Typed Letter Signed on behalf of George Cukor

Tracy writes a letter of recommendation for his friend and film director, George Cukor, make war propaganda films, 4to on personal printed stationery, n.p., January 16, 1943. In 1942, Cukor enlisted in the Army Signal Corps. Cukor was 43 at that time which might explain the reason for Tracy writing to Colonel Melvin Gillette, of the Signal Corps Photographic Center. Cukor directed training and propaganda films for a year after which he was honorably discharged because of his age. Tracy and Cukor had worked together on a number of films before and after World War II. Tracy lists some of Cukor's films as a way of showing Cukor's accomplishments. He describes Cukor as, "a man of great intellectual and artistic experience, has a great sense of humor and an enormously quick mind, which seems to me to add materially to his potentialities as an officer. He is a very well educated man...has boundless energy...." Tracy notes in his final paragraph that Cukor understands "human nature." He signs above his typed name, "Spencer Tracy." By the time Tracy wrote this letter, he starred in one of two films directed by Cukor, "Keeper of the Flame (1942)" with Katharine Hepburn about a war correspondent . After the date of our letter, Tracy again starred in a film directed by Culor, "Edward, My Son (1949)", with Deborah Kerr based on a 1947 British play.