Updated 04-May-2020.
Mondo shtuff from around the internet, all about SPENCER TRACY!
made only at TCM!
My botty best at summarizing from Wikipedia: Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an american actor . he won two Academy Awards for Best Actor from nine nominations . his breakthrough came in 1930, when his lead performance in The Last in 1935, Tracy joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, then Hollywood’s most prestigious studio . his career flourished from Fury (1936) onwards . in 1937 and 1938 he won consecutive Oscars Tracy made three box-office successes supporting Clark Gable . in 1942, he appeared with Katharine Hepburn in Woman of the Year . Tracy left MGM in 1955, and continued to work regularly as a freelance Tracy worked almost exclusively for director Stanley Kramer . his last film, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), was completed just 17 days before he died . he appeared in 75 films and developed a reputation among his Tracy was a difficult and hyperactive child with poor school attendance . he was placed in the care of Dominican Order nuns at the age of nine . his brother, Carroll, was four years older. he attended several jesuit academies in his teenage years, which he claimed helped him improve his grades . at marquette academy, he began attending plays with lifelong friend and fellow actor Pat O’Brien father’s desire to see one of his sons gain a college degree drove Tracy back to high school . studies at two more institutions won Tracy a place at Ripon College . he made his stage debut in June 19 Tracy excelled in arguing and public speaking . he auditioned for the american academy of dramatic arts in new york city . Tracy was deemed fit to progress to the senior class, allowing him to join the academy’s stock company . he made his New York debut in a play called The Wedding Guests, which opened in October 1922 in 1923, he landed a small part on Broadway in the comedy A Royal Fandango . reviews for the show were poor and it closed after 25 performances . he later said of the failure, “my the sheepman previewed in October 1925, but it received poor reviews and closed after its trial run in Connecticut . in the fall of 1926, Tracy was offered his third shot at Broadway: a role in a new “yellow” opened on September 21; reviews were mixed but it ran for 135 performances . cohan wrote a part specifically for Tracy in his next play, The Baby Cyclone . “i’d have in 1929, Tracy took over from Clark Gable in Conflict, a Broadway drama . in 1930, Tracy was approached about a new play called The Last Mile . the last mile opened on Broadway in February, where Tracy’s performance was met by a standing ovation . the play was a hit with critics, and ran for 289 performances . Tracy was cast in two Vit director John Ford wanted Tracy for the lead role in his next picture, a prison movie . up the river (1930) marked the film debut of both Tracy and Humphrey Bogart . Fox immediately offered Tracy a long three films were made in quick succession, all of which were unsuccessful at the box office . Tracy signed with Fox and moved to California . his young son was deaf and recovering from polio . Tracy found himself typecast in comedies, usually playing a crook or a con man . he was loaned to Warner Bros. for 20,000 Years in a prison drama co-starring Bette Davis critics began to notice Tracy with The Power and the Glory (1933) the film introduced him as one of the screen’s best performers . no more convincing performance has been given on the screen than Spencer Tracy’s impersonation despite this attention, Tracy’s next two movies went largely unnoticed . Tracy drank heavily during his years with Fox, and gained a reputation as an alcoholic . he failed to report for film the details on how Tracy’s relationship with Fox ended are unclear . later in life Tracy maintained that he was fired for his drunken behavior . he completed only two more pictures with the studio . the contract between Tracy and Fox Film Corporation was terminated “by mutual consent” when Tracy arrived there, he was all but unknown. biographer: “Tracy was scarcely a blip on the box office barometer producer Irving Thalberg: “Spencer Tracy will become one of MGM’s most valuable stars” “the studio managed Tracy with care, a welcome change from the ineptitude and apathy he had known Fritz Lang directed Fritz Lang’s Fritz Lang film, Fury . the film and performance received excellent reviews . Tracy played a man who swears revenge after narrowly escaping death . “fury was followed one month later with the release of the big-budget disaster movie San Francisco (1936) Tracy played a supporting role alongside Clark Gable in the film . despite having only 17 minutes of screen time in his book on Tracy, Donald Deschner credits Fury and San Francisco with changing his career . his public reputation continued to grow with Libeled Lady, a screwball comedy . “equal billing in such a power Tracy played a Portuguese fisherman in the adventure