It’s amazing how life experience and a burning desire to excel can change a person. Spencer Tracy was admittedly a rowdy student that didn’t have much need or desire for school early on, but once he grew up just a bit he found that passion in a big way and not only earned his education but went on to be one of the greatest actors that anyone has ever seen. Some might debate that since his time came and went a while back, but the truth of it is that Spencer was in fact a great actor and was able to instill in a lot of us the wonder that comes from knowing that someone is putting their heart and soul into something they happen to care about. When even his peers decided that he was one of the best among them it feels safe to say that he was loved in a way that few actors ever achieve in their lifetime.
Here are some of his best movies.
5. Adam’s Rib
Wouldn’t this be just the perfect movie for this day and age? When a woman shoots at her husband for cheating on her the stage is set as Kip and Amanda, both attorneys and both selected to defend either side of the case, swiftly fall into the trap that they didn’t see from the get. Arguing that the woman who shot her husband isn’t as guilty since he drove her to this act, Amanda successfully defend her client, who is acquitted, only to realize upon being pranked with a fake gun that no one has the right to take the law into their own hands. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but whatever double standard Amanda thought existed is simply how the law works, no more and no less.
4. Inherit the Wind
If you had to watch this in school then it’s possible that you thought it was going to be a dry, black and white picture that offered none of the flash and pomp of modern movies. You’d be right in that regard, but this movie, that was based largely on the Scopes “Monkey” Trial having to do with the teaching of evolution in the classroom over the idea of creationism was one of the best movies ever since it helped to continue a precedent that one can’t simply deny one teaching without lessening the effect of another. Religion might be all well and good, but without looking at science and the factual data it’s provided over the years, it’s easy to see how much we’d miss.
3. Woman of the Year
Communication is a big deal within a relationship, and if there is no communication then things break down very quickly. At first Sam and Tess seem to get along fairly well, but when she brings home a six-year old orphan to raise as their child he’s obviously reluctant. When she tries to leave the kid alone while attending an awards ceremony he takes the kid back to the orphanage and walks out. Eventually she tries to reconcile, only to find that he doesn’t want just a wife, someone that will be obedient and take his surname. He wants a partner in life, someone that’s going to be there for him and share their life. That’s the way to go really.
2. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
This speech is something that should be replayed and remembered for those in this world that happen to think that race and skin color is worth more than a glance when it comes to, well, anything. Spencer gave such a rousing performance in this movie that one can’t help but think that the tears that were being cried were genuine in some regard. One doesn’t have to be a liberal or a conservative to know love when they see it, or the defiance of anything and everything that stands against the tide of bigotry when two people are dedicated to one another. This movie was truly inspiring in a big way.
1. Boy’s Town
It’s one thing to want to help people, it’s another to realize how hard it’s going to be along the way. Father Flanagan struggled more than a little throughout the movie and did his absolute best to bring the dream that was Boys Town to fruition. He did pretty well to be honest, but Whitey was perhaps the toughest kid he had to handle, and wasn’t willing to back down until he came to realize just how important Boys Town really was. Given that the only other option was to go back to the street or to be killed outright, White made a wise choice finally and did the right thing.
Spencer Tracey truly was a gifted actor that touched a lot of lives in his time. In terms of being a legend he was one of the best.
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