The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn (1986)

Reminiscences from Katharine Hepburn and other celebrities on the life and career of the actor’s actor Spencer Tracy. This documentary is topped off by a truly moving recitation by Kate Hepburn of a letter she wrote Tracy 18 years after his death. In it she explores the mystery of the man who she spent a quarter of a century with but never felt she truly understood. Everything I’ve learned about Tracy points me to a certain degree of self hate. It didn’t matter how successful he became, or how truly excellent he was at his craft, he was not satisfied with himself as a man. It’s hard to say exactly why that was so, but I think it was central to him as a person, and perhaps ironically, why he was so empathetic in his film portrayals.