In having at the legend, Mann not only seeks to show that Hepburn herself was bisexual, but that, in a sort of revisionist scorched-earth policy, almost everyone around her was equally ambiguous, including Spencer Tracy. To pull that off, he must establish that Tim Durant was gay—no easy task—and that Tracy himself had assignations that could, in some form, be documented. He lards his notes with claims of thoroughness, but in Tracy’s case he doesn’t start off well. He cites Selden West, Larry Swindell’s 1969 Tracy biography, Bill Davidson’s ubiquitous hatchet job, the Wisconsin Historical Society, U.S. Census records, Milwaukee city directories, and World War I draft registrations in documenting Tracy’s early life and still manages to get most of it wrong. John Tracy, for instance, was never a truck driver, and the story of his going from tavern to tavern on the night of Spencer’s birth is yet another fanciful invention from Davidson. He misses the Freeport connection entirely, has Tracy slipping into a soldier’s uniform in 1917, training at Norfolk rather than Great Lakes, graduating from Northwestern in 1921, and entering Ripon at the same time as Kenny Edgers. Later, he confuses Encino with the house on Tower Road, repeatedly referring to the ranch in the flatlands of the San Fernando Valley as “The Hill.”
While these might all seem like little things, they go to a pattern of inaccuracy that unfortunately seems to permeate the book. The author sets up John Tracy as an emotionally distant man who “drank hard” and, in the modern cliché, “withheld praise.” He notes all the standard newspaper items, the Sunset Boulevard arrest and the Yuma episode with Hugh Tully, and lays the public exploitation of “little Johnnie [sic] Tracy’s deafness” to the M-G-M publicity machine. All this, of course, leads up to speculation as to just what the nature of Tracy’s torment really was. Mann insists the relationship between Tracy and Hepburn wasn’t physical and—bizarrely—cites as proof the testimony of people who never knew Tracy or observed the relationship firsthand: Gavin Lambert, James Prideaux, members of George Cukor’s inner circle, and the anonymous voices that populate all books of this ilk. Finally, on page 336, he gets around to his smoking gun, a “male madam” named Scotty Bowers (coyly referred to in the text simply as “Scotty”).
Bowers is full of glib stories and revelations, all cheerfully unverifiable. He claims, for example, a “long, happy association” with Vivien Leigh and another, in a Variety interview, with Tyrone Power. Mann devotes considerable space to establishing Bowers’ credibility. (“I’ve never known Scotty not to tell the truth,” the late Gavin Lambert is quoted as saying.) He then allows Bowers to torpedo himself with the very first statement attributed to him. Bowers describes his initial encounter with Spencer Tracy as having taken place at Cukor’s home soon after the end of the war: “That was the first time, but it went on for years. Tracy would be drinking when I arrived. He’d get so loaded. He’d sit there drinking at the table from five o’clock in the afternoon until two in the morning, when he’d fall onto the bed and ask me to join him … And in the morning he’d act like nothing happened. He’d just say thanks for staying over” (emphasis added).
What Bowers obviously didn’t know when he made that statement is that Tracy was completely sober from the time he was discharged from Doctors Hospital in May 1945—nearly four months before the end of the war—until well into the fifties. And, of course, he was never the guzzler Bowers portrays him to be. Later, on page 383, Bowers reappears to again assert a relationship, reputedly showing up at St. Ives sometime in 1956 while Hepburn is in the kitchen washing dishes. Tracy is once again portrayed as drinking, while Hepburn is shrewish: “She’d tell him he was a fool just to sit there and drink. She could be very cutting to him. Then she’d walk off and leave us alone to have sex.”
Here, as before, it should be noted that Tracy, except for his lapses in Cuba and New York City, records no drinking in his datebooks for 1956 and 1957. Moreover, his address book, a 1952 gift from Constance Collier that he used for the rest of his life, shows no entries for Scotty Bowers, the Richfield station he managed, nor anyone under any name or identification whatsoever who could possibly have functioned in the capacity Bowers claims for himself. Such a story, in fact, asks the reader to believe that Hepburn, so famously protective of Tracy she would not even allow cast members near him on the set of The Devil at 4 O’Clock, would freely walk away and leave him to the company of “Cukor’s friend from the gas station” so that the two of them could “have sex.”
These key scenes are embroidered with comments from a handful of minor figures who present themselves as having the real dope on Tracy and Hepburn. Press agent Richard Gully, who died in 2000, is quoted from a posthumous Vanity Fair profile as saying that Tracy was a bisexual who was “never sober” (thus establishing he had very little—if any—real knowledge of Tracy). “I don’t think he functioned as a man,” Gully added. “He and Katharine Hepburn had chemistry only on screen.” In nearly six years of work on this book, I have not encountered one person who actually knew both Tracy and Hepburn who would endorse such a statement. In the same article, it should be noted, Gully fingered Giancana lieutenant Johnny Roselli as the true assassin of John F. Kennedy, claimed that Cary Grant had a “fleeting crush” on him, and spoke of Danny Kaye’s “love affair” with Laurence Olivier as if he knew of it firsthand—although the allegation of such a relationship was thoroughly discredited in Terry Coleman’s definitive biography of the actor.
Elliot Morgan, a member of George Cukor’s circle of cronies and acolytes known as the “chief unit,” is quoted as saying, “We knew Spencer wrestled with homosexuality.” Morgan goes on to suggest that Tracy and Tim Durant were lovers. “We definitely thought there was something between them.” Durant was a lot of things, but to the people who knew him well he was anything but homosexual. “Jesus Christ!” erupted actor Norman Lloyd, who met Durant in 1942 and considered him a dear friend. “Tim was the envy of every man in Hollywood for all the women he had.” Durant’s second wife, the author Mary Durant, patterned the serial womanizer Hoyt Bentley after him in her novel Quartet in Farewell Time. Later, his stepdaughter, Eleanor Cooney, wrote of him in her moving account of her mother’s descent into Alzheimer’s, Death in Slow Motion. Describing him as a “charming prick,” Cooney doesn’t portray Durant as gay at all. Her mother, she says, “laid him bare like a frog on the dissection tray” when she painted him as “part rogue, part hungry poet, and part matinee idol” in her 1963 book.
There is no hint of homosexual activity in the Tracy papers nor in anything I have seen or learned elsewhere during the course of researching this book. There is evidence to the contrary, particularly in the Ruth Gordon–Garson Kanin papers at the Library of Congress, where Tracy repeatedly plumbs for word of Gene Tierney and June Dally-Watkins; and, of course, in his 1941 and 1942 datebooks, where he notes his times with Ingrid Bergman.
A thorough criticism of Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn will have to wait until an authorized biographer is granted access to Hepburn’s journals and the correspondence still retained by her estate. Nevertheless, the book inspired a backlash from Hepburn fans, relatives, and friends who often knew the players and the situations far better than the people assigned to review it. Postings on such sites as Amazon inspired a spirited debate, into which the book’s editor frequently—and defensively—waded. From New Jersey, political consultant Sherry Sauerwine circulated a compelling point-by-point rebuttal to the book that runs fifty-eight single-spaced pages.
“I’ve read a lot of bios through the years,” Sauerwine wrote by way of introduction, “and never encountered one wherein the writer was so determined to bend the reader (let alone the subject) to his will.”
APPENDIX I
Stage Chronology
R.U.R.
By Karel Čapek. English version by Paul Selver and Nigel Playfair. (Frazee Theatre, January 1, 1923.) Management: Theatre Guild. Cast: Henry Travers, Mary Bonestell, William Devereux, Percy Waram, Kathlene MacDonell, Myrtland LaVarre, Marlyn Brown, Charles Esdale, Whit
ford Kane, Beatrice Moreland, John Rutherford, Spencer Tracy (First Robot), Richard Coolidge, Bernard Savage, Mary Hone, Charles Ellis. Staged by Philip Moeller. Also toured.
