Arthur Tracy Movies
Known and loved as "The Street Singer" during the 1930s, singer Arthur Tracy's success on the radio translated to a sporadic film career that began with the star-studded Bing Crosby musical The Big Broadcast (1932). In the film, he sang "Here Lies Love" which soon afterward became a major hit. When Tracy went to England for a tour, he stayed long enough to appear in four films, including Herbert Wilcox's Limelight and in The Street Singer (both 1937). In the 1980s, his rendition of "Pennies From Heaven" was used as the theme for Steve Martin's version of the musical drama. The song briefly revived his dormant career and led Tracy to take a small role in Crossing Delancey (1988). Tracy passed away at the age of 98 in New York's Mount Sinai Hospital. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1998
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Winner of the Best Jewish Experience Documentary award at the 1998 Jerusalem Film Festival, this A&E program directed by Simcha Jacobovici was also hailed as "provocative and engaging" by John Leonard in New York Magazine and "shrewdly on target" by Caryn James in The New York Times. Essentially an adaptation of Neal Gabler's award-winning, somewhat controversial book Hollywood: An Empire of Their Own: How The Jews Invented Hollywood, this documentary chronicles the amazing success story of the half-dozen Jewish immigrants or sons of immigrants who created the movie industry studio system and became the moguls of Hollywood during its Golden Age. Highlights include archival footage, interviews, and commentary on these leaders, including Adolph Zukor, founder of Paramount; Carl Laemmle, founder of Universal; Jack and Samuel Warner, founders of Warner Bros.; Louis B. Mayer, founder of MGM; William Fox, head of 20th Century-Fox; and Harry Cohn, who ran Columbia Pictures. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bernard Avishai, Judith Balaban, (more)
Can an independent, contemporary woman find happiness with a guy who sells pickles? Isabelle Grossman (Amy Irving) is an attractive, intelligent Jewish woman in her early 30s. She has a good job and a nice apartment on the Upper West Side, and she values her independence; she often visits her grandmother Bubbie (Reiz Bozyk), who lives on the Lower East Side and wants Isabelle to meet a nice Jewish man and settle down. Bubbie goes so far as to obtain the services of Hannah Mandelbaum (Sylvia Miles), a matchmaker who finds the "perfect" man for Isabelle: a pickle salesman named Sam Posner (Peter Riegert). Isabelle thinks Sam is a nice enough guy, but she has a hard time imagining herself spending her life with the pickle man, and she isn't sure if she wants to pursue the relationship. However, Sam is taken with Isabelle and goes out of his way to change her mind. Crossing Delancy was directed by Joan Micklin Silver, whose breakthrough film Hester Street also examined Jewish culture on the Lower East Side, albeit from the vantage point of the 1890s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Irving, Reizl Bozyk, (more)
- 1938
This film tells the story of Tracy's struggle to become a famous singer. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1937
In this romantic drama, a renowned stage singer leaves the theater to become a gypsy after his voice weakens. The break down of his voice is caused by nerves. In the gypsy camp he continues to sing on the street. In camp, he falls for a beautiful, naive gypsy girl who doesn't know that he is famous. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arthur Tracy, Lilli Palmer, (more)
- 1937
Backstage is more flavorful fluff from the star/director combo of Anna Neagle and Herbert Wilcox Neagle. Neagle plays a likeable chorine who hears tenor Arthur Tracy singing on streets. No surprises here: before he left for England, Tracy had gained fame in the US as radio's "Street Singer". But back to the plot: Neagle tries to find work for Tracy, but he doesn't get his Big Break until a major star comes down with laryngitis. Nope, still no surprises here. Once he becomes a star himself, Tracy grows swell-headed. What does down-to-earth Neagle do about this? Well, let's leave at least one surprise wrapped up. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Neagle, Arthur Tracy, (more)
- 1937
No relation to the same-named Charlie Chaplin production, Limelight is a joint vehicle for British movie favorite Anna Neagle and radio celebrity Arthur Tracy, aka "The Street Singer." Neagle plays chorus girl Marjorie Kaye, who discovers tenor Bob Grant (Tracy) as he sings in the streets for pennies. When the star of the show in which Marjorie is appearing develops laryngitis, she talks the producer into giving Bob a chance. Sure enough, he becomes an overnight sensation -- and surer enougher, success goes right to his head. After a brief dalliance with a society deb (Ellis Jeffreys), however, Bob realizes that he's still in love with Marjorie. In addition to the two stars, Limelight is enlivened by the dancing prowess of the legendary Tilly Losch; also showing up for an uncredited cameo is stage and screen luminary Jack Buchanan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Neagle, Arthur Tracy, (more)
- 1937
In this British musical, the trouble begins when a performer has a tiff with his singing partner during a show and ends up running outside. He is costumed as a beggar and in this guise encounters a kindly orphan who is in the custody of a former musician. Seeing his ragged clothing, she pities him and brings him home for a hot meal. The performer realizes that in the face of the poverty she and the magician suffer with daily, that he is truly a lucky man. Later he falls in love with the orphan girl and makes her his new partner. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arthur Tracy, Arthur Riscoe, (more)
- 1931
Based on a stage play by C. Stafford Dickens, Command Performance is also beholden to The Prisoner of Zenda and other Ruritanian romances of that ilk. Neil Hamilton stars as Peter Fedor, a stage actor who bears a striking resemblance to Prince Alexis of Kordovia (also Neil Hamilton). Getting into a fight with the hotheaded Alexis, Peter gives the prince a royal shiner. Impressed by his courage, the Queen Mother (Vera Lewis) orders Peter to impersonate Alexis, who has announced that he will give up his throne if he is forced to marry the contentious Princess Katerina (Una Merkel). Peter and the Princess fall in love, whereupon the petulant Alexis is told to take a hike. Command Performance was one of several interesting if not altogether successful films produced by James Cruze for low-budget Tiffany Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Neil Hamilton, Una Merkel, (more)
