7 Best Spencer Tracy Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 20, 2026

Spencer Tracy brought understated, natural authority to American film, and his effortless chemistry with Katharine Hepburn produced some of Hollywood’s best-loved pairings. Adam’s Rib and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner are the Hepburn films, Inherit the Wind dramatises the evolution trial, Bad Day at Black Rock uncovers a desert town’s dark secret, and Father of the Bride copes with the cost of a wedding. Boys Town and Captains Courageous round out the list.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A progressive couple's values are tested when their daughter brings home her Black fiance to meet them.

Directed by Stanley Kramer · 1h 48m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, YouTube TV, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Inherit the Wind (1960)

TMDB ★ 8.1

A fictionalised retelling of the Scopes trial pits a creationist prosecutor against a defence of evolution.

Directed by Stanley Kramer · 2h 08m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A one-armed stranger arrives in a hostile desert town with a dark secret about a missing Japanese-American farmer.

Directed by John Sturges · 1h 21m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Father of the Bride (1950)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A father navigates the chaos and expense of planning his daughter's elaborate wedding.

Directed by Vincente Minnelli · 1h 32m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Adam's Rib (1949)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A married pair of lawyers end up on opposite sides of a trial over a wife who shot her husband.

Directed by George Cukor · 1h 41m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Philo · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Boys Town (1938)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A dedicated priest builds a self-governing community to give troubled boys a second chance.

Directed by Norman Taurog · 1h 36m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Captains Courageous (1937)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A spoiled rich boy falls overboard and learns humility working aboard a fishing schooner.

Directed by Victor Fleming · 1h 55m · Rated G

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

7 Best Spencer Tracy Movies

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

Inherit the Wind (1960)

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

Father of the Bride (1950)

Adam's Rib (1949)

Boys Town (1938)

Captains Courageous (1937)

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