THE WOOD PLAYERS
(Palace Theatre, White Plains, N.Y., April 16, 1923.) Manager: Leonard Wood, Jr. Company: Louise Treadwell, Ernest Woodward, Delores Graves, Frederick Hargrave, Helene Niles, Alma Powell, Charles S. Greene, Fairfax Burgher, Thomas Hudson, Helen Edwards, Spencer Tracy, Valentine Winter, Edward Crandall. Director: Kendal Weston.
THE WOOD PLAYERS
(Empire Theatre, Fall River, Mass., June 13, 1923.) Manager: Leonard Wood, Jr. Company: Louise Treadwell, Thomas Williams, Delores Graves, George Simpson, Millie Beland, Jack W. Cowell, William Williams, Helen Edwards, Spencer Tracy. Director: Raymond Capp.
THE WOOD PLAYERS
(Fulton Opera House, Lancaster, Pa., July 2, 1923.) Manager: Leonard Wood, Jr. Company: Delores Graves, William Williams, Ernest Woodward, Ione Bright, Dorothy Hall, Thomas Williams, Borden Harriman, Louis Kracke, June Webster, Spencer Tracy, Helen Olcott. Director: Raymond Capp.
THE STUART WALKER STOCK COMPANY
(Cox Theatre, Cincinnati, September 10, 1923.) Manager: Stuart Walker. Company: Lucile Nikolas, Tom Powers, Clark Hoover, Judith Lowry, William H. Evarts, Edward Andreas, Norvin Gable, Agnes Horton, Spencer Tracy, Barnara Bridge, Aldrich Bowker, Ethel Downie, William Kirkland, Tom Springer, Genevieve Addleman, Charles Capehart, Boyd Agin, Wayne Huff, Regina Stanfiel. Director: Stuart Walker.
A ROYAL FANDANGO
By Zoë Akins. (Plymouth Theatre, November 12, 1923.) Management: Arthur Hopkins. Cast: Ethel Barrymore, Cyril Keightley, Jose Alessandro, Teddy Jones, Beverly Sitgreaves, Edward G. Robinson, Virginia Chauvenet, Charles Eaton, Lorna Volare, Harold Webster, Denise Corday, Walter Howe, Drake deKay, Aileen Poe, Frank Antiseri, Spencer Tracy (Holt). Staged by Arthur Hopkins. Twenty-four performances.
THE PROCTOR PLAYERS
(Proctor’s Theatre, Elizabeth, N.J., December 3, 1923.) Company: Russell Hicks, Ruth Rickaby, Harry Huguenot, Olga Hanson, Charles W. Dingle, Spencer Tracy, Jessie Brink, Walter J. Winter, Joe Moran, William Gerold, Thelma Ritter, Marguerite Bishop, Joe Crehan, George Barbier, George Bylett, Harold Burnett. Director: A. J. Edwards.
THE PLAYHOUSE STOCK COMPANY
(The Playhouse Theatre, Winnipeg, January 14, 1924.) Company: Allyn Gillyn, Coates Gwynne, Jetta Geffen, Jeanette Connor, Del McDermid, Spencer Tracy, Harrison Hoy, Jay J. Mulrey, Tom Richards. Director: Kendal Weston.
THE LYCEUM STOCK COMPANY
(Lyceum Theatre, Pittsburgh, April 7, 1924.) Manager: William H. Wright. Company: Marguerite Fields, Matthew McHugh, Catherine McHugh, William Crookshank, Cliff Boyer, Spencer Tracy, Eugene G. Harper, Nellie Booth, Arthur Mack, Ernest Gantier. Director: John Ellis.
THE BROADWAY PLAYERS
(Powers Theatre, Grand Rapids, Mich., June 16, 1924.) Manager: William H. Wright. Company: Selena Royle, Kenneth Daigneau, William Laveau, Halliam Bosworth, Spencer Tracy, Arthur Kohl, Ramon Greenleaf, Herbert Treitel, John Ellis, Charlotte Wade Daniel, Elsie Keene, Elizabeth Allen. Director: John Ellis.
THE MONTAUK PLAYERS
(Montauk Theatre, Brooklyn, N.Y., September 22, 1924.) Manager: William H. Wright. Company: Selena Royle, Spencer Tracy, William Laveau, Georgia Backus, Halliam Bosworth, C. Porter Hall, Ramon Greenleaf, Herbert Treitel, John Ellis, Josephine Royle, Charlotte Wade Daniel. Director: John Ellis.
