to bilk for millions which would go towards neo-Nazi groups. This storyline ends with the bombing of the institute, Freezdrei's apparent death, and Pruneface's disappearance, all at the hands of a Mossad
agent. A cryogenics tube containing the frozen body of Adolf Hitler can be seen in the background as fire destroys him and the institute. (From Page 272 of "Dick Tracy's Fiendish Foes - A 60th Anniversary Celebration" - 1991 St. Martins Press)
A later story arc
explains, mostly through an extended flashback, that prior to his first meeting with Tracy, Pruneface led an espionage ring for the Axis powers
to acquire a new secret formula for the deadly Xylon Bomb, a non-radioactive explosive capable of devastating ten city blocks. Xylon was developed by Professor Roloc Bard, a mad scientist
who was taken hostage by a fake swami
named Yogee Yammi during an earlier storyline of the 1940s. The ring consisted of Pruneface (hidden from the readers, going by Boche until halfway through the storyline) and his wife, Shakey Trembly, Flattop Jones and his gang, and Frieda Smith (the professor's love interest and a secret Bundist). Pruneface kidnaps Bard and forces him to build the bombs, all of which but one is seized by Tracy and F.B.I. agent Jim Trailer, hence the reason for the story being "suppressed" during the actual war. Returning to the present, de-classified documents on the Xylon case show that the case was still unsolved and that one final bomb was still out there as potent and deadly as ever. This leads Tracy, Wendy Wichell and FBI Agent Jim Trailer to finding the last bomb hidden 10 blocks away from the Oval Office
in an elderly Frieda Smith's basement. Right after she is arrested by Tracy and Jim Trailer, the bomb is defused. Her empty house soon after receives a telephone call from Pruneface to set the bomb off, causing him and Dr. Freezdrei to change their plans and go back into hiding. Freezdrei would eventually die in an explosion.
version which aired intermittently in the U.S. as a children's program, primarily in the 1960s. He was either voiced by Mel Blanc
or Paul Frees
, and was modeled after Boris Karloff
. His complexion is lavender
, lending him the color and wrinkled look of an actual prune
. He is nearly always partnered with Itchy Oliver.
He also made a brief appearance in the 1990 film adaptation of Dick Tracy, in which he is portrayed by R. G. Armstrong
. In this adaptation, he is an American mobster, operating in Tracy's city, who accepts Big Boy Caprice as his superior. He is eventually gunned down by The Blank.
In Kyle Baker's graphic novel
s that served as prequels to the movie, Pruneface's real name is given as Lorenzo Prunesti.
In the 1943 cartoon "Porky Pig's Feat
", Daffy Duck
confronts the manager of the Broken Arms Hotel, pretending to be intimidated by something he said. Daffy moves closer to his face so intensly that it is pushed inward, making it resemble a prune. Daffy, noticing this, says to the audience, "Hey, look! A Dick Tracy Character! Pruneface!"
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...
, drawn by cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
Chester Gould.
Fictional character biography
Pruneface, whose code name was "Boche" (FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
derogatory term for "German"), is a brilliant industrial engineer with a horribly deformed face. He sells out to the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
and is involved in espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
against the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, as well as the development of nerve gas.
Pruneface's first appeared (and died) in 1942, having nearly frozen to death due to exposure during a shootout with the police. He would have been executed for espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
, but the character was revived in 1983. The 1983 story explains that he had been used in an early cryogenics
Cryogenics
In physics, cryogenics is the study of the production of very low temperature and the behavior of materials at those temperatures. A person who studies elements under extremely cold temperature is called a cryogenicist. Rather than the relative temperature scales of Celsius and Fahrenheit,...
experiment by Dr. Cyros Freezdrei, and is reanimated using modern medicine. Freezdrei uses Pruneface's revival as a publicity stunt, however, to advertise the services of his cryogenics institute to the wealthy and gullible, whom the doctor and Pruneface plan to bilk for millions which would go towards neo-Nazi groups. This storyline ends with the bombing of the institute, Freezdrei's apparent death, and Pruneface's disappearance, all at the hands of a Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
agent. A cryogenics tube containing the frozen body of Adolf Hitler can be seen in the background as fire destroys him and the institute. (From Page 272 of "Dick Tracy's Fiendish Foes - A 60th Anniversary Celebration" - 1991 St. Martins Press)
A later story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
explains, mostly through an extended flashback, that prior to his first meeting with Tracy, Pruneface led an espionage ring for the Axis powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
to acquire a new secret formula for the deadly Xylon Bomb, a non-radioactive explosive capable of devastating ten city blocks. Xylon was developed by Professor Roloc Bard, a mad scientist
Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
who was taken hostage by a fake swami
Swami
A swami sometimes abbreviated "Sw." is an ascetic or yogi who has been initiated into the religious monastic order founded by Adi Sankara, or to a religious teacher.The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology as...
named Yogee Yammi during an earlier storyline of the 1940s. The ring consisted of Pruneface (hidden from the readers, going by Boche until halfway through the storyline) and his wife, Shakey Trembly, Flattop Jones and his gang, and Frieda Smith (the professor's love interest and a secret Bundist). Pruneface kidnaps Bard and forces him to build the bombs, all of which but one is seized by Tracy and F.B.I. agent Jim Trailer, hence the reason for the story being "suppressed" during the actual war. Returning to the present, de-classified documents on the Xylon case show that the case was still unsolved and that one final bomb was still out there as potent and deadly as ever. This leads Tracy, Wendy Wichell and FBI Agent Jim Trailer to finding the last bomb hidden 10 blocks away from the Oval Office
Oval Office
The Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, is the official office of the President of the United States.The room features three large south-facing windows behind the president's desk, and a fireplace at the north end...
in an elderly Frieda Smith's basement. Right after she is arrested by Tracy and Jim Trailer, the bomb is defused. Her empty house soon after receives a telephone call from Pruneface to set the bomb off, causing him and Dr. Freezdrei to change their plans and go back into hiding. Freezdrei would eventually die in an explosion.
In other media
The character is also a featured villain in the animatedAnimation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
version which aired intermittently in the U.S. as a children's program, primarily in the 1960s. He was either voiced by Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
or Paul Frees
Paul Frees
Paul Frees was an American voice actor and character actor.-Biography:He was born Solomon Hersh Frees in Chicago...
, and was modeled after Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
. His complexion is lavender
Lavender
The lavenders are a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. An Old World genus, distributed from Macaronesia across Africa, the Mediterranean, South-West Asia, Arabia, Western Iran and South-East India...
, lending him the color and wrinkled look of an actual prune
Prune
A prune is any of various plum cultivars, mostly Prunus domestica or European Plum, sold as fresh or dried fruit. The dried fruit is also referred to as a dried plum...
. He is nearly always partnered with Itchy Oliver.
He also made a brief appearance in the 1990 film adaptation of Dick Tracy, in which he is portrayed by R. G. Armstrong
R. G. Armstrong
Robert Golden "R.G." Armstrong is an American actor and playwright. A veteran character actor who appeared in dozens of Westerns over the course of his 40-year career, he may be best remembered for his work with director Sam Peckinpah....
. In this adaptation, he is an American mobster, operating in Tracy's city, who accepts Big Boy Caprice as his superior. He is eventually gunned down by The Blank.
In Kyle Baker's graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
s that served as prequels to the movie, Pruneface's real name is given as Lorenzo Prunesti.
In the 1943 cartoon "Porky Pig's Feat
Porky Pig's Feat
Porky Pig's Feat is a one-reel animated cartoon short subject in the Looney Tunes series, produced in black-and-white and released to theatres on June 13, 1943 by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was directed by Frank Tashlin with musical supervision by Carl Stalling, and produced by Leon Schlesinger...
", Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
confronts the manager of the Broken Arms Hotel, pretending to be intimidated by something he said. Daffy moves closer to his face so intensly that it is pushed inward, making it resemble a prune. Daffy, noticing this, says to the audience, "Hey, look! A Dick Tracy Character! Pruneface!"