>I was on the phone with one of my most trusted walking
encyclopedias on
>both film and the hardboiled, who unfortunately could
not pinpoint the
>reference off the top of his head, but did mention
that Tracy first
>gained public recognition as an actor by *playing a
murderer* in a very
>successful Broadway play around 1930. It's not
unlikely that Whitfield
>knew about this play and Tracy's role in it. If I
receive more
>information, I'll post it here so that we can all
sleep...I am not ready
>to accept this coincidence yet.
>
>Regards,
>
>Mario Taboada
>
Found this at www.autographics.com Sounds like the play
you
are lloking for.
"The 1920s were a decade of struggle, as he fended off
poverty by taking
any acting job that came
along, from traveling road companies and one-nighters to
repertory work in
towns as far-flung as
White Plains and Grand Rapids. He first achieved Broadway
notice in Yellow
(1926) and critical and
audience praise in Baby Cyclone (1927). But three flops in a
row in 1929
(Conflict, Nigger Rich and
Veneer) saw his career come to a standstill. In 1930, Tracy
appeared in two
low-budget short films:
TAXI TALKS, as a gangster, and HARD GUY, as a World War I
veteran. But the
films were
unimpressive and Tracy still struggled until The Last Mile.
Playing killer
John Mears in this
Broadway crime drama, Tracy had his first major success. One
audience member
impressed by
Tracy's performance was director John Ford, who persuaded Fox
to sign him
for Ford's upcoming
film UP THE RIVER (1930)."
James
James Michael Rogers
jetan@ionet.net
Mundus Vult Decipi
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