Spencer Tracy

Hollywood Hist-o-rama: Spencer Tracy (1961)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Lasting anywhere between three and four minutes, the Hollywood HIST-O-RAMA series shouldn't be looked at as some sort of documentary that's going to tell you everything about the subject. After all, with such a short running time it would be impossible to go into great details about anything but I'm sure people back when this was made would have at least enjoyed them.

This episode once again uses it's three-and-a-half minute running time to go over the career of Spencer Tracy. We learn that early appearances didn't do too much for Tracy's reputation but things soon changed when he landed at MGM and he won two Oscars for Best Actor. From here we quickly see lobby cards to some of his biggest pictures including DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, NORTHWEST PASSAGE, BOOM TOWN, EDWARD MY SON, BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK and others. Once again, if you're looking for a complete biography of Tracy then you're not going to find it here but I still find these Hollywood Hist-o-rama episodes to be mildly fun just because you get to see the way these things were done back in 1961. While they're somewhat useless today, I'm sure many kids were introduced to these legends this way and would ask there parents for more information.