THE BROADWAY PLAYERS
(Powers Theatre, Grand Rapids, Mich., April 12, 1925.) Manager: William H. Wright. Company: Selena Royle, Spencer Tracy, William Laveau, Halliam Bosworth, Josephine Royle, Herbert Treitel, John Ellis, Charlotte Wade Daniel, Ernest Gantier. Director: John Ellis.
THE SHEEPMAN
By Charlotte B. Chorpenning. (Stamford Theatre, Stamford, Conn., October 9, 1925.) Management: Boothe, Gleason & Truex. Cast: Dodson Mitchell, Margaret Borough, Spencer Tracy (Jack Roberts), Emmett Shackelford, Thomas Findlay, James Seeley, Max Walzman, Paul Jacchia, Carleton Macy, Julius Seebach, A. O. Huhan, Charles F. Burns, Marshall Hale, Claude E. Archer. Staged by James Gleason. Tryouts only.
THE TRENT STOCK COMPANY
(Trent Theatre, Trenton, N.J., November 3, 1925.) Manager: Walter Reade. Company: Ethel Remey, Spencer Tracy, Louise Huntington. Director: Frank McCoy.
THE BROADWAY PLAYERS
(Regent Theatre, Grand Rapids, Mich., February 8, 1926.) Manager: William H. Wright. Company: Helen Joy, Spencer Tracy, William Laveau, Betty Hanna, Ann Constant, Halliam Bosworth, Herbert Treitel, John Ellis, Charlotte Wade Daniel. Director: John Ellis.
YELLOW
By Margaret Vernon. (National Theatre, September 21, 1926.) Management: George M. Cohan. Cast: Chester Morris, Selena Royle, Hale Hamilton, Shirley Warde, Spencer Tracy (Jimmy Wilkes), Marjorie Wood, Harry C. Bannister, Frank Kingdon, Jane Wheatley, Richard Freeman. Staged by John Meehan. 132 performances.
NED MCCOBB’S DAUGHTER
By Sidney Howard. (Princess Theatre, Chicago, February 20, 1927.) Management: John Cromwell. Cast: John Cromwell, Florence Johns, Spencer Tracy (George Callahan), Burke Clarke, Harriette MacGibbon, Elmer Cornell, Robert Wayne, Arthur Cole, Joseph Daly, Ranold Savery. Staged by John Cromwell.
Note: Tracy left the cast after six weeks.
THE WRIGHT PLAYERS
(Faurot Opera House, Lima, Ohio, April 17, 1927.) Manager: William H. Wright. Company: Spencer Tracy, Louise Treadwell, Porter Hall, Vincent Dennis, Geraldine Browning, David Livingstone, Joseph Demier, Isabelle Herbert, Anthony Blair, Kitty Cosgriff, Harry Horne. Director: Harry Horne.
THE BABY CYCLONE
By George M. Cohan. (Henry Miller’s Theatre, September 12, 1927.) Management: George M. Cohan. Cast: Grant Mitchell, Natalie Moorhead, Spencer Tracy (Gene Hurley), Nan Sunderland, William Morris, Georgia Caine, Agnes Gildea, John T. Doyle, Joseph Allen, Charles F. McCarthy. Staged by Sam Forrest. 187 performances. Also toured.
STOCK AT THE OHIO THEATRE
(Ohio Theatre, Cleveland, June 24, 1928.) Leading man: Pierre Watkin.
Note: Tracy appeared in productions of The Baby Cyclone, Broadway, and Lulu Belle.
WHISPERING FRIENDS
By George M. Cohan. (Broad Theatre, Newark, N.J., August 21, 1928.) Management: George M. Cohan. Cast: Spencer Tracy (Joe Sanford), Georgia Caine, Walter Edwin, Gwenn Lowrey, Jack McKee, Kathleen Mulqueen. Staged by Sam Forrest. Tour only.
