82 year old inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Alva Edison is honored in 1929 and he reflects back on his sixty year career of scientific achievement.
Are you ready for the return of Michael Myers in Halloween? We are! See which other movies and TV shows we're excited about.
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Edison, the Man (1940)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Nominated for
1
Oscar.
See more awards »
Learn more
More Like This
Young Tom Edison
(1940)
Biography
|
Drama
Director:
Norman Taurog
Stars:
Mickey Rooney,
Fay Bainter,
George Bancroft
Men of Boys Town
(1941)
Drama
Director:
Norman Taurog
Stars:
Spencer Tracy,
Mickey Rooney,
Bobs Watson
Northwest Passage
(1940)
Certificate: Passed
Adventure
|
Drama
|
History
Directors:
King Vidor,
Jack Conway, and 1 more credit »
Stars:
Spencer Tracy,
Robert Young,
Walter Brennan
Stanley and Livingstone
(1939)
Adventure
|
Drama
|
History
Directors:
Henry King,
Otto Brower
Stars:
Spencer Tracy,
Nancy Kelly,
Richard Greene
Boys Town
(1938)
Certificate: Passed
Biography
|
Drama
Director:
Norman Taurog
Stars:
Spencer Tracy,
Mickey Rooney,
Henry Hull
Boom Town
(1940)
Certificate: Passed
Adventure
|
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
Jack Conway
Stars:
Clark Gable,
Spencer Tracy,
Claudette Colbert
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
(1941)
Certificate: Passed
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Victor Fleming
Stars:
Spencer Tracy,
Ingrid Bergman,
Lana Turner
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
(1940)
Biography
|
Drama
Director:
William Dieterle
Stars:
Edward G. Robinson,
Ruth Gordon,
Otto Kruger
State of the Union
(1948)
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Frank Capra
Stars:
Spencer Tracy,
Katharine Hepburn,
Van Johnson
A Guy Named Joe
(1943)
Certificate: Passed
Drama
|
Romance
|
War
Director:
Victor Fleming
Stars:
Spencer Tracy,
Irene Dunne,
Van Johnson
Woman of the Year
(1942)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
George Stevens
Stars:
Spencer Tracy,
Katharine Hepburn,
Fay Bainter
Test Pilot
(1938)
Certificate: Passed
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
Victor Fleming
Stars:
Clark Gable,
Myrna Loy,
Spencer Tracy
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Spencer Tracy | ... | Thomas A. Edison | |
| Rita Johnson | ... | Mary Stilwell | |
| Lynne Overman | ... | Bunt Cavatt | |
| Charles Coburn | