James Curtis
Page 1
THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK
PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF
Copyright © 2011 by James Curtis
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York,
and in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
www.aaknopf.com
Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered
trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Curtis, James, 1953–
Spencer Tracy : a biography / by James Curtis.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
eISBN: 978-0-307-59522-5
1. Tracy, Spencer, 1900–1967. 2. Actors—United States—Biography. I. Title.
PN2287.T7C78 2011
791.43’028092—dc22
[B]
2011014719
Designed by Soonyoung Kwon
Front-of-jacket photograph: Spencer Tracy, New York, 1948. © The Penn Foundation Jacket design by Carol Devine Carson
Frontispiece: Actor George Fleming snapped Tracy, at age twenty-four, in his dressing room at the Montauk Theatre during the Christmas week run of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. (SUSIE TRACY)
v3.1
This one is for Kim.
On the level.
Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which
sustained him through temporary periods of joy.
—WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Acknowledgments
1 General Business
2 A Born Actor
3 A Sissy Sort of Thing
4 The Best Goddamned Actor
5 Dread
6 The Last Mile
7 Quick Millions
8 The Power and the Glory
9 The Amount of Marriage We’ve Experienced
10 And Does Love Last?
11 That Double Jackpot
12 The Best Year
13 The New Rage
14 Enough to Shine Even Through Me
15 A Buoyant Effect on the Audience
16 Someone’s Idea of Reality
17 Woman of the Year
18 I’ve Found the Woman I Want
19 Not the Guy They See Up There on the Screen
20 The Big Drunk
21 The Rugged Path
22 State of the Union
23 Adam’s Rib
24 Father of the Bride
25 Rough Patch
26 At Loose Ends
27 A Granite-like Wedge of a Man
28 The Mountain
29 The Last Hurrah
30 Our Greatest Actor
31 The Value of a Single Human Being
32 Something a Little Less Serious
33 A Lion in a Cage
34 A Humble Man
Author’s Note: The Biographies of Katharine Hepburn
Appendix I: Stage Chronology
Appendix II: Film Chronology
Notes and Sources
Selected Bibliography
Index
Other Books by This Author
Acknowledgments
“I’m too trusting,” Spencer Tracy lamented. “I always believe the best of people and often get fooled.” In vetting any statement or proposition put to him, Tracy would often do no more than lock eyes with the other person and ask, “Is this on the level?” It’s one of the first things his daughter ever recalled to me, and it’s a question I’ve repeatedly asked myself as I’ve worked on this book. As so much has been written about Spencer Tracy that is either careless, foolish, or downright malicious, there would be no valid reason to spend six years on a biography of him that merely culled the misinformation printed elsewhere. Finding the truth and nuance in a life as maligned as Tracy’s wasn’t easy, and it would have been impossible without the help of a great many people.
This book wouldn’t exist at all without the good faith and persistence of Susie Tracy, the daughter of Spencer and Louise Tracy, who wanted it written and was a fierce advocate for seeing it done properly. I first approached her through Dr. James Garrity, then the executive director of John Tracy Clinic, convinced a thorough and balanced biography of her father needed to be written, and that the time to talk to the people who knew him was running out. Susie demurred at first, as another biography had long been in the works. A few months later, I had an e-mail message from the Emmy-winning makeup artist and author Michael Blake, passing along word from producer William Self. Was I still interested in writing a biography of Spencer Tracy? If so, Susie Tracy would like to meet.
Bill Self knew Spencer Tracy for nearly twenty-five years and, as it turned out, was familiar with my work. Over a three-hour lunch, Bill, Susie, and I discussed the challenges of doing a subject as notoriously difficult and complex as Tracy, and how I would propose to go about it. I also learned the situation was complicated on a variety of levels, and that it would take time to clear the way for me to begin, were all the elements to fall into place. Well, it did take time—nearly two years passed before I was formally able to assume the task of researching and writing the book. Susie made everything in her possession—datebooks, scrapbooks, letters, and manuscripts—available for my use, and cleared the way for my work at John Tracy Clinic. I also began the task of interviewing Tracy’s friends, family members, and coworkers, some of whom agreed to talk with me only because I had Susie’s approval.
