James Curtis - Spencer Tracy: A Biography

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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, 19001967. 2. ActorsUnited StatesBiography. I. Title.
PN 2287. T 7 C 78 2011
791.43028092dc22
[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 Toms 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

Im 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? Its one of the first things his daughter ever recalled to me, and its a question Ive repeatedly asked myself as Ive 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 Tracys wasnt easy, and it would have been impossible without the help of a great many people.

This book wouldnt 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 timenearly two years passed before I was formally able to assume the task of researching and writing the book. Susie made everything in her possessiondatebooks, scrapbooks, letters, and manuscriptsavailable for my use, and cleared the way for my work at John Tracy Clinic. I also began the task of interviewing Tracys friends, family members, and coworkers, some of whom agreed to talk with me only because I had Susies 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 recordsmedical 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 fathers life, had known Katharine Hepburn only after his death. There was much she wantedneededto 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 deadLorraine 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 Tracys 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. Katharines 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 Tracys generation. Janes 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 Spencers venerable Aunt Mum. From Chicago, further details of the Tracy family and its history were provided by Sister Ann Willitts, O.P.