movie, based on the novel by Rudyard Kipling . Captains Courageous was followed by Big City with Luise Rainer and Mannequin with Joan a 1937 poll of 20 million people ranked Tracy sixth among males . Tracy was reunited with Gable and Loy for test pilot (1938) film was another commercial and critical success . Tracy received strong reviews for his performance . the movie grossed $4 million worldwide . for the second year running, Tracy received an academy award for best actor . Tracy was listed as the fifth biggest money-making star of 1938. he was absent from screens for almost a year before returning to 20th Century Fox on loan . a Fortune magazine survey to find the nation’s favorite movie Tracy then portrayed Thomas Edison in Edison, the Man . Boom Town was the third and final Gable-Tracy picture . boom town was one of the most anticipated films of the year . Tracy returned to the role of Father Flanagan in Men of Boys Town (1941) he was followed by Tracy’s only venture into the horror genre, an adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (19also 1941 Tracy was set to star in a film version of The Yearling for 1942 . on-set difficulties and bad weather forced the production to close . he became available for the new Katharine Hepburn movie, Woman of the romantic comedy performed well at the box office and received strong reviews . “to begin with, it has Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in the leading roles” “when you get Tracy turning in brilliant performances to boot, you despite a weak critical reception the film out-grossed its predecessor . MGM did not hesitate to repeat the teaming of Tracy and Hepburn in the dark mystery Keeper of the Flame (1942) Tracy was MGM’s biggest money-making star of 1944 . his only film the following year was Without Love (1945) he said he’s coming back to Broadway to see if he can still act . it first previewed in Providence on September 28, to a sold-out crowd and tepid response . director Garson Kanin later wrote: “in the ten days prior to the New York opening all the important relationships had a lukewarm response from critics did not stop Keeper of the Flame and Without Love . “every day, every day, over and over again,” Tracy later explained to a friend . Tracy was absent co-star Lana Turner overshadowed Tracy in most of the reviews . Tracy disliked the role, and told director George Cukor, “it’s rather disconcerting to me to find how easily I play the film became Tracy’s biggest money-loser at MGM . Tracy and Hepburn’s friends wrote the parts specifically for the two leads . the film received strong reviews and became the highest grossing Tracy-Hep “it’s the second strong comedy in a row for Spencer Tracy, doing the title role” the film was the biggest commercial success of Tracy’s career to date . father’s little dividend (1951) was released Tracy polled as one of the nation’s top stars once more . she portrayed a lawyer in The People Against O’Hara (1951) and re-teamed with Hepburn for the sports comedy Pat Tracy won a golden globe and received a nomination for the British academy film award . his only film released in its year was well received . in 1955 Tracy turned down William Wyler’s The Desperate Hours . Tracy had personally been unhappy with the picture, and threatened to leave it during production . he began production on Tribute to a Bad Man in the summer of 1955 . the problems caused by the picture fractured Tracy’s Tracy was one of the two last remaining stars of the studio’s peak years . he opted to freelance for the first time in his movie career . his performance earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Foreign Actor Tracy appeared in the film The Old Man and the Sea (1958) he was told to lose some of his 210 pounds before filming began, but failed to do so . he had to be carefully photographed to disguise his weight Tracy considered The Old Man and the Sea the toughest part he ever played . he received Oscar and BAFTA Award nominations for the work . Tracy’s next feature was The Last Hurrah (1958) at the end of 1958, the national board of review named Tracy the year’s Best Actor . director Stanley Kramer sought Tracy for the role of lawyer Henry Drummond . the movie was favorably reviewed, but not commercially in the volcano disaster movie The Devil at 4 O’Clock (1961), Tracy played a priest for the fourth time in his career . his co-star, Frank Sinatra, ceded top-billing to guarantee “judgment at Nuremberg” was Tracy’s most successful box-office outing since father of the bride . the film depicts the trial of Nazi judges for their role in the Holocaust . Tracy delivered a 13 the film met with positive reviews and a large audience; Tracy received an eighth Oscar nomination . Tracy turned down roles in Long Day’s Journey into Night (1962) and The Leopard (1963) Tracy was in very poor health by this time, and working became a challenge . in 1962, he took the role of Captain T. G. Culpeper in Kramer’s comedy It’s a Mad, Tracy was happy to be working again, but he told the press the movie would be his last . to commence filming, Tracy had to be insured for the high premium of $71,000 . in poor health, Tracy could only work the film became Tracy’s highest grossing picture . he received a posthumous nomination for Best Actor—his ninth—at the 40th academy awards . their son, John Ten Broeck Tracy, was born in June 1924 . when John was 10 months old, Louise discovered that the boy was deaf . Tracy was devastated by the news and felt a lifelong guilt Tracy had trouble connecting with his son and distanced himself from his family . a second child, Louise “Susie” Treadwell Tracy, was born in July 1932 . the children were raised in their mother’ Tracy had a public affair with Loretta Young, his co-star in Man’s Castle . he reconciled with Louise in 1935 . by the 1940s, the two were effectively living separate lives . Tracy Tracy had a sexual relationship with Judy Garland in 1936, when she was 14 years old . the relationship lasted until his death 26 years later . Tracy and his wife never pursued a divorce, despite their estrangement . Tracy’s infidelity apparently continued, though, and he is reported to have had an affair with Gene Tierney during the making of Plymouth Adventure a friend of Tracy’s describes him as “a true believer” who respected his religion . at times in his life, Tracy attended Mass regularly . hepburn did not interfere and never fought for marriage . he struggled with alcoholism throughout his adult life, an ailment that ran in his father’s side of the family . Tracy was prone to bouts of depression and anxiety . he lent his he was plagued by insomnia throughout his life . Tracy became dependent on barbiturates to sleep, followed by dexedrine to function . she was unable to understand her partner’s unhappiness on July 21, 1963, he was hospitalized after a severe attack of breathlessness . doctors declared his blood pressure dangerously high . he suffered from pulmonary edema, where fluid accumulates in the lungs in 1965, he was diagnosed with hypertensive heart disease . he also began treatment for a previously ignored diagnosis of type 2 diabetes . Tracy spent most of the next two years at home with Hepburn, living Tracy had been alone when he died and was found by his housekeeper . a Requiem Mass was held for Tracy on June 12 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church . Tracy was referred to as the greatest actor of his generation by Clark Gable, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, John Ford, Garson Kanin, and Katharine Hepburn . Tracy is inter Tracy was admired for his naturalism onscreen . actress Joan Crawford said it was “inspiring” to co-star with him . “there’s nothing to imitate except his genius and that can’t be mimicked” Tracy was praised for his listening and reacting skills . in his memoir, Burt Reynolds noted Tracy’s emphasis on naturalism Tracy would lock himself in his bedroom “working extremely hard” each night . many co-workers commented on his strong work ethic and professionalism . he did not like to rehearse and would quickly lose his ” Tracy’s close friend Chester Erskine pinpointed his acting style as one of “selection” he strove to give as little as was needed to be effective and reached “a minimum to make the maximum” “it’s just that I try no tricks. No profile. No ‘great lover’ act … I just project myself as I am,” hepburn said . in interview six years after Tracy’s death, critic Leonard Maltin calls Tracy “one of the 20th century’s finest actors” film historian Jeanine Basinger describes his career as a “golden record of movie achievement” in 2009, Tracy provided inspiration for the character Carl several of Tracy’s films, particularly his comedies, are regarded as classics of American cinema . he was the first of nine actors to win the award twice, and is one of two actors to receive it consecutively Tracy was also nominated for five British Academy Film Awards, of which he won two, and four Golden Globe Awards, winning once . he received the Cannes Film Festival award for Best Actor . Kate Remembered: Katharine Hepburn, a Personal Biography. Pocket. ISBN 0-7434-1563-9. Spencer Tracy: A Biography. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 978-0-09-178524-6. Deschner, Donald (1972). Hepburn, Katharine (1991). Me: Stories of My Life. Secaucus, New Jersey: The Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-0272-X. ISBN 0-679-40051-6. Higham, Charles (1975). Kate: The Life of Katharine Hepburn. New York City, NY: W. W. Norton. ISBN 0-670-72293-6. Tracy and Hepburn: An Intimate Memoir. New York: Viking. In the Company of Legends. New York: Beaufort Books. ISBN 978-0-825-30742-3. Swindell, Larry (1973). Spencer Tracy. ISBN 0-340-16951-6. Stars in Blue: Movie Actors in America’s Sea Services. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. “Spencer Tracy’s Boyhood: Truth, Fiction, and Hollywood Dreams,” Wisconsin Magazine of History, vol. 84, no. 1 . “Wisconsin magazine of history,” vol.