Review Spencer Tracy

ant-mac

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
My top 5 Spencer Tracy films, in chronological order...

THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (1944)

BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955)

THE DEVIL AT 4 O'CLOCK (1961)

JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961)

GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
A Visit with Spencer Tracy | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute


Academy Award-winning actor Spencer Tracy, in a 1954 fundraising message on behalf of the Jimmy Fund, to support cancer research and the care of child cancer patients at the Jimmy Fund Building in Boston (now part of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute).
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Nick91

Nick91

Member: Rank 2
The Tracy-Kramer collaboration in the 1960s was great. Had Spence not been in ill health, I could see him continuing to excel in various "elderly man" roles in the following decade. Not many leading men of his generation pulled off that type of role as well. Curiously, Kramer's directing career sort of died after Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, Spencer's last film...
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
I read in William Shatner's autobiography that he was thrilled to be working with Spencer Tracy on JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG, but made the mistake of saying nervously to Tracy "How do you manage to remember all those lines?" Tracy took it to be a comment on his age and sadly never spoke to Shatner again during filming.
 
Nick91

Nick91

Member: Rank 2
Doctor Omega said:
I read in William Shatner's autobiography that he was thrilled to be working with Spencer Tracy on JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG, but made the mistake of saying nervously to Tracy "How do you manage to remember all those lines?" Tracy took it to be a comment on his age and sadly never spoke to Shatner again during filming.
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Wow, that's petty of Spencer if true. At the same time, a lot of people have a hard time coming to terms with aging, especially in how it relates to your profession. There's also a lot of ego involved with these big Hollywood stars, whether they admit it or not. Shatner himself is said to have been known for being difficult to work with.
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Nick91 said:
Wow, that's petty of Spencer if true. At the same time, a lot of people have a hard time coming to terms with aging, especially in how it relates to your profession. There's also a lot of ego involved with these big Hollywood stars, whether they admit it or not. Shatner himself is said to have been known for being difficult to work with.
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During STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, producer Harve Bennett was trying to get Shatner around to the idea of playing an ageing Kirk, whereas Shatner would have been happy to carry on with camera tricks to hide his ageing, as had been the case in THE MOTION PICTURE. Bennett said to Shatner that some actors aged gracefully, while others didn't and that Shatner reminded him of an actor who did: Spencer Tracy. Bennett added that he felt Shatner was Tracy's natural successor - and really meant it. "It wasn't a con", he explained, when recalling telling Shatner. Bennett had completely forgotten that Shatner had acted with Tracy.

This notion won Shatner over, flattered to be compared to Tracy, whom he still admired despite the NUREMBERG misunderstanding - and he agreed to let Kirk show his years in the film.

Yeah, Shatner was known for being very self-centred and insensitive to the needs of his fellow workers; although I feel that George Takei has overdone the lingering animosity to the point of ridiculousness, using the feud to keep himself in the limelight when I think he really should have laid it to rest by now.
 
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ant-mac

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
Doctor Omega said:
During STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, producer Harve Bennett was trying to get Shatner around to the idea of playing an ageing Kirk, whereas Shatner would have been happy to carry on with camera tricks to hide his ageing, as had been the case in THE MOTION PICTURE. Bennett said to Shatner that some actors aged gracefully, while others didn't and that Shatner reminded him of an actor who did: Spencer Tracy. Bennett added that he felt Shatner was Tracy's natural successor - and really meant it. "It wasn't a con", he explained, when recalling telling Shatner. Bennett had completely forgotten that Shatner had acted with Tracy.

This notion won Shatner over, flattered to be compared to Tracy, whom he still admired despite the NUREMBERG misunderstanding - and he agreed to let Kirk show his years in the film.

Yeah, Shatner was known for being very self-centred and insensitive to the needs of his fellow workers; although I feel that George Takei has overdone the lingering animosity to the point of ridiculousness, using the feud to keep himself in the limelight when I think he really should have laid it to rest by now.
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What misunderstanding was that?
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
ant-mac said:
What misunderstanding was that?
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Shatner was in awe of Tracy and - meaning it as a compliment - had said "How do you remember all those lines?" after Tracy had just done a particularly lengthy and powerful speech in one take. Tracy took it as a commentary on his age, rather than the (admittedly clumsy) compliment that it was, and blanked Shatner throughout the rest of filming, never speaking to him again. Shatner was devastated, as he really did respect and look up to Tracy as an actor.


 
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ant-mac

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
Doctor Omega said:
Shatner was in awe of Tracy and - meaning it as a compliment - had said "How do you remember all those lines?" after Tracy had just done a particularly lengthy and powerful speech in one take. Tracy took it as a commentary on his age, rather than the (admittedly clumsy) compliment that it was, and blanked Shatner throughout the rest of filming, never speaking to him again. Shatner was devastated, as he really did respect and look up to Tracy as an actor.
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That's a shame.

I never thought I'd feel sorry for the Shat.
 
Nick91

Nick91

Member: Rank 2
Doctor Omega said:
During STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, producer Harve Bennett was trying to get Shatner around to the idea of playing an ageing Kirk, whereas Shatner would have been happy to carry on with camera tricks to hide his ageing, as had been the case in THE MOTION PICTURE. Bennett said to Shatner that some actors aged gracefully, while others didn't and that Shatner reminded him of an actor who did: Spencer Tracy. Bennett added that he felt Shatner was Tracy's natural successor - and really meant it. "It wasn't a con", he explained, when recalling telling Shatner. Bennett had completely forgotten that Shatner had acted with Tracy.

This notion won Shatner over, flattered to be compared to Tracy, whom he still admired despite the NUREMBERG misunderstanding - and he agreed to let Kirk show his years in the film.

Yeah, Shatner was known for being very self-centred and insensitive to the needs of his fellow workers; although I feel that George Takei has overdone the lingering animosity to the point of ridiculousness, using the feud to keep himself in the limelight when I think he really should have laid it to rest by now.
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Haha, I can't quite wrap my head around Shatner being Tracy's natural successor. They had two very different styles of acting; Tracy was very natural and subtle in the films I've seen of him. But to Shatner's credit, one of my favourite films of the 60s starred him (The Intruder, directed by Roger Corman).
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Nick91 said:
Haha, I can't quite wrap my head around Shatner being Tracy's natural successor. They had two very different styles of acting; Tracy was very natural and subtle in the films I've seen of him. But to Shatner's credit, one of my favourite films of the 60s starred him (The Intruder, directed by Roger Corman).
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I've got that one on my shelf and keep meaning to watch it. I have read lots of praise for Shatner's performance in it.



 
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