Jack slowly merger into a different moustached man named Alan Oppenheimer and then narrates himself away with a lucky dragon that he's also the voice of
He comes back in Dragnet though.
That's just the facts ma'am
Ding Dong
!

I just saw the movie last night in a long time. I absolutely LOVE this movie. I watched it so many times as a kid. Now this is my opinion on the matter:
russellp I am going to agree with you on the father not dying in the plane crash, because it would probably make me hate this film (depressing ending, not the greatest in kids movies) It all starts with Davey shooting Rice. After that he says "I don't want to play anymore", because of this his imaginary friend good o' Jack Flack wasn't able to escape and therefore "died" :-(. Davey grew up and no longer needed him. Cut to the plane and his father takes over the role. Because of this the silloutte to me represents that his father has always been his hero, but used his imagination to spice it up a bit. If anyone remembers his dad says "Hero's do boring things also" or something to that affect. To me implying that his father wanted to be his hero.
As for the ending his father dying, not so cool, because I loved how Dabney Coleman played the role of Jack Flack/his father and would make me very upset. Though sounds cheesy i find the scene that Jack Flack "dies" a sad scene everytime I watch it. Thats all.

That is a very good interpretation. Mine is much less optimistic:
The boy is going through the age of fantastic imagination. (If you are a male perhaps you are reminded of your own thoughts of when you were 9.) His father is wrong to not understand this, however the boy's imagination really is too vivid. Jack is never real. The whole Jack thing is cute but as the kid gets into further and further trouble, more and more he needs to "get real". That's why Jack ultimately can't help at all. At the end the father dies as a hero and, in the boy's mind, takes the place of Jack. This is lucky because the alternative would be the complete shattering of the child's world
You don't have to tell your kids, but "Cloak and Dagger" is never a fantasy film.
Having said that, I'm gonna show this movie to my daughter and I know I'm gonna be evaluating your thesis Thanks.

That's a
very
good analysis.
I too always interpreted it that Davey's father was literally alive at the end of the film, but I could never come up with a satisfactory explanation for his survival. I just accepted it as the happy ending to the movie that we all wanted to see.
Now, however, I REALLY like your interpretation. Good job!
"You're gonna need a bigger boat."

Thank you for the help. I feel the sameway. I saw this movie as a kid and it is still great to watch today. It just leaves a better feeling knowing that his father lives at the end.

Jack Flack is not real, therefore he cannot die. Davey's father is real and - given the circumstances - cannot live. Yet his father lives and Jack Flack dies paradoxically.
The real clue is in the score and the editing. Next time you watch it watch carefully and you will see the subtle subtext:
As Davey tries in vain to disarm the bomb on the plane, he calls out to Jack for help. Of course Jack can no longer help yet the call is answered.
Immediately we cut to outside the plane where Dabney Coleman approaches as Davey's father - although the music over this scene is Jack's theme (a tune that we have become accustomed to hearing to signify the appearance of Jack). His father answers the call and - in so doing - adopts the role of Jack.
Later he will identify himself as Jack Flack to Davey when he pulls the plastic figure of Jack from his pocket. He has joined in the game and is therefore protected by the rules governing it ('Jack Flack always escapes').
Remember, whatever else Cloak and Dagger is, it is a fantasy film.
The answer then, in my opinion, is that his father does not die but rather transcends to the role of his son's hero - swops places with Jack Flack.
That has always been my interpretation anyway.