This is a true insight into his own work - Spencer did not act roles, the roles acted Spencer. His performances were part of him.They were him.

He came upon this special approach duringrehearsals of The Last Mile in 1930, a landmarkplay of the time in which society's right to takethe life of even a murderer was questioned. Itwas directed by me in a new style of realism -one that I had successfully introduced intoseveral previous productions, a true realismborn out of a world in economic depression, aworld impatient with euphemism. The play isabout a convicted murderer awaiting execution in the death house of an Americanprison, who chooses to die in violent protestrather than by passive compliance.

men of boys town
(1941)

Spencer had previously appeared in a potpourri of plays in repertory and in New York.He was a promising actor who occasionallyshowed flashes of true talent. I had seen a fewof his performances, and was not overly impressed by him as a candidate for the lead in The Last Mile. I was just about to dismiss him,when something about our too brief castinginterview stayed with me. Since it was gettingon to dinner-time I invited him to join me at atheatrical haunt. There, in a less strainedatmosphere, I was suddenly made aware as we were talking that beneath the surface, herewas a man of passion, violence, sensitivity anddesperation: no ordinary man, and just theman for the part.

On the play's opening night, I stationedmyself at the back of the auditorium. I suddenly saw him, after a hesitant start, realize hispower as he felt the audience drawn into theexperience of the play and respond to themeasure of his skill and the power of hispersonality. I knew that he had found himselfas an actor, and I knew that he knew it. Theplay - and his performance - projected Tracy to permanent stardom.

It was inevitable, of course, that the newrealism of the theatre would pass to films, thenin the transitional period from silent pictures todialogue pictures.

The film director John Ford came to NewYork and saw The Last Mile. He was fascinatedby Tracy and invited him to make a picture. Itturned out to be Up the River (1930), a slapstickprison comedy of no quality. It was an unfortunate start for Spencer. Fox, the companyto which he was under contract, typecast himin similar roles and inferior material, thoughhis performances rose far above the banal level of the films. Eventually a respite (inspired byfilm critics who complained of this misuse of histalent) came in the form of several interestingpictures. In particular there was The Power and the the Glory (1933), a brilliant study by Preston Sturges of an industrialist's rise to power, in which Spencer came to maturity as a film actor in a role worthy of him.

dr. jekyll & mr. hyde
(1941)

This honeymoon period was short-lived, however, and Tracy found himself again assigned to pot-boiler fare. But he had endured enough by now and rebelled. Following his angry protests - and some bad behaviour - Fox release him from his contract. Shortly afterwards he signed for MGM. The second and crucial phase of his career had begun.

Louis B. Mayer, head of MGM, was not so convined that Spencer had sex appeal, so he was cast as a second lead to Clark Gable. Anyone acquainted with Spencer's private life could have reassured Mayer on this point, as Irving Thalberg, head of production, finally did. He freed Tracy from bondage to Gable and cast him opposite some of Hollywood's loveliest ladies, all of whom he was permitted to win by the script, and several of whom he won off-screen, regardless of script or permit.

MGM was soon aware that it had gained a genuine star of 'first top billing over the title', as it is officially denoted. He did not stereotype himself into a single character or role to be repeated in various stories as other stars did. What is striking in a random selection of his film roles is their variety: the harried victim of Fritz Lang's Fury (1936); the loveable Portuguese fisherman of Kipling's Captain's Courageous (1937); the gentle Father Flanagan of Boys' Town (1938); the redoubtable Stanley in Stanley and Livingstone (1939); Pilan, a Mexican peasant not above a little petty larceny, in Steinbeck's Tortilla Flat (1942); Joe the pilot in A Guy Named Joe (1943).

riffraff
(1936)

Tracy finished his contract at MGM with amasterful performance in Bad Day at BlackRock (1955) as the one-armed war veteranwho uncovers a town's guilty secret: for this hereceived his fifth Oscar nomination. He nextappeared in several distinguished films for Stanley Kramer with social themes close to Spencer's personal convictions. Inherit theWind (1960) was a fictional account of the Dayton 'monkey' trial in Ohio during theTwenties, in which he played a lawyer, basedon Clarence Darrow, who defends a teacherarraigned for teaching the Darwinian theory ofevolution. In Judgement at Nuremberg (1961) hewas the troubled judge at a Nazi war criminaltrial. And Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? (1967), Tracy's last appearance, was acourageous story for the time, in which acouple, played by Tracy and KatharineHepburn, come to accept the fact of a blackhusband for their daughter.

Spencer's famous partnership withKatharine Hepburn began in 1942 with Woman of the Year. It was an historic occasion,both professionally and personally. For thenext 25 years they appeared together in avariety of films. Perhaps the best were twosophisticated comedies, Adam's Rib (1949) and Pat and Mike (1952).

When working, Spencer was very strict withhimself. He examined the script carefully,defining his place in the story. He learned linesquickly, and asked for few if any changes. Herelied on his ability to meet the requirements ofthe dialogue, no matter what. He did not go infor improvisation of any kind. He was a goodlistener in rehearsal and tried to do what wasasked of him. Directors loved to work with him.

adam's rib
(1949)

As a star, Tracy avoided publicity andinterviews, which did not make him afavourite with the PR boys. He would say:

'I don't have to dothose things. Everybody knows me. They see me in pictures. That's who I am.'