Movie Still Showing Spencer Tracy in "Edison the Man," 1940
Add to SetSummary
The 1940 MGM film Edison, the Man starred Spencer Tracy, but Edison's Menlo Park laboratory played a supporting role. The 1870s laboratory -- where Edison made many of his famous discoveries -- had been moved to Henry Ford's Greenfield Village in the late 1920s. With documentation provided by Greenfield Village staff, MGM built an impressive full-sized movie set of the laboratory in California.
The 1940 MGM film Edison, the Man starred Spencer Tracy, but Edison's Menlo Park laboratory played a supporting role. The 1870s laboratory -- where Edison made many of his famous discoveries -- had been moved to Henry Ford's Greenfield Village in the late 1920s. With documentation provided by Greenfield Village staff, MGM built an impressive full-sized movie set of the laboratory in California.
Artifact
Photographic print
Date Made
1940
Subject Date
1940
Creators
Bull, Clarence Sinclair, 1896-1979
Creator Notes
Probably photographed by Clarence Sinclair Bull, working for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Keywords
United States, New Jersey, Edison, Menlo Park
Motion pictures (Visual works)
Edison, the man (Motion picture)
Collection Title
On Exhibit
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
40.443.2
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Gelatin silver process
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 8.188 in
Width: 10.163 in
Inscriptions
Printed on back: LONG HOURS FOR AN INVENTOR..Thomas Edison (Spencer Tracy) / works on in his laboratory by night, long after he has sent / his men home to bed. In this scene for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's / "Edison, the Man," he is studying electricity from a static / machine by which Leyden jars are charged. This is during the / time when the inventor is first trying to solve the problem / of the electric lamp. (Note: The laboratory shown here is / duplicated to the minutest detail from the actual Menlo Park / laboratory Edison had).
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