The Best Spencer Tracy Movies
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1Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne FrancisWhen John J. Macreedy (Spencer Tracy), a one-armed war veteran, arrives in the small desert town of Black Rock, he's not greeted warmly. Searching for a man named Komoko, Macreedy is met with disdain by virtually every local, including the resident thug, Hector David (Lee Marvin), and the imposing Reno Smith (Robert Ryan). As Macreedy's investigation deepens, hostility turns to violence -- and to imminent danger for the mysterious and inquisitive stranger.- #115 of 288 onThe 250+ Best Western Movies Of All Time
- #22 of 63 onThe Best Western Movies of the 1950s
- #15 of 47 onThe Best 1950s Thriller Movies, Ranked
2Spencer Tracy, Freddie Bartholomew, Lionel BarrymoreWhen spoiled Harvey Cheyne (Freddie Bartholomew) is suspended from boarding school, his businessman father (Melvyn Douglas) takes him to Europe on a business trip. When the rebellious lad falls overboard from the steamship, he is saved from death by humble fisherman Manuel Fidello (Spencer Tracy) and forced by the captain of the fishing schooner (Lionel Barrymore) to become a low-ranking member of the ship's crew alongside the captain's own son (Mickey Rooney).More Captains Courageous
- #71 of 75 onThe Best Movies For Boys To Watch
- #88 of 117 onMovies Set In Massachusetts, Ranked
- #3 of 131 onThe 130+ Best Movies of 1937
3Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard WidmarkIn 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood (Spencer Tracy) hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning (Burt Lancaster) and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe (Maximilian Schell), but also from the widow of a Nazi general (Marlene Dietrich), an idealistic U.S. Army captain (William Shatner) and reluctant witness Irene Wallner (Judy Garland).- #751 of 769 onThe Most Rewatchable Movies
- #33 of 167 onThe Greatest '60s Movies, Ranked
- #52 of 80 on80 Good Long Movies To Watch, Ranked
4Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene KellyIn the 1920s, Tennessee schoolteacher Bertram Cates (Dick York) is put on trial for violating the Butler Act, a state law that prohibits public school teachers from teaching evolution instead of creationism. Drawing intense national attention in the media with writer E. K. Hornbeck (Gene Kelly) reporting, two of the nation's leading lawyers go head to head: Matthew Harrison Brady (Fredric March) for the prosecution, and Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy) for the defense.
5Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Henry HullThe devout but iron-willed Father Flanagan (Spencer Tracy) leads a community called Boys Town, a different sort of juvenile detention facility where, instead of being treated as underage criminals, the boys are shepherded into making themselves better people. But hard-nosed petty thief and pool shark Whitey Marsh (Mickey Rooney), the impulsive and violent younger brother of an imprisoned murderer, might be too much for the good father's tough-love system.More Boys Town- #73 of 75 onThe Best Movies For Boys To Watch
- #31 of 198 onThe Best Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Movies List
- #58 of 75 onThe Best Movies About Orphans
6Spencer Tracy, Felipe Pazos, Harry BellaverAn old Cuban fisherman (Spencer Tracy) has not caught anything in 84 days. Despite the devotion of the young boy (Felipe Pazos) who brings him coffee and food, the fisherman fears he has become perpetually unlucky. On his 85th day of fishing, the old man catches a small fish and decides to keep fishing. When one of his multiple fishing lines hooks a large marlin, he decides to not return to shore until he reels in the fish. For two days and nights, the man sits alone, waiting to redeem himself.
7Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Sidney PoitierWhen Joanna Drayton (Katharine Houghton), a free-thinking white woman, and black doctor John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) become engaged, they travel to San Francisco to meet her parents. Matt Drayton (Spencer Tracy) and his wife Christina (Katharine Hepburn) are wealthy liberals who must confront the latent racism the coming marriage arouses. Also attending the Draytons' dinner are Prentice's parents (Roy E. Glenn Sr., Beah Richards), who vehemently disapprove of the relationship.- #89 of 675 onThe Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars
- #47 of 167 onThe Greatest '60s Movies, Ranked
- #223 of 472 onThe Best Black Movies Ever Made, Ranked
8Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Bobs WatsonFather Edward Flanagan (Spencer Tracy), head of the Boys Town home for troubled boys, attends the trial of young Ted Martley (Larry Nunn), a paraplegic charged with murdering a guard at the Marysport reformatory. When Ted confides that Marysport is corrupt and brutal, the priest takes him to Boys Town, where he places him with his protégé, Whitey Marsh (Mickey Rooney). Later visiting Marysport, Whitey gets involved with a young delinquent and witnesses how bad the conditions are there.
9Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan BennettWhen beautiful Kay Banks (Elizabeth Taylor) announces her engagement to Buckley Dunstan (Don Taylor), her doting middle-class father, Stan (Spencer Tracy), must contend with a variety of problems, ranging from money issues to wedding planning difficulties. As things get hectic, Stan's wife, Ellie (Joan Bennett), tries to be the calm in the center of the storm. At the heart of the comedy, though, is Stan's emotional tie to his little girl, and his realization that she has indeed grown up.More Father of the Bride- #122 of 375 onThe Best Movies Based On Books
- #269 of 703 onThe All-Time Greatest Comedy Films
- #23 of 87 onThe 80+ Best Father-Daughter Movies
10Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, Walter BrennanAn epic Western, about Major Robert Rogers, the tough frontiersman who led a grueling expedition to Canada in 1759 to punish a fearsome Indian tribe and seek a northwest passage to the Pacific. Langdon Towne and Hunk Marriner joined the Rangers at the Indian village, but when they head on to Fort Wentworth, they find the place deserted.
11Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, Lana TurnerGentle Dr. Jekyll (Spencer Tracy) experiments with human nature, believing that each person has both good and evil sides that can be brought forth chemically. Jekyll tests a serum on himself, releasing his vicious alter ego, Mr. Hyde, on 19th-century London. Prowling the town, Hyde ventures to a music hall and encounters Ivy (Ingrid Bergman), whom he takes forcibly as his mistress. When the serum's effects wear off, Jekyll vows never to take it again. But Hyde is not gone for good.- #13 of 73 onThe Best Movies About Split Personalities
- #11 of 21 onHorror Movies Made By Oscar-Winning Directors
- #4 of 50 onThe 50 Best Horror Movies Of The '40s, Ranked
12Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Gig YoungBunny Watson (Katharine Hepburn) is a library reference clerk stuck in a dead-end relationship with a boring television executive (Gig Young). Her life is thrown into turmoil when computer expert Richard Summers (Spencer Tracy) enters it. He has been assigned with automating her department, and she is fearful that Summers' new computers will automate her out of a job. She despises him at first, but eventually each of the two start to fall for the other's charms and strong personalities.
13Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Judy HollidayA courtroom rivalry finds its way into the household when prosecuting lawyer Adam Bonner (Spencer Tracy) faces off against his wife, Amanda (Katharine Hepburn), who happens to be a defense attorney. Working on opposite sides of a lawsuit where a woman (Judy Holliday) has shot her cheating husband (Tom Ewell), Adam and Amanda are both determined to win the case, and their home becomes the setting for comical showdowns, with neither spouse willing to relent.More Adam's Rib- #336 of 703 onThe All-Time Greatest Comedy Films
- #27 of 65 onThe Funniest Movies About Marriage
- #6 of 33 onThe Best Romantic Comedies of the 1940s
14Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette ColbertTwo rogue Texas oil men, "Big John" McMasters (Clark Gable) and "Square John" Sand (Spencer Tracy), drill oil wells in fields where there is no known oil. These wildcatters team up with a local drilling equipment owner, Luther Aldrich (Frank Morgan), and strike it rich -- but the ups and downs of the oil business, the whims of South American politics, and the love of Elizabeth "Betsy" Bartlett (Claudette Colbert) threaten to tear the two friends apart.
15Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Aldo RayPat Pemberton (Katharine Hepburn), a college athletics instructor, enters a number of golf matches against female professionals. She holds her own until her well-meaning but condescending fiancé, Collier Weld (William Ching), turns up at the games and distracts her. Sports manager Mike Conovan (Spencer Tracy) sees her talent and offers to train her. After realizing that Pat stops trying when Collier is around, Mike works to keep them apart -- especially when he begins to develop feeling for her.
16Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Fay BainterTess Harding (Katharine Hepburn) is a progressively-minded political journalist. Sam Craig (Spencer Tracy) is a sports writer with very traditional values. The only thing the two have in common is that they both work for the same New York City newspaper. Despite an initial and mutual dislike, the two eventually fall in love and get married. When Tess wins the Woman of the Year award, traditional gender roles become flipped and their relationship suffers as a result.More Woman of the Year- #278 of 703 onThe All-Time Greatest Comedy Films
- #457 of 632 onThe 600+ Funniest Movies Of All Time
- #31 of 59 onThe 50+ Best Sports Romance Movies
17Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer TracyBlackie Norton (Clark Gable) is a nightclub owner who hires a down-on-her-luck singer for his club, Mary Blake (Jeanette MacDonald). The two hit it off and even become romantically involved, but soon she is courted by real-estate magnate Jack Burley (Jack Holt) to sing at the Tivoli Opera House. At first she refuses, but when she sees questionable posters of her put up by Blackie, she leaves, forcing Blackie to find a way to win her and his business back.
18Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson, Robert WalkerDuring World War II, Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle (Spencer Tracy) leads the U.S. Air Force in a bombing mission over Japan. Doolittle and his men stage a successful attack on Tokyo, but most pilots run out of fuel while returning from the raid. Many are forced to land on Japanese soil, but Capt. Ted Lawson (Van Johnson), who has a pregnant wife at home, crash-lands in the sea off the coast of China. Stranded, Lawson must heroically endure a series of harrowing challenges to make it back home.- #82 of 263 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #98 of 166 onThe Best Military Movies Ever Made
- #80 of 198 onThe Best Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Movies List
19Spencer Tracy, Edie Adams, Milton BerleA comedy of epic proportions, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is an unforgettable cinematic adventure. The story unfurls when a dying criminal, Smiler Grogan (Jimmy Durante), breathes his last words about a treasure trove hidden in Santa Rosita State Park. This sets off a madcap dash amongst an array of colorful characters including the bumbling J. Russell Finch (Spencer Tracy) and the shifty Otto Meyer (Phil Silvers). As the pursuit for riches escalates into chaotic hilarity, this film serves up a delightful blend of slapstick humor and clever wit. Its memorable ensemble cast and intricate plot make it a classic worth watching.- #659 of 769 onThe Most Rewatchable Movies
- #71 of 703 onThe All-Time Greatest Comedy Films
- #29 of 167 onThe Greatest '60s Movies, Ranked
20Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Richard WhorfSteven O'Malley (Spencer Tracy) expects his reporting assignment to be a run-of-the-mill story. He is to cover the death of Robert Forrest, a hero in World War I, who died when a bridge collapsed under his car. The press conference given by Forrest's secretary (Richard Whorf), however, does not satisfy O'Malley, who decides that questioning his widow (Katharine Hepburn) could expose a richer story. The lies continue to build, until he discovers an estate building that may hold the true story.
21Sylvia Sidney, Spencer Tracy, Walter AbelJoe Wilson (Spencer Tracy) is an innocent man wrongly accused of a horrible crime while on his way to meet his fiancée, Katherine Grant (Sylvia Sidney). Held at a local jail, Joe is confronted by a frenzied mob and presumed dead after a massive fire. When his attackers aren't brought to justice, Joe, who narrowly escaped the blaze, resurfaces, intent on revenge. Katherine tries to dissuade him from carrying out his vengeful plan, but Joe's anger isn't easily dampened.
22Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Jean PetersA patriarchal rancher's empire is threatened by conflict within his family. On the day of his release from prison, the son of a cattle baron swears vengeance on his three half-brothers responsible for dispossessing him of his inheritance and driving his father to a fatal stroke. The ensuing story unfolds in flashback, tracing the sibling rivalries that led to the man's imprisonment.
23Spencer Tracy, Frank Sinatra, Kerwin MathewsPrisoners Harry (Frank Sinatra), Marcel (Gregoire Aslan) and Charlie (Bernie Hamilton) are flown to a small tropical island to serve the elderly Father Doonan (Spencer Tracy), who makes them work high in the mountains at a health clinic for local children. When a volcano erupts, the young patients are stranded, while the rest of the island's population flees. When Doonan offers to free the convicts if they help save the children, Harry leads his fellow convicts on a daring rescue mission.- #23 of 47 onThe 45+ Best Movies of 1961
- #15 of 28 onThe 25+ Best Volcano Movies
- #16 of 18 onThe Best '60s Disaster Movies
24Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Spencer TracyTest pilot Jim Lane (Clark Gable) has endangered himself more than once because of his drinking. Despite efforts by his best friend, Gunner (Spencer Tracy), Jim has not quit the bottle. After making an emergency landing on a Kansas farm, Jim falls for, then marries, local girl Ann (Myrna Loy), but married life cannot keep Jim from indulging in his reckless ways. Then, on a dangerous mission with Gunner, Jim finally confronts something that just may scare him into never flying again.
