Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)

My Review

MGM released a glossy version of the old horror story “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” starring Spencer Tracy. It is generally recognized that his performance as a friendly doctor who turns into a monster was inferior to Fredric March’s offering in the 1931 Paramount Pictures production of the same name.

Director Victor Fleming (“Gone With the Wind,” “The Wizard of Oz” 1939) gave this project the first-class treatment with MGM supporting players Ingrid Bergman, Lana Turner, Donald Crisp, Barton MacLane, C. Aubrey Smith, Ian Hunter, Peter Godfrey, and Sara Allgood. “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” was popular in theatrical release for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It received three Oscar nods for Best Musical Scoring (Franz Waxman), Best Cinematography/ Black-and-White (Joseph Ruttenberg), and Best Film Editing.