Lee Tracy Movies
The son of a traveling railroad worker, Lee Tracy was never in one place long enough to claim a hometown. After attending Western Military Academy, Tracy studied electrical engineering at Union College. He served as a 2nd lieutenant in World War I, later returning to uniform (with higher ranking) during World War II. In the late teens, Tracy decided to give acting a whirl; after experience in stock, he became a Broadway star by way of his starring role in the original 1924 production of George Kelly's The Show Off. Thanks to his finely honed features and mile-a-minute voice, Tracy was most often cast as a newspaperman. He played reporter Hildy Johnson in the 1928 staging of The Front Page and a Walter Winchell-type gossip columnist in 1932's Blessed Event -- the first of many Winchell-esque stage and screen assignments. Even late in life, Tracy couldn't get the newsprint out of his veins, as witness his 1958 TV series New York Confidential. In private life, Tracy had a reputation as a rounder and troublemaker; he lost a plum role in the movie Viva Villa when, while on location in Mexico, he stood on the balcony of his hotel and urinated on a passing military parade. Despite his contentiousness, Tracy was regarded as a thorough professional, well liked by his coworkers because of his willingness to share the spotlight. During his film career, Tracy accepted many a B-picture role, investing his earnings wisely so as to be able to pick and choose his roles later in life. In the latter stages of his career, Lee Tracy was one of four actors to portray the TV detective Martin Kane, and was memorably cast as the peppery Truman-like U.S. president in both the Broadway and film versions of Gore Vidal's The Best Man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1964
Gore Vidal adapted his biting and bitter political satire from his hit Broadway play. Franklin J. Schaffner directed and Haskell Wexler provided the sharp-edged cinematography. The story concerns the political back-biting and smear politics involved in a presidential election year scramble by potential presidential party nominees. Lee Tracy (in an Oscar-nominated performance and his final screen role) is Art Hockstader, a dying president who refuses to throw his support behind any of his party's presidential hopefuls. Hoping to get the nod as the party's presidential candidate is liberal do-gooder William Russell (Henry Fonda). His wife Alice (Margaret Leighton) wants to get a divorce from Russell but is delaying the divorce proceedings until after the party convention. Opposing Russell for the nomination is Joe Cantwell (Cliff Robertson), a slick and unscrupulous political monster who will use any bit of dirt to get ahead in the party. When he discovers that Russell once suffered from mental problems, he threatens to use it against him. Russell then finds out that Cantwell once had a homosexual relationship. Russell, who abhors smear politics, now has to decide whether to use the information against Cantwell or bury the secret and risk losing the nomination. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson, (more)
- 1947
In this mystery, set within the newspaper industry, a detective is hired to protect the editor who believes that someone is out to kill him. The editor is the real villain having killed the publisher, the publisher's detective, and a friend so that he could grab the reigns of the company. The detective was hired to cast suspicion elsewhere. It backfires when the private eye finds out the truth. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Don Castle, (more)
- 1945
In this comedy, a PR man saves a struggling radio station from ruin. Songs include: "Slap Polka", "Walk A Little Faster", "Moonlight Fiesta", and "Where The Prairie Meets The Sky". ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1944
With famed journalist Drew Pearson appearing in the film's prologue and epilogue, it was easy in 1945 to confuse Betrayal from the East with Real Life. Lee Tracy is once again cast as a seemingly disreputable type with a heart of gold, in this case an expatriate ex-GI named Eddie. Believing that he'd be willing to sell out his country, a Japanese spy ring approach Eddie and ask him to get his hands on secret American war plans. But Eddie is still a true-blue Son of Uncle Sam; at the behest of Army Intelligence, Eddie agrees to play counterspy, using dictaphones, phony messages and other such devices to pull the wool over the enemy's eyes. The results aren't very pretty for either Eddie or his fellow counterspy Peggy (Nancy Kelly), though the audience can take some comfort in the fact that their sacrifice was for the good of Democracy. Fairly slow going during most of its 82 minutes, Betrayal From the East comes to a startling conclusion as Peggy suffers mightily at the hands of her Japanese captors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nancy Kelly, Richard Loo, (more)