It should be stressed that at no time did Susie Tracy attempt to influence content or act in any way as a barrier to primary materials. She always cheerfully and without reservation signed any forms necessary to release confidential records—medical records, school records, business records. Nor at any time during the many hours of talks we had did she ever duck a question or stonewall on a answer. I found that, like her mother, she was incapable of lying or coloring the truth to suit a predetermined outcome. Unlike her mother, she declared no subjects off limits and plumbed the depths of her memory for whatever shards of detail she could muster. At length, I learned her motivation was surprisingly simple: She had missed great portions of her father’s life, had known Katharine Hepburn only after his death. There was much she wanted—needed—to understand, and the only way she could do so was to see his life documented as thoroughly and as truthfully as possible.
Toward that goal, I could benefit from no greater resource than Selden West, who in 1977 began interviewing people who had known and worked with Spencer Tracy, and who, over the course of twenty-five years, amassed the single greatest archive of materials relating to Tracy and his life. The extreme value of her work was most vividly apparent in her interviews with figures long since dead—Lorraine Foat, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Dore Schary, and publicist Eddie Lawrence being just a few. Moreover, Selden had gained access to the M-G-M archives in Atlanta, held by the Turner organization and, alas, unavailable during the period in which I found myself researching the Tracy story. Her notes from Atlanta proved invaluable, as did her frequent and generous takes on numerous aspects of Tracy’s life and work. Her reactions were always vibrant and splendidly lucid. It must be emphasized, however, that her help and cooperation came with no strings attached, and in no way should one presume her endorsement of this book or the conclusions contained herein. She has, nevertheless, influenced its quality immeasurably, and I owe her a debt of gratitude I can never adequately repay.
I owe a similar debt of gratitude to Katharine Houghton, whom I met through Susie Tracy and who has always been forthcoming in matters regarding
her aunt, Katharine Hepburn. Katharine’s spirited input has been critical in shaping my understanding of the woman millions have come to know as Kate, yet at no time have I found her to be defensive or overly protective of the Hepburn image. Indeed, her knowledge of family history is formidable, and she has consistently proven herself a fierce advocate of the truth, no matter where it may lead. Her help has been one of the best breaks I have had in tackling this decidedly difficult subject, and my appreciation to her is boundless.
My understanding of the Tracy family, and particularly of John and Carrie Tracy, was helped immensely by my talks with the late Jane Feely Desmond, who was the last remaining family member of Spencer Tracy’s generation. Jane’s remarkable memory and her wry insights gave me a vivid and unanticipated window on the world of Spencer and Louise Tracy and the forces that shaped their relationship. In Freeport, Bertha Calhoun provided valuable memories of Carroll and Dorothy Tracy, and of Emma Brown, Carroll and Spencer’s venerable “Aunt Mum.” From Chicago, further details of the Tracy family and its history were provided by Sister Ann Willitts, O.P.
John Tracy Clinic in Los Angeles maintains an astonishing archive representing its history—as nothing appears ever to have been thrown away. It is possible to visit the basement in the main building on Adams Boulevard and find the original enrollment cards to the clinic’s first summer session filed neatly in the appropriate cabinet. For complete and unfettered access to the clinic’s records, I am grateful to Mary Ann Bell, Jack Cooper, and Dottie Blake. Mrs. Mary Wales, one of the clinic’s original mothers, spent several hours on the phone with me from Arkansas, describing the early days in the cottage on West 37th Street and the evolution of the clinic over the ensuing years. For giving me a vivid understanding of what it was like to be a child in those early days at the clinic, I am grateful also to Carol Lee Barnes, Mrs. Wales’ daughter, and to Chuck Watson.
Jane Kesner Ardmore was a veteran freelancer for such national magazines as McCall’s and Good Housekeeping and the author or coauthor of several books, among them Eddie Cantor’s memoir Take My Life. In 1972 she began interviewing Louise Tracy and her associates for a ghosted autobiography proposed by M-G-M’s erstwhile publicity chief Howard Strickling. When that project died a quiet death, Louise refusing to discuss her husband’s relationship with Katharine Hepburn, Ardmore’s notes and interview transcripts were filed away and subsequently donated, along with her other papers, to the Margaret Herrick Library in Beverly Hills. I am grateful to Barbara Hall, who, with the able assistance of Jenny Romero, made these transcripts, as well as materials from a number of other special collections, available to me during the early days of this project.
