Thursday, November 08, 2012

Spencer Tracy





As more books come out recounting his life, it is clear Tracy was an enigmatic, very depressed person. But I don't like to dwell on that, instead on his great film career. I am especially fond of ADAM'S RIB and all the films he did with Hepburn for that matter.

f you look at the list on IMDB, it is clear he did it all: horror, western, poltical, romance, crime. He always radiated a natural intelligence though.

What is your favorite Tracy film?

17 comments:

J F Norris said...

I can never pick one. These will always stand out for me:

INHERIT THE WIND (should've won the Oscar over Burt Lancaster in Elmer Gantry)
BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK
WOMAN OF THE YEAR
A GUY NAMED JOE
DR JEKYLL & MR HYDE (the most interesting version of the movie adaptations, too)

Randy Johnson said...

BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK

Deb said...

Was there ever an actor whose on-screen persona differed so much from his "real" one. What I loved about his characters were that they always seemed so comfortable in their own skin. I'd have to go with Woman of the Year or Father of the Bride, but there are so many to choose from.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Judgment at Nuremberg.
You're right, Deb. He fooled us all-even the Kate romance was a sham pretty much.

Deb said...

Yes--I read that in a Hepburn bio. He was essentially an alcoholic who allowed her to take care of him, but his deeper emotions were never really touched. She was a strong women, but when it came to Tracy, she could never see him clearly. Live truly is blind,,,

Deb said...

Love

Graham Powell said...

BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK, definitely, but he was also very good in SAN FRANCISCO.

Ron Scheer said...

Couldn't pick a favorite, though he's magic with Hepburn. For a western, I'd pick BROKEN LANCE, in which they both starred.

I've read that he never respected his work as an actor, but that may have more to do with the bottle than honesty. I love him. Funny how drinkers can suck us in that way.

George said...

Since I just walked out of a terrible musical, JEKYLL & HYDE, I'll pick Spencer Tracy's brilliant film version: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Anonymous said...

BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK
ADAM'S RIB
and one searing early one:
FURY


Jeff M.

pattinase (abbott) said...

haven't thought of FURY in years.

Erik Donald France said...

He's great in everything I've seen.

I'll add Desk Set just for its librarian-power quips.

And soon will rewatch Judgment at Nuremberg,, whch I haven't seen since I was a kid.

Naomi Johnson said...

PAT & MIKE: "Not much meat but what there is, is cherce."

Jack Bates said...

TCM showed Judgement at Nuremberg over the weekend. He was amazing in that.

Anonymous said...

His biographers talk of his Catholic guilt. He could never reconcile his adult conduct with his upbringing. He was riddled with guilt about his impaired son. My mother knew him slightly; he was a year ahead of her at Ripon College.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Sad to think he was so outwardly successful and so inwardly in agony.

Yvette said...

BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK