Editing Spencer Tracy (section)

====Growing reputation====
[[File:Spencer tracy fury cropped.jpg|thumb|Tracy in [[Fritz Lang]]'s ''[[Fury (1936 film)|Fury]]'' (1936), his first major hit]]

In the 1930s, MGM was the most respected movie production studio in Hollywood.<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 224.</ref> When Tracy arrived there, he was all but unknown. Biographer [[James Curtis (biographer)|James Curtis]] writes: "Tracy was scarcely a blip on the box office barometer in 1935, a critics' darling and little more".<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 365.</ref> He was, however, well known for being a troublemaker.<ref name="curtis 258">Curtis (2011) p. 258.</ref> Producer [[Irving Thalberg]] was nevertheless enthusiastic about working with the actor, telling journalist [[Louella Parsons]]: "Spencer Tracy will become one of MGM's most valuable stars."<ref name="curtis 260">Curtis (2011) p. 260.</ref>

Curtis notes that the studio managed Tracy with care, a welcome change from the ineptitude and apathy he had known while at Fox, which was like "a shot of adrenaline" for the actor.<ref name="curtis 260"/> His first film under the new contract was the quickly produced ''[[The Murder Man]]'' (1935),<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 261.</ref> which included the feature film debut of [[James Stewart]]. Thalberg then began a strategy of pairing Tracy with the studio's top actresses:<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 326.</ref> ''[[Whipsaw (film)|Whipsaw]]'' (1935) co-starred [[Myrna Loy]] and was a commercial success.<ref name="Curtis 2011 p. 272">Curtis (2011) p. 272.</ref> ''[[Riffraff (1936 film)|Riffraff]]'' (1936) put Tracy opposite [[Jean Harlow]]. Both films were, however, designed and promoted to showcase their leading ladies, thus continuing Tracy's reputation as a secondary star.<ref>Curtis (2011) pp. 266, 293. Deschner (1972) p. 47, quotes [[Louella Parsons]] saying: "Instead of being a star himself, he was a leading man to all MGM's glamour girls."</ref>

''[[Fury (1936 film)|Fury]]'' (1936) was the first film to prove that Tracy could make a success on his own merit.<ref name="curtis 293">Curtis (2011) p. 293.</ref> Directed by [[Fritz Lang]], Tracy played an innocent man who swears revenge after narrowly escaping death by a [[Lynching|lynch mob]]. The film and performance received excellent reviews.<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 291.</ref> It made a profit of $1.3 million worldwide.<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 292.</ref> Curtis writes: "audiences who, just a year earlier, had no clear handle on him, were suddenly turning out to see him. It was a transition that was nothing short of miraculous&nbsp;... [and showed] a willingness on the part of the public to embrace a leading man who was not textbook handsome nor bigger than life."<ref name="curtis 293"/>

[[File:Test Pilot 4 1938.jpg|thumb|Lobby card with [[Clark Gable]] and [[Myrna Loy]] in ''[[Test Pilot (film)|Test Pilot]]'' (1938), one of the three enormously successful films that fixed Gable and Tracy as a team in the public imagination]]
''Fury'' was followed one month later with the release of the big-budget disaster movie ''[[San Francisco (1936 film)|San Francisco]]'' (1936). Tracy played a supporting role alongside [[Clark Gable]] in the film, allowing audiences to see him with the top male star in Hollywood.<ref name="Curtis 2011 p. 272"/> Taking on the role of a priest, Tracy reportedly felt a heavy responsibility in representing the church.<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 277.</ref> Despite having only 17 minutes of screen time, Tracy was highly praised for his performance and received an [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Oscar nomination for Best Actor]].<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 310.</ref> ''San Francisco'' became the highest-grossing picture of 1936.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} Donald Deschner, in his book on Tracy, credits ''Fury'' and ''San Francisco'' as the "two films that changed his career and gave him the status of a major star".<ref>Deschner (1972) p. 44.</ref>

By this point, Tracy entered a period of self-imposed sobriety and MGM expressed pleasure with Tracy's professionalism.<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 278.</ref> His public reputation continued to grow with ''[[Libeled Lady]]'' (also 1936), a [[screwball comedy]] that cast him with [[William Powell]], Loy and Harlow. According to Curtis, "Powell, Harlow and Loy were among the biggest draws in the industry, and equal billing in such a powerhouse company could only serve to advance Tracy's standing".<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 299.</ref> ''Libeled Lady'' was his third hit picture in the space of six months.<ref>Curtis (2011) p. 308.</ref>