Spencer Tracy Several of Tracy's films, particularly his comedies, are regarded as classics of American cinema. He starred in four of the titles on the American Film Institute's list of "100 Years ... 100 Laughs": "Adam's Rib", "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", "Father of the Bride" and "Woman of the Year". "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" was included on AFI's list of the 100 greatest American movies, while "Captains Courageous" was featured on their list of America's most inspiring movies. Tracy was nominated for nine Academy Awards for Best Actor, a category record he holds with Laurence Olivier. He was
Spencer Tracy screens for almost a year before returning to 20th Century Fox on loan and appearing as Henry M. Stanley in "Stanley and Livingstone", his only screen appearance of 1939. Curtis maintains that Tracy's non-visibility did little to affect his standing with the public or exhibitors. In October of that year, a "Fortune" magazine survey to find the nation's favorite movie actor listed Tracy in first place. MGM capitalized on Tracy's popularity, casting him in four movies for 1940. "I Take This Woman" with Hedy Lamarr was a critical and commercial failure, but the historical drama "Northwest Passage"—Tracy's first film in