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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Davidson (The Gary Coleman Story, etc.) dwells overlong on attempts to explain the late actor's periodic alcoholic binges and their tragic effects. And there are some slips: commenting on the father-son bond between Tracy and George M. Cohan, he says that the latter was only 12 years older; the difference was 22 years. Cohan sponsored the actor's early stage career on Broadway, Tracy's goal after leaving Milwaukee where he was born in 1900. It was an apprenticeship that led him to Hollywood in 1930, playing roles in 75 films and winning two Oscars out of seven nominations. The best parts of the book are reminiscences by Katharine Hepburn, director Stanley Kramer, actors and others who loved, or disliked, the incomparable performer known for such classics as Judgment at Nuremberg, Boys' Town, etc. The consensus voiced by Sir Laurence Olivier is that Tracy was the greatest actor of his time. As for his lapses, James Cagney's words serve as an epitaph: "Sure he was a fallible human . . . . What counts is what he did on the screen. People are always imitating me and other actors. Well nobody imitates Tracy. Nobody can imitate Tracy." Photos. Author tour.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
"Too ugly to be a leading man, not ugly enough to be a villain," ventured a casting agent on Tracy's chances in the movies. Too talented to be ignored, he might have added. Unfortunately, Tracy was dogged by a not unusual demon of the gifted: booze. His dark side was long concealed by studio publicists. Davidson tries to reconcile the often drunken, contentious Tracy with his compassionate persona. But he doesn't indulge in excessive psychoanalysis or dwell on Tracy's extramarital activity, except for respectfully evoking his legendary romance with Kate Hepburn. An interesting biography of a paradoxical man; for general collections. Jeff T. Dick, Decatur P.L., Ill.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great book about a great star,
By Paul (New Jersey, The United States of America) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Spencer Tracy: Tragic idol (Hardcover)
The book Spencer Tracy: Tragic Idol is a great book. It is extremely informative as well. Bill Davidson spent years of interviewing to put together what is probably the best Spencer Tracy biography. This book gives detailed information on each and every film that Tracy ever made. Another reason that this is a great book are the parts about the strange yet touching romance Spencer Tracy had with Katherine Hepburn. Unlike some other bigraphies of Tracy, this one is extremely well balanced. It tells not only of Spencer Tracy's great acting skills, but also of the bad things in his private life. This book is a must read for all Spencer Tracy fans.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A very poor book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Spencer Tracy: Tragic Idol (Hardcover)
Davidson clearly embellished many of the interviews he claimed to have had with various people including Tracy himself. This book is extremely inaccurate and unnecessarily lurid. For more balanced books on Tracy read Tracy and Hepburn by Garson Kanin, the Tracy biography by Larry Swindell and the really good Spencer Tracy Bio-bibliography by James Fisher.
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