Editing Spencer Tracy (section)

===Stock theater and Broadway (1923–1930)===
[[File:The-Last-Mile-1930-B.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Tracy (background) in ''[[The Last Mile (play)|The Last Mile]]'' – the 1930 Broadway role that saw him scouted for Hollywood]]
Immediately following graduation, Tracy joined a new stock company based in [[White Plains, New York]], where he was given peripheral roles.<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 6.</ref> Unhappy there, he moved to a company in [[Cincinnati]], but failed to make an impact.<ref>Curtis (2011) pp. 13–15.</ref> In November 1923, he landed a small part on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in the comedy ''A Royal Fandango'', starring [[Ethel Barrymore]]. Reviews for the show were poor and it closed after 25 performances; Tracy later said of the failure, "My ego took an awful beating."<ref>Deschner (1972) pp. 36–37.</ref> When he took a position with a struggling company in New Jersey, Tracy was living on an allowance of 35 cents a day.<ref name="curtis 17">Curtis (2011) p. 17.</ref> In January 1924, he played his first leading role with a company in [[Winnipeg]], but the organization soon closed.<ref name="curtis 18">Curtis (2011) p. 18.</ref>

Tracy finally achieved some success by joining forces with the notable stock manager William H. Wright in the spring of 1924.<ref name="curtis 18"/> A stage partnership was formed with the young actress [[Selena Royle]], who had already made her name on Broadway.<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 21–22.</ref> It proved a popular draw and their productions were favorably received.<ref>Curtis (2011) pp. 24, 76, 82, 85.</ref> One of these performances brought Tracy to the attention of a Broadway producer, who offered him the lead in a new play. ''The Sheepman'' previewed in October 1925, but it received poor reviews and closed after its trial run in [[Connecticut]].<ref>Deschner (1972) p. 37; Curtis (2011) p. 86.</ref> Dejected, Tracy was forced back to Wright and the stock circuit.<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 87.</ref>

In the fall of 1926, Tracy was offered his third shot at Broadway: a role in a new [[George M. Cohan]] play called ''Yellow''. Tracy swore that if the play failed to be a hit he would leave stock and work in a "regular" business instead.<ref name="curtis 91">Curtis (2011) p. 91.</ref> Tracy was nervous about working with Cohan, one of the most important figures in American theater,<ref name="curtis 91"/> but during rehearsals Cohan announced, "Tracy, you're the best goddamned actor I've ever seen!"<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 92; Deschner (1972) p. 39.</ref> ''Yellow'' opened on September 21; reviews were mixed but it ran for 135 performances.<ref>Deschner (1972) p. 39.</ref> It was the beginning of an important collaboration for Tracy: "I'd have quit the stage completely," he later commented, "if it hadn't been for George M. Cohan."<ref>Kanin (1971) p. 35.</ref> Cohan wrote a part specifically for Tracy in his next play, ''The Baby Cyclone''.<ref>Deschner (1972) p. 40.</ref> It opened on Broadway in September 1927 and was a hit.<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 106.</ref>

Tracy followed this success with another Cohan play, ''Whispering Friends'', and in 1929 took over from [[Clark Gable]] in ''Conflict'', a Broadway drama.<ref>Curtis (2011) pp. 109, 114.</ref> Other roles followed, but it was the lead in ''Dread'', written by [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning dramatist [[Owen Davis]] that gave Tracy high hopes for success.<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 117.</ref> The story of a man's descent into madness, ''Dread'' previewed in Brooklyn to an excellent reception, but on the next day—October 29—the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929|New York stock market crashed]].<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 118.</ref> Unable to obtain funding, ''Dread'' did not open on Broadway. Following this disappointment, Tracy again considered leaving the theater and returning to Milwaukee for a more stable life.<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 119.</ref>

In January 1930, Tracy was approached about a new play called ''[[The Last Mile (play)|The Last Mile]]''. Looking to cast the lead role of a murderer on [[death row]], producer [[Herman Shumlin]] met with Tracy, and later recounted: "beneath the surface, here was a man of passion, violence, sensitivity and desperation: no ordinary man, and just the man for the part."<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 124.</ref> ''The Last Mile'' opened on Broadway in February, where Tracy's performance was met by a standing ovation that lasted 14 curtain calls.<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 130.</ref> The ''[[Commonweal (magazine)|Commonweal]]'' described him as "one of our best and most versatile young actors".<ref name="curtis 132">Curtis (2011) p. 132.</ref> The play was a hit with critics,<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 131; Deschner (1972) p. 43.</ref> and ran for 289 performances.<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 888.</ref>