Lee Tracy once more plays a fast-talking, slightly amoral newspaper reporter in PRC's The Payoff. Tracy is cast as Brad McKay, who at present is investigating the murder of a special prosecutor. The dead man was on the verge of delivering damning evidence against racket boss John Angus (Jack LaRue), and it looks as though the killing was an "inside job", committed by one of the victim's associates. Aiding and abetting McKay are cub reporter Guy Morris (Tom Brown), the publisher's son; Phyllis Walker (Tina Thayer), daughter of the murdered man; and Alma Dorene (Evelyn Brent), a femme fatale who is Not What She Seems. Way, way down on the cast list is Pat Costello, the brother of comedian Lou Costello. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1943
What happens when "freedom of the press" is abused in wartime? In Power of the Press, the consequences are nearly catastrophic. Otto Kruger plays ruthless newspaper publisher Howard Rankin, who uses his journalistic privileges to destroy his political enemies. When the usual methods of character assassination fail him, Rankin resorts to murder. Honest editor Griff Thompson (Lee Tracy), working hand-in-hand with his faithful secretary Edwina Stephens (Gloria Dickson), sets the wheels in motion for Rankin's downfall. Top-billed Guy Kibbee plays a supporting role as a "solid citizen" who's actually a nefarious hoarder (this was WW II, remember), while Victor Jory is slime personified as Rankin's chief henchman. Power of the Press is based on a story by former newspaper editor (and future director) Sam Fuller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Kibbee, Gloria Dickson, (more)
- 1940
The title of Millionaires in Prison (which begs for the rejoinder "about time!") pertains to four individuals. Two of the incarcerated millionaires, Bruce Vander (Raymond Walburn) and Harold Kellogg (Thurston Hall) have become the fall guys in a corporate swindle; the other two are brokers James Brent (Morgan Conway) and Sidney Keats (Chester Clute), who scheme to arrange an illicit stock deal in the joint. Prisoner Nick Burton (Lee Tracy) - the unofficial leader of the convicts - runs the prison like a resort, and treats the other inmates like kings. In the central story, Dr. William Collins (Truman Bradley) - a physician locked up for driving recklessly - discovers the cure for Malta fever and uses four infected prisoners as test subjects. Director Ray McCarey obviously didn't put a high priority on credibility when making Millionaires in Prison; of this, Variety wrote, "Some situations are implausible, but good for laughs." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Linda Hayes, (more)
- 1939
Carnival promoter Fixer Dugan (Lee Tracy) is so named because of his ability to mollify angry customers and process-serving sheriffs. Fixer also works overtime patching up the personal problems of the various carney performers. Along the way, he helps out lion tamer Peggy Shannon, who is in danger of losing her cats to a crooked rival, and Virginia Weidler, the orphaned daughter of the troupe's recently deceased high-wire artist. Bert Granet and Paul Yawitz adapted their screenplay from a story treatment by director H.C. Potter, who otherwise had nothing to do with this RKO programmer. Fixer Dugan was released in England as Double Daring. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Virginia Weidler, (more)
- 1939
In this crime drama, a shyster lawyer makes his living earning acquittals for his guilty clients. Most recently he freed a powerful crime lord. He comes to regret this when his daughter falls in love with the gangster. Despite his efforts to dissuade the criminal from pursuing the relationship, the gangster does. The desperate lawyer then kills the gangster and soon finds himself on trial for murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Barbara Read, (more)
- 1937
A newspaper reporter vies with his arch rival, who is also his girl friend, for the scoop on a recent bank robbery. The race nearly destroys their relationship until he saves her from the evil crooks. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Diana Gibson, (more)
- 1937
Attorney Lee Tracy gains renown for his flamboyant courtroom tactics, which nearly always result in acquittal for his clients. Though none too honest, Tracy rises to the position of district attorney. Unbeknownst to the public, the D.A. is in the pocket of local gangster interests, who hope that their courtroom connections will allow them to operate unmolested. His conscience awakened by his faithful girlfriend (Margot Grahame), Tracy turns his back on his mobster cronies; his career is ruined, but he is "clean" for the first time in his life. Criminal Court is a remake of the 1932 John Barrymore vehicle State's Attorney; the later film makes several concessions to the now more stringent censors, especially when it comes to detailing the former profession of the D.A.'s lady friend. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Margot Grahame, (more)
- 1937
This back-stage crime comedy, a remake of Lights Out (1923), takes a healthy satirical stab at the powerful studio system of the times. The trouble begins when an ex-convict and a screenwriter together write a screenplay based on the bank robbery that got the criminal in trouble with the law. After the film's release, the police, following the clues set forth on screen, capture the ex-con's former partners who escaped before. When other mobsters see the film and hear the story, they fear that such films will become the rage and they could go to jail, so they launch an all-out assault on a Hollywood studio creating all sorts of behind-the-scenes mayhem. Ironically, soon after Crashing Hollywood was released, a hit man for the Bugsy Siegel-Meyer Lansky Mob in New York spotted an extra who turned out to be former mobster "Big Harry" Greenberg, who snitched on his bosses and then disappeared. The hit man informed his superiors and soon afterward, Greenberg was slain. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Joan Woodbury, (more)
- 1936
Universal plunged into the clutches of its creditors with its expensive fiasco Sutter's Gold. Edward Arnold plays Swiss immigrant Johann Sutter, who seeks his fortune in the California of the 1830s. Against all odds, Sutter builds up a huge land empire, only to watch its explode when gold is discovered at Sutter's mill in 1848. Prospectors, speculators and claim-jumpers strip Sutter of his hard-earned riches, and he is forced to retire on a minimal government pension. While the film ignores the dicier facts about the real Johann Sutter, who was as much confidence trickster and philanderer as he was visionary, and while history is distorted to the point that Sutter's Fort is subject to an Alamo-style Mexican raid, there is nothing really wrong with this on an entertainment level. But it went way over budget and was too downbeat a tale to score with a depression audience looking for optimistic answers to its own financial problems. The failure was softened somewhat by the success of Universal's subsequent Show Boat, but it was too late for the studio's Carl Laemmle regime, which would be ousted by the end of 1936. That same year, incidentally, a German film about Johann Sutter, The Kaiser of California, was made, with Hans Albers in the lead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Arnold, Lee Tracy, (more)
- 1936
Wanted: Jane Turner was inspired by an actual robbery-murder case of 1926. A gang of thieves use the Post Office's general-delivery service to pick up and send out their ill-gotten gains. To throw the cops off the scent, the crooks have established a P.O. box under the fictional name of "Jane Turner." Trouble starts brewing when a real Jane Turner (Judith Blake), who knows nothing about the criminal activity, shows up to collect her mail. With Jane's help, postal inspectors (Lee Tracy and Gloria Stuart) put the heat on the villains, who've already tipped their hand by killing a driver during a mail-truck heist. Wanted: Jane Turner was remade in 1941 as Lady Scarface. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Gloria Stuart, (more)
- 1935
In this melodramatic comedy a carnival puppeteer must cope with the death of his wife who expired while birthing his daughter. His father-in-law, decides to sue him for custody of the little girl because he believes carnival life with a single father will be harmful to her. The puppeteer takes the baby and runs. Before he goes he bids adieu to his female assistant. Two years pass, and he finally comes back to the show. His faithful assistant welcomes him and introduces her newest friend. Unfortunately the grandfather is still trying to get custody. To keep his daughter, the puppeteer must marry. He does not think to ask the assistant, and she, who of course loves him, runs off. The puppeteer and his new friend decide to enter the girl in a baby contest. They are accused of trying to fix the results and are arrested. His assistant returns and he wakes up to the fact that the perfect mom has been there by his side all along. He asks that she take care of the daughter until he serves his six month sentence. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Sally Eilers, (more)
- 1935
Two Fisted is based on the James Gleason-Richard Taber stage play Is Zat So?, previously filmed under its original title in 1927. Lee Tracy stars as fast-lipped fight manager Hay Hurley, while Roscoe Karns co-stars as slow-witted pugilist Chick Moran. Flat broke, Hay and Chick take servant jobs in the household of wealthy Sue Parker (Gail Patrick). Overstepping their bounds, our heroes manage to dissuade Sue from leaving her husband (Gordon Westcott) and son (Billy Lee) to run off with silly-ass Englishman Fitzstanley (G. P. Huntley Jr.) Grace Bradley is featured as Marie, Hay's dumb-dora girlfriend (suggesting perhaps that her role was originally intended for Gracie Allen). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Roscoe Karns, (more)
- 1934
Marshall Neilan, a great silent film director on the verge of obscurity, had one last big-studio stand with The Lemon Drop Kid. Lee Tracy plays a racetrack tout who calls himself a "horse medium"--that is, he reads the horse's minds for the gullible bettors. He quits the track for the love of a good woman (Helen Mack) and settles down in a small town, determined to go straight. But when his wife falls ill, Tracy goes back to his old crooked ways to raise money for her treatment. Adapted from a Damon Runyon story, Lemon Drop Kid was refilmed in 1951 with a whole new plot to accommodate Bob Hope, the Christmas season, and the hit song "Silver Bells". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Helen Mack, (more)
- 1934
Paramount's You Belong to Me is a showcase for juvenile performer David Jack Holt, youngest son of action star Jack Holt. The boy is cast as Jimmy Faxon, the son of recently widowed vaudeville performer Florette Faxon (Helen Mack). When Florette marries acrobat Hap Stanley (Arthur Pierson), Jimmy takes an instant dislike to his new stepfather, preferring the company of happy-go-lucky vaudeville comic Bud Hannigan (Lee Tracy). Though Bud tries to encourage Jimmy to give Hap a chance, it turns out that the kid's instincts are correct: Hap is a philandering heel, who walks out on Florette at the earliest opportunity. The upshot of all this is that poor Jimmy is left an orphan, with old reliable Bud providing the boy with a shoulder to cry on at the fadeout. Helen Morgan adds to the overall gloominess with one of her patented torch songs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Helen Mack, (more)
- 1934
Lee Tracy once again plays a Winchellesque newspaper reporter in Universal's I'll Tell the World. More interested in his sex life than his career, news hawk Brown (Tracy) nonetheless agrees to cover the activities of a European archduke (Onslow Stevens) on behalf of his wire service. To circumvent rival reporter Briggs (Roger Pryor), Brown adopts a variety of disguises, and while travelling under an alias he makes the acquaintance of Jane (Gloria Stuart), a princess posing as an American tourist. The finale is a melange of romance, international intrigue, and journalistic double-crosses, culminating in Brown saving Jane's kingdom from revolution. The 1945 Universal minimusical I'll Tell the World is not a remake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1933
Jean Harlow is the "bombshell" of the title, a popular movie actress named Lola. Though she seemingly has everything a girl could possibly want, Lola is fed up with her sponging relatives, her "work til you drop" studio, and the nonsensical publicity campaigns conducted by press agent Lee Tracy. She tries to escape Hollywood by marrying a titled foreign nobleman, but Tracy has the poor guy arrested as an illegal alien. Finally Lola finds what she thinks is perfect love in the arms of aristocratic Franchot Tone, but she renounces Tone when his snooty father C. Aubrey Smith looks down his nose at Lola and her profession. Upon discovering that Tone and his entire family were actors hired by Tracy, Lola goes ballistic--until she realizes that Tracy, for all his bluff and chicanery, is the man who truly loves her. Allegedly based on the career of Clara Bow (who, like Lola, had a parasitic family and a duplicitous private secretary), Bombshell is a prime example of Jean Harlow at her comic best. So as not to mislead audiences into thinking this was a war picture, MGM retitled the film Blonde Bombshell for its initial run. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy, (more)
Based on the Broadway hit by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, Dinner at Eight is a near-flawless comedy/drama with an all-star cast at the peak of their talents. Social butterfly Mrs. Oliver Jordan (Billie Burke) arranges a dinner party that will benefit the busines of her husband (Lionel Barrymore). Among the invited are a crooked executive (Wallace Beery), who is in the process of ruining Jordan; his wife (Jean Harlow), who is carrying on an affair with a doctor (Edmund Lowe); a fading matinee idol (John Barrymore), who has squandered his fortune on liquor and is romantically involved with the Jordan daughter (Madge Evans); and a venerable stage actress (Marie Dressler), who since losing all her money has become a "professional guest." Nothing goes as planned, due to various suicides, double-crosses, compromises, fatal illness, and servant problems. But dinner is served precisely at eight. The script by Herman Mankiewicz, Frances Marion, and Donald Ogden Stewart is a virtual enclyopedia of witty lines and scenes, right down to the unforgettable closing gag. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie Dressler, John Barrymore, (more)
- 1933
In this comedy, an oily tongued sleazy lawyer, who specializes in injuries, makes sure all of clients, regardless of the size of their injuries, make it big in court. He is assisted by a thoroughly convincing doctor who can make the smallest bruise look like life-threatening internal bleeding. The lawyer is so successful, that one of the companies he constantly sues attempts to get him disbarred. To prove that he's a shyster, the company hires a pretty woman to seduce the truth out him. Unfortunately, they end up falling in love. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Madge Evans, (more)
- 1933
A splashy journalist finds herself embroiled in international intrigue when she hooks up with a sneaky Russian correspondent who curries favor by saving a Secret Police official. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Benita Hume, (more)
- 1933
In this war comedy, the reluctant hero finds himself drafted and forced to fight the Germans whom he feels he has nothing against. He spends as much time as possible working in the kitchen and loving the commander's wife on the sly. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Donald Cook, (more)