NIGHTSTICK
By John Wray, the Nugents, and Elaine Sterne Carrington. (Freeport Theatre, Freeport, Long Island, November 5, 1928.) Management: Russell Mack. Cast: Spencer Tracy (Tommy Glennon), Marjorie Crossland, James S. Barrett, Clara Palmer, Frances Horine, Victor Kilian, Donald Dillaway, Jerome Sheldon, Owen Martin, Frederick Strong, Harry Jenkins, Vera Trett, Loretta Puck, Emil Hirsch. Staged by Arthur Bouvier. Eight performances.
THE LESTER BRYANT STOCK COMPANY
(Auditorium Theater, Baltimore, December 24, 1928.) Manager: Lester Bryant. Company: Edna Hibbard, Spencer Tracy, Pat O’Brien, Martin Walfson, Frank McHugh, Philip Van Zandt, Alex Campbell, Harry Stafford. Director: Noel Travers.
CONFLICT
By Warren F. Lawrence. (Fulton Theatre, March 6, 1929.) Management: J. E. Horn (Spad Producing Co.). Cast: Spencer Tracy (Richard Banks), Edward Arnold, Frank McHugh, Peggy Allenby, Dennie Moore, Charles Scott, Albert Van Dekker, Jack Mead, Mabel Allyn. Staged by Edward Clarke Lilley. Thirty-seven performances.
SALT WATER
By Dan Jarrett (uncredited: Jean Dalrymple). (Playhouse, Mamaroneck, N.Y., May 27, 1929.) Management: John Golden. Cast: Spencer Tracy (John Horner), Edythe Elliott, Una Merkel, George Spelvin, Claude Cooper, Robert Burton, William Edmunds, Alan Goode, James C. Lane, Harry Lawrence, Patricia O’Hearn. Staged by John Golden. Tryouts only.
Note: Tracy was fired after the play’s Atlantic City engagement.
THE E. F. ALBEE PLAYERS
(Albee Theatre, Providence, R.I., June 24, 1929.) Manager: Foster Lardner. Company: Selena Royle, Spencer Tracy, John W. Moore, Walte
r Kenmore, William Harrison, Charles I. Schofield, Mal Arthur, Mal Kelly. Director: Charles I. Schofield.
NIGGER RICH (THE BIG SHOT)
By John McGowan. (Royale Theatre, September 20, 1929.) Management: Lee Shubert. Cast: Roderick Maybee, Spencer Tracy (Eddie Perkins), Don Beddoe, Adelaide Hibbard, Elvia Enders, Eric Dressler, John A. Butler, Helen Flint, Franklyn Fox, Richard Taber. Staged by the author. Eleven performances.
DREAD
By Owen Davis. (Belasco Theatre, Washington, D.C., October 20, 1929.) Management: Sam H. Harris. Cast: Spencer Tracy (Perry Crooker), Madge Evans, Miriam Doyle, Frank Shannon, George Meeker, Edwin Stanley, Marie Haynes, Helen Mack, Kathleen Comegys. Staged by the author. Tryouts only.
Note: The play closed after its Brooklyn engagement.
BLUE HEAVEN (VENEER)
By Hugh Stange. (Garrick Theatre, Chicago, December 22, 1929.) Management: Harry L. Cort, Charles H. Abramson. Cast: Joanna Roos, Spencer Tracy (Charlie Riggs), William Roselle, Betty Brown, John Kane, Harold Waldrige, Edith Shayne, Robert Sinclair. Staged by the author.
Note: Tracy replaced Henry Hull in the role of Charlie Riggs and played a week at the Forty-eighth Street Theatre in New York prior to Chicago.
THE LAST MILE
By John Wexley. (Sam H. Harris Theatre, February 13, 1930.) Management: Herman Shumlin. Cast: Spencer Tracy (John Mears), James Bell, Howard Phillips, Hale Norcross, Ernest Whitman, George Leach, Joseph Spurin-Calleia, Don Costello, Herbert Heywood, Orville Harris, Ralph Theadore, Richard Abbott, Henry O’Neill, Clarence Chase, Allen Jenkins, Albert West. Staged by Chester Erskine. 289 performances. Also Chicago.
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