From Seattle, Robert B. Edgers supplied a copy of his parents’ unpublished 1968 memoir, “The Spencer Tracy We Knew.” Bob and his late wife, Terry, were also wonderful hosts on a visit to the Emerald City, during which he shared data and photographs from his father’s Ripon scrapbooks and his own detailed memories of Northwestern Military and Naval Academy. Joan Kramer and David Heeley, the award-winning documentarians responsible for, among many others, Katharine Hepburn: All About Me, generously allowed me to view unedited interview footage shot in 1985 for The Spencer Tracy Legacy. In Moraga, California, Larry Swindell was a gracious host, discussing work on his groundbreaking 1969 Tracy biography. From England, Kevin Brownlow kindly supplied me with excerpts from Sidney Franklin’s unpublished autobiography regarding the aborted filming of The Yearling. By phone from Mequon, Wisconsin, John Ehle shared his boyhood memories of Daisy Spencer. And in New York, Gino Francesconi took me on an unforgettable backstage tour of Carnegie Hall, showing me the spaces likely occupied by the American Academy of Dramatic Arts during Tracy’s tenure there in 1922 and 1923.
Ned Comstock, as usual, came through way beyond the call of duty in identifying and locating files from the indispensable M-G-M and 20th Century-Fox script collections at the University of Southern California’s Cinematic Arts Library. Ned’s expert help, his interest and enthusiasm, have long been essential to me and countless others during his lengthy tenure at USC. In Florida, Patricia Mahon generously made her incomparable collection of photographs of Spencer and Louise Tracy available to me, as well as letters and clippings dating back to the early 1970s. Marvin Paige was unfailingly helpful in getting me to several people who had memories of working with Spencer Tracy, most significantly the late Jean Simmons. Karl Thiede, as he has with past books, opened the files of his singular research library, providing reliable profit-and-loss data I could never have found anywhere else. At the Hollywood facilities of the UCLA Film and Television Archive, Jere Guldin ran the archive’s nitrate print of Society Girl for Susie Tracy and me. And in Milwaukee, David Tice permitted me to tour and photograph the Tracys’ 1910 residence on what was then Kenesaw, a house that he and his family were in the process of expertly restoring.
Eugene Cullen Kennedy was a constant source of inspiration, sharing not only his memories of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, but his deep understanding of the Irish experience and the role the Roman Catholic Church played in the lives of many first-generation Americans. Gene was kind enough to review the manuscript of this book, making suggestions and offering thoughts that were always well considered and immensely valuable. It’s been my great fortune to enjoy both his counsel and his friendship.
For various assists, courtesies and nudges, I am also indebted to A. Scott Berg, Ralph Blumenthal, Diana Caldwell, Don Cannon, David E. Cote, Dr. Dean Cromwell, Lee Ehman, Mike Germain, Erik Hanson, Charles Higham, Christy Hughes, Dan Ford, Karen Fyock, Robert Gitt, Ronnie James, Carmen Johnson, Tracey Johnstone, Christopher Knopf, Betty Lasky, Mindy Lu, Patrick McGilligan, Leonard Maltin, Judy Samelson, Sherry Sauerwine, Stephanie Shih, Anthony Slide, Michael Sragow, Gilbert Thiede, Kerrie Tickner, Susan Updike, Toni Volk, and Jordan Young.
A number of libraries and institutions held parts of the Tracy story, often through related collections, and I am grateful to the librarians and administrators who made that aspect of my work so rewarding.
Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills: Stacey Behlmer. American Academy of Dramatic Arts: Betty Lawson. Louis B. Mayer Library, American Film Institute: Caroline Cisneros. Archdiocese of Milwaukee Archives: Shelly Solberg. Bay View Historical Society: Greg Bird, Ronald Winkler.
Hall of History, Boys Town: Thomas Lynch. Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Milwaukee: Barbara Kowalewski. Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University: Tara C. Craig. Freeport Public Library: Cheryl Gleason. Fullerton Public Library: Janet Melton, Cheri Pape. Special Collections, Georgetown University: Heidi Rubenstein.