25Carroll Baker, Lee J. Cobb, Henry FondaSweeping across the rugged landscape of the American frontier, How the West Was Won is an epic Western adventure. The film chronicles the journey of the Prescott family, led by Zebulon Prescott (Karl Malden), as they traverse untamed territories in search of a better life. Among them are his daughters, Lilith (Debbie Reynolds) and Eve (Carroll Baker). Their tale unfolds over decades, marked by encounters with mountain men, river pirates, and Civil War battles. A star-studded ensemble cast brings this panoramic saga to life, including James Stewart, Gregory Peck, and John Wayne. The movie won 3 Academy Awards for its technical prowess.More How the West Was Won- #7 of 49 onThe Top 45+ Films Released In 1962
- #46 of 288 onThe 250+ Best Western Movies Of All Time
- #41 of 167 onThe Greatest '60s Movies, Ranked
26Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth TaylorA year after dealing with a surprise engagement in "Father of the Bride," Stanley Banks (Spencer Tracy) and his wife, Ellie (Joan Bennett), are in for another shock when they find their daughter Kay (Elizabeth Taylor) is now pregnant. Not ready to be a grandfather, Stanley keeps quiet while everyone else fawns over the mother-to-be and bothers her about baby names and nursery decorations. Ironically, his silence makes him the person Kay turns to the most for help, which in turn helps him.- #30 of 51 onThe 50+ Best Movies In Public Domain
- #107 of 198 onThe Best Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Movies List
- #40 of 65 onThe Best 1950s Comedy Movies, Ranked
27Spencer Tracy, Nancy Kelly, Richard GreeneStanley and Livingstone is a movie based loosely upon the true story of reporter Sir Henry M. Stanley's quest to find Dr. David Livingstone, a missionary presumed lost in Africa. Spencer Tracy plays Stanley, while Cedric Hardwicke portrays Livingstone. Other cast members include Nancy Kelly, Richard Greene, Walter Brennan, Charles Coburn and Henry Hull.
28State of the Union
Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Angela LansburyAircraft tycoon Grant Matthews (Spencer Tracy) is goaded into running for president by his politically ambitious longtime girlfriend, newspaper publisher Kay Thorndyke (Angela Lansbury). At the suggestion of unscrupulous campaign manager Spike McManus (Van Johnson), Matthews reunites with his long-estranged wife, Mary (Katharine Hepburn), for the sake of appearances. But when the idealistic Mary learns of Kay's behind-the-scenes role, it throws the entire campaign into turmoil.
29Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne, Van JohnsonWhen adventurous World War II bomber pilot Pete Sandidge (Spencer Tracy) dies in an aerial attack after ordering the crew to safety, he meets "the General," a legendary dead pilot who assigns Pete to return to earth as a guardian angel for a new pilot named Ted Randall (Van Johnson). But when Pete learns that Ted is dating Pete's former girlfriend, Dorinda Durston (Irene Dunne), he must set aside his jealousy and prepare Ted for a dangerous bombing mission.
30Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, Myrna LoyWhen a major newspaper accuses wealthy socialite Connie Allenbury (Myrna Loy) of being a home-wrecker, and she files a multi-million-dollar libel lawsuit, the publication's frazzled head editor, Warren Haggerty (Spencer Tracy), must find a way to turn the tables on her. Soon Haggerty's harried fiancée, Gladys Benton (Jean Harlow), and his dashing friend Bill Chandler (William Powell) are in on a scheme that aims to discredit Connie, with amusing and unexpected results.More Libeled Lady- #11 of 48 onThe 48 Best '30s Comedy Movies
- #12 of 37 onThe Best '30s Romantic Comedies
- #17 of 111 onThe 100+ Best Movies of 1936
