Edison, the Man, 1940

Two years after he was Father Flanagan and ten years before he was Father of the Bride, Spencer Tracy played Thomas Edison, Father of Electric Light, in a movie about the struggles of getting inventions accepted by others. This film shows the inventor as a poor single guy who has to make money in order to continue developing his inventions. As he begins meeting with success, he finds a love interest and men who want to help him in his work.

This film showcases the sixty-year career of Thomas Alva Edison, as remembered by Edison on the night he is honored as an 82-year-old inventor. Edison’s fight to bring electric lights to a city park showed his determination to achieve success. Other inventions such as the stock ticker and the phonograph are also given important screen time.

Tracy was fabulous as Edison. His acting made everything seem like I was being invited to eavesdrop.