Spencer Tracy

Born: 1900-04-02

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor, noted for his natural style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy won two Academy Awards for Best Actor from nine nominations, sharing the record for nominations in that category with Laurence Olivier. Tracy first discovered his talent for acting while attending Ripon College, and he later received a scholarship for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He spent seven years in the theatre, working in a succession of stock companies and intermittently on Broadway. Tracy's breakthrough came in 1930, when his lead performance in The Last Mile caught the attention of Hollywood. After a successful film debut in John Ford's Up the River starring Tracy and Humphrey Bogart, he was signed to a contract with Fox Film Corporation. His five years with Fox featured one acting tour de force after another that were usually ignored at the box office, and he remained largely unknown to audiences after 25 films, almost all of them starring Tracy as the leading man. None of them were hits although The Power and the Glory (1933) features arguably his most acclaimed performance in retrospect. In 1935, Tracy joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, at the time Hollywood's most prestigious studio. His career flourished with a series of hit films, and in 1937 and 1938 he won consecutive Oscars for Captains Courageous and Boys Town. He made three smash hit films supporting Clark Gable, the studio's principal leading man, firmly fixing the notion of Gable and Tracy as a team in the public imagination. By the 1940s, Tracy was one of the studio's top stars. In 1942, he appeared with Katharine Hepburn in Woman of the Year, beginning another popular partnership that produced nine movies over 25 years. Tracy left MGM in 1955, and continued to work regularly as a freelance star, despite an increasing weariness as he aged. His personal life was troubled, with a lifelong struggle against severe alcoholism and guilt over his son's deafness. Tracy became estranged from his wife in the 1930s, but never divorced, conducting a long-term relationship with Katharine Hepburn in private. Towards the end of his life, Tracy worked almost exclusively for director Stanley Kramer. It was for Kramer that he made his last film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner in 1967, completed just 17 days before his death. During his career, Tracy appeared in 75 films and developed a reputation among his peers as one of the screen's greatest actors. In 1999 the American Film Institute ranked Tracy as the 9th greatest male star of Classic Hollywood Cinema.


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It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

as C. G. Culpepper
Released: 1963-11-07

A group of strangers come across a man dying after a car crash who proceeds to tell them about...

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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

as Matt Drayton
Released: 1967-12-11

A couple's attitudes are challenged when their daughter brings home a fiancé who is black.

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How the West Was Won

as Narrator (voice)
Released: 1962-11-02

The epic tale of the development of the American West from the 1830s through the Civil War to...

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The Last Hurrah

as Mayor Frank Skeffington
Released: 1958-12-31

In a changing world where television has become the main source of information, Adam Caulfield,...

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Fury

as Joe Wilson
Released: 1936-06-05

Joe, who owns a gas station along with his brothers and is about to marry Katherine, travels to...

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Judgment at Nuremberg

as Dan Haywood
Released: 1961-12-18

In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military...

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State of the Union

as Grant Matthews
Released: 1948-04-30

An industrialist is urged to run for President, but this requires uncomfortable compromises on...

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The Old Man and the Sea

as The Old Man
Released: 1958-10-07

Santiago is an aging, down-on-his-luck, Cuban fisherman who, after catching nothing for nearly 3...

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Adam's Rib

as Adam Bonner
Released: 1949-11-18

When a woman attempts to kill her uncaring husband, prosecutor Adam Bonner gets the case....

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Captains Courageous

as Manuel Fidello
Released: 1937-06-25

Harvey, the arrogant and spoiled son of an indulgent absentee-father, falls overboard from a...

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San Francisco

as Father Tim Mullin
Released: 1936-06-26

A beautiful singer and a battling priest try to reform a Barbary Coast saloon owner in the days...

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Boys Town

as Father Flanagan
Released: 1938-09-08

Devout but iron-willed Father Flanagan leads a community called Boys Town, a different sort of...

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Father of the Bride

as Stanley T. Banks
Released: 1950-05-18

Proud father Stanley Banks remembers the day his daughter, Kay, got married. Starting when she...

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Inherit the Wind

as Henry Drummond
Released: 1960-07-07

Schoolteacher Bertram Cates is arrested for teaching his students Darwin's theory of evolution....

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That's Entertainment!

as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: 1974-06-21

Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50...

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The Devil at 4 O'Clock

as Father Matthew Doonan
Released: 1961-10-18

A crusty, eccentric priest recruits three reluctant convicts to help him rescue a children's...

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A Guy Named Joe

as Pete Sandidge
Released: 1943-12-24

A cocky Air Force pilot stationed in England during World War II falls for a daring female...

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Bad Day at Black Rock

as John J. Macreedy
Released: 1955-01-13

One-armed war veteran John J. Macreedy steps off a train at the sleepy little town of Black...

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Woman of the Year

as Sam Craig
Released: 1942-02-05

Rival reporters Sam and Tess fall in love and get married, only to find their relationship...

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

as Dr. Henry 'Harry' Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
Released: 1941-08-12

Dr. Jekyll believes good and evil exist in everyone and creates a potion that allows his evil...

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Northwest Passage

as Major Robert Rogers
Released: 1940-02-23

Based on the Kenneth Roberts novel of the same name, this film tells the story of two friends...

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Father's Little Dividend

as Stanley Banks
Released: 1951-04-05

Newly married Kay Dunstan announces that she and her husband are having a baby, leaving her...

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Broken Lance

as Matt Devereaux
Released: 1954-09-25

Cattle baron Matt Devereaux raids a copper smelter that is polluting his water, then divides his...

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Libeled Lady

as Warren Haggerty
Released: 1936-10-09

When a major newspaper accuses wealthy socialite Connie Allenbury of being a home-wrecker, and...

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Pat and Mike

as Mike Conovan
Released: 1952-06-13

Pat Pemberton is a brilliant athlete, except when her domineering fiancé is around. The ladies...

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Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

as Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle
Released: 1944-11-15

In the wake of Pearl Harbor, a young lieutenant leaves his expectant wife to volunteer for a...

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Desk Set

as Richard Sumner
Released: 1957-08-02

A computer expert tries to prove his electronic brain can replace a television network's...

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Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2018-07-27

A deliciously scandalous portrait of unsung Hollywood legend Scotty Bowers, whose bestselling...

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Test Pilot

as Gunner Morse
Released: 1938-04-16

Jim is a test pilot. His wife Ann and best friend Gunner try their best to keep him sober. But...

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The Seventh Cross

as George Heisler
Released: 1944-07-24

In Nazi Germany in 1936 seven men escape from a concentration camp. The camp commander puts up...

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That's Entertainment, Part II

as (archive footage)
Released: 1976-05-16

Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time...

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La Classe américaine

as The Professional Witness (archive footage)
Released: 1993-12-31

George Abitbol, the classiest man in the world, dies tragically during a cruise. The director of...

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Boom Town

as Square John Sand
Released: 1940-08-30

Two buddies who rise from fly-by-night wildcatters to oil tycoons over a twenty year period both...

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Big City

as Joe Benton
Released: 1937-09-03

Anna and Joe are newly married, playful and deeply in love. Joe is scraping by as cab driver in...

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Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: 1983-02-25

Out-takes (mostly from Warner Bros.), promotional shorts, movie premieres, public service pleas,...

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A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound

as Self
Released: 1940-10-24

This short documentary, presented and directed by MGM sound engineer Douglas Shearer, goes...

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Quick Millions

as Daniel J. 'Bugs' Raymond
Released: 1931-04-17

A truck driver "too lazy to work and too nervous to steal" gets mixed up in racketeering....

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Without Love

as Pat Jamieson
Released: 1945-03-22

In World War II Washington DC, scientist Pat Jamieson's assistant, Jamie Rowan, enters a...

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Keeper of the Flame

as Stevie O'Malley
Released: 1943-04-01

Famed reporter Stephen O'Malley travels to a small town to investigate the death of a national hero.

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The Mountain

as Zachary Teller
Released: 1956-05-31

Selfish Chris Teller pressures his older brother, a retired climber, to accompany him on a...

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Men of Boys Town

as Edward Flanagan
Released: 1941-04-11

Father Flanagan raises funds, helps a disabled boy, and saves an older boy from reform school.

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George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1985-03-03

Biography of the legendary filmmaker directed by his son.

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And the Oscar Goes To...

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2014-02-01

The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND...

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Hollywood: The Dream Factory

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1972-01-10

A documentary about the glorious history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its decline leading...

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1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2009-07-02

This documentary focuses on 1939, considered to be Hollywood's greatest year, with film clips...

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The Sea of Grass

as Col. James B. Brewton
Released: 1947-04-25

A St. Louis woman marries a New Mexico cattleman who is seen as a tyrant by the locals.

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Movie Tough Guys

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1991-01-01

This compilation of film highlights features many of the biggest box office tough guys of the...

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The Actress

as Clinton Jones
Released: 1953-09-25

The true story of Ruth Gordon's early struggles on the road to stage stardom.

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Plymouth Adventure

as Capt. Christopher Jones
Released: 1952-11-28

During the Mayflower pilgrims' long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean on their way to America,...

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Rat Pack

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2022-01-11

In the 1950s, a small group of artists monopolized the attention of the cameras and the public....

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The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1988-10-01

This documentary revisits the making of Gone with the Wind via archival footage, screen tests,...

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The Big Parade of Comedy

as Haggerty in 'Libeled Lady' (archive footage)
Released: 1964-09-02

Film clips highlight the funniest scenes and brightest comic stars in MGM's history.

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Marie Galante

as Dr. Crawbett
Released: 1934-10-25

On the French coast, unlucky Marie Galante is abducted and forced to board an American cargo...

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Hollywood: The Selznick Years

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: 1961-12-31

Henry Fonda hosts this retrospective on the career and films of iconic filmmaker David O....

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Riffraff

as Dutch
Released: 1936-01-03

Fisherman Dutch marries cannery worker Hattie. After he is kicked out of his union and fired...

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Whipsaw

as Ross 'Mac' McBride aka Danny Ross Ackerman
Released: 1935-12-18

Hot jewels from London make their way to New York, where they are stolen by racketeer Ed Dexter,...

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20,000 Years in Sing Sing

as Tommy Connors
Released: 1932-12-24

Brash hoodlum Tom Connors enters Sing Sing cocksure of himself and disrespectful toward...

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Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

as Self
Released: 1940-07-31

This 1940 presentation features highlights of earlier (1928 onward) Oscar ceremonies including...

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Dante's Inferno

as Jim Carter
Released: 1935-08-23

A carny builds a gambling empire at the expense of his family's wellbeing.

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Young Tom Edison

as Man Admiring Portrait of Thomas A. Edison
Released: 1940-03-15

Inventor Thomas Edison's boyhood is chronicled and shows him as a lad whose early inventions and...

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Hollywood Hobbies

as Himself (uncredited)
Released: 1939-05-03

In this short film, two starstruck movie fans hire a tour guide and see a plethora of Hollywood...

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The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1986-03-09

In this tribute to her frequent co-star and longtime love, Katharine Hepburn hosts a...

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Edward, My Son

as Arnold Boult
Released: 1949-03-01

Following the death of his only son, a ruthless businessman reflects on his life, his unhappy...

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Man's Castle

as Bill
Released: 1933-11-20

An unemployed man turns to crime when he gets his girlfriend pregnant.

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Now I'll Tell

as Murray Golden
Released: 1934-06-07

A two-bit gambler somehow claws his way to the top. His love for riches is only matched by his...

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Up the River

as Saint Louis
Released: 1930-10-10

Daily life at men and women's prison units where baseball and the marching band are serious...

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Mannequin

as John Hennessey
Released: 1938-01-21

Jessie, a young working class woman, seeks to improve her life by marrying her boyfriend, only...

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Cass Timberlane

as Cass Timberlane
Released: 1947-11-06

Judge Cass Timberlane marries a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, Virginia Marshland. A...

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Tortilla Flat

as Pilon
Released: 1942-05-21

Danny, a poor northern Californian Mexican-American, inherits two houses from his grandfather...

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Me and My Gal

as Danny Dolan
Released: 1932-12-04

Jaunty young policeman Danny Dolan falls in love with waterfront cafe waitress Helen Riley.

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Edison, the Man

as Thomas A. Edison
Released: 1940-05-10

In flashback, fifty years after inventing the light bulb, an 82-year-old Edison tells his story...

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Ingrid Bergman Remembered

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1996-04-06

Her name conjures up beauty, grace, talent and style. One of the greatest actresses of her time,...

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I Take This Woman

as Karl Decker
Released: 1940-02-02

On return from Europe Dr. Decker foils glamour girl Georgi from jumping overboard. At Decker's...

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Something a Little Less Serious: A Tribute to 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World'

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1991-01-01

A star-studded documentary and tribute to the classic comedy, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.

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Hollywood Goes to Town

as Self
Released: 1938-07-07

This short shows how Hollywood gets ready for the world premiere of an "important" movie. The...

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Malaya

as Carnaghan
Released: 1949-12-27

After living abroad for several years, journalist John Royer returns to the United States just...

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Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1975-08-06

Period music, film clips and newsreel footage combined into a visual exploration of the American...

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The People Against O'Hara

as James P. Curtayne
Released: 1951-09-01

A defense attorney jeopardizes his career to save his client.

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Twenty Years After

as (archive footage)
Released: 1944-01-01

This short celebrates the 20th anniversary of MGM. Segments are shown from several early hits,...

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Bogart: The Untold Story

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: 1997-01-05

Stephen H. Bogart narrates the rise to fame of his father, Humphrey Bogart through the use of...

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Sky Devils

as Wilkie
Released: 1932-03-12

Wilkie and Mitchell, trying to desert their draft into the army, stow away on a ship which takes...

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Young America

as Jack Doray
Released: 1932-04-17

Mrs. Doray sits with a Juvenile Court Judge to learn more about problem children and what to do...

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The Show-Off

as J. Aubrey Piper
Released: 1934-03-09

Aubrey cons Amy into thinking he's a railroad bigwig. When he loses his job he takes one wearing...

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They Gave Him a Gun

as Fred P. Willis
Released: 1937-05-07

With no other prospects, a World War I veteran puts the skills they taught him in the War to use.

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The Romance of Celluloid

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1937-08-27

Several behind the scenes aspects of the movie-making business, which results in the enjoyment...

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James Stewart: A Wonderful Life

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1988-11-22

Documentary about James Stewart's long career as an actor and positive personal life.

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Hollywood: Style Center of the World

as Self
Released: 1940-05-29

This short promotes the premise that movies often create a demand for the fashions seen in them....

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Stanley and Livingstone

as Henry M. Stanley
Released: 1939-08-18

When American newspaperman and adventurer Henry M. Stanley comes back from the western Indian...

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The Mad Game

as Edward Carson
Released: 1933-10-27

Bootlegger Ed Carson is sent to prison. His old gang turns from liquor (now legal) to...

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Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To

as (archive footage)
Released: 1990-06-04

This tribute to Myrna Loy is organized chronologically with a few photographs, many film clips,...

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Bottoms Up

as 'Smoothie' King
Released: 1934-04-12

Promoter "Smoothie" King helps a pair of phonies con their way into a movie company. As Wanda...

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Shanghai Madness

as Pat Jackson
Released: 1933-08-03

In the 1920s Pat Jackson destroys a Chinese post and is discharged from the Navy. Li Po Chang...

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Six Cylinder Love

as William Donroy
Released: 1931-05-10

Troubles begin for the Sterlings when they buy an expensive car and friends start pressing them...

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The Painted Woman

as Tom Brian
Released: 1932-08-20

After becoming involved in a killing, Kiddo gets on board Boyton's ship. When he learns what...

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The Power and the Glory

as Tom Garner
Released: 1933-10-06

A man's life is retold just after his funeral. Beginning as a track walker, Tom Garner rose...

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Disorderly Conduct

as Dick Fay
Released: 1932-03-20

When motorcycle cop Dick Fay gives a ticket to Phyllis Crawford, her father's graft-fed...

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Another Romance of Celluloid

as Self (uncredited)
Released: 1938-02-05

This second entry in MGM's "Romance of Film" series documents how celluloid movie film is...

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Northward, Ho!

as Himself
Released: 1940-02-10

Behind-the-scenes promotional featurette to publicize the epic outdoor adventure Northwest...

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Harlow: The Blonde Bombshell

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1993-02-06

Actress Sharon Stone hosts this documentary about the life and career of 1930s sex symbol Jean...

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The Murder Man

as Steven 'Steve' Grey
Released: 1935-07-12

Steve Grey, reporter for the Daily Star, has a habit of scooping all the other papers in town....

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Looking for Trouble

as Joe Graham
Released: 1934-03-28

Joe and Casey trouble-shoot for the phone company. They try to prove that Joes's girl Ethel's...

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She Wanted a Millionaire

as William Kelley
Released: 1932-02-21

Impoverished Jane Miller is loved by millionaire Roger and newspaperman William. Though William...

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Face in the Sky

as Joe Buck
Released: 1933-01-15

Joe and Lucky travel around New England painting barns in exchange for an advertisement on one...

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Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2013-01-29

Uncensored. Laugh along with Hollywood's brightest stars in this hilarious compilation of...

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Goldie

as Bill
Released: 1931-06-27

Sailor Spike dates girls whose names he finds in an address book. Each girl has the same tatoo,...

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It's A Small World

as Bill Shevlin
Released: 1935-04-12

Socialite, privileged, Jane Dale and lawyer Bill Shevlin meet in an automobile accident at...

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Society Girl

as Briscoe
Released: 1932-05-29

Johnny is training for a championship fight. Judy distracts him, so his manager Briscoe walks...

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The Hard Guy

as Guy
Released: 1930-09-06

Guy and Ellen are desperate to find a way to get food and medicine for their sick child. Job...

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Ring of Steel

as Narrator (voice)
Released: 1942-04-02

Documentary short detailing the American soldier's part in preserving the fundamental ideals of...

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