Library of Congress: Dr. Alice Birney, Josie Walters-Johnston. Marquette University High School: Dan Quesnell. Midwest Jesuit Archives: Dr. David P. Miros. Milwaukee High School of the Arts: Eugene Humphrey, Chris Wszalek. Milwaukee Public Library: Brian Williams– Van Klooster. Museum of the City of New York: Marty Jacobs. Film Study Center, Museum of Modern Art, New York: Charles Silver. New York Public Library for the Performing Arts: Barbara Knowles, Karen Nickenson. Fales Library, New York University: Ann Butler.
Ripon College: Rev. Dr. David Joyce, Richard Damm, Valerie Viers. Rockhurst High School, Kansas City: Theresa Fessler, Laurence W. Freeman. St. Bonaventure University: Dennis Frank. St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy: Anita Kopaczewski, Chuck Moore. Shubert Archive: Maryann Chach. Regional History Collection, University of Southern California: Dace Taube. UCLA Film and Television Archive: Mark Quigley.
Trowbridge Elementary School of Discovery and Technology, Milwaukee: Montina Nelson. 20th Century-Fox Archive, Arts Library, University of California, Los Angeles: Lauren Buisson (with a special tip of the hat to David F. Miller of the 20th Century-Fox Legal Department). Special Collections, University of Arizona, Tucson: Bonnie Travers. Warner Bros. Archive: Haden Guest, Sandra Joy Lee. White Plains Public Library: Miriam Berg Varian.
The core of this book was formed from inte
rviews conducted with those who knew and worked with Spencer and Louise Tracy (and, in many cases, with Katharine Hepburn) and were gracious enough to share their memories. My heartfelt thanks go to Donna Anderson, James Arness, Lauren Bacall, Leah Bernstein, Betsy Blair, Pat Bolliger, Ernest Borgnine (courtesy Scott Eyman), Jimmy Boyd, David Caldwell, June Caldwell, Harry Carey, Jr., Edie Carr, Esme Chandlee, June Dally-Watkins, Lewis W. Douglas, Jr., Jean Porter Dmytryk, Betsy Drake, June Dunham, Gene Eckman, John Ericson, Joel Freeman, Anthony Harvey, Dr. Robert Hepburn, Darryl Hickman, Clifford Jones, Robert C. Jones, Fay Kanin, Marvin Kaplan, Richard Kline, Karen Kramer, Philip Langner, Jack Larson, Joan Marie Lawes, Jimmy Lydon, A. C. Lyles, Abby Mann, Alice Mannix, Kerwin Mathews, Dina Merrill (courtesy Scott Eyman), Diane Disney Miller, Colleen Moore, Patricia Morison, Joseph Newman, Hugh O’Brien, Carol Holmes Phillips, Dorothy Provine, Luise Rainer, Elliott Reid, Gene Reynolds, Marshall Schlom, William Self, Jean Simmons, Charles R. Sligh III, Tina Gopadze Smith, Lynn Stalmaster, Sandy Sturges, Margaret Tagge, Ruthie Thompson, Patti Ver Sluis, Robert Wagner, and Jean Wright.
The late Millard Kaufman was an indefatigable champion of this book long before the first lines were written, and he followed its progress closely. Besides sharing his own memories of Spencer Tracy, Dore Schary, and the making of Bad Day at Black Rock, Millard put me in touch with several important figures from the period, and was always at the ready with both help and advice. The same can be said in spades for Scott Eyman, who was with me throughout the difficult period when it looked, at first, as if this book would happen, and then again when it seemed for sure that it would not. I’m certain his ready presence at the other end of the phone kept me sane on the long road to this book’s completion, and, as always, he has my deepest appreciation.
Victoria Wilson, senior editor and associate publisher, cleared the way at Knopf for this book to be written, and was always intensely interested in its development. I could not ask for a more supportive or knowledgeable editor, and that this book exists at all is a testament to her judgment and determination. My agent, Neil Olson, has likewise been a rock-solid source of support and advice, and shall always have my thanks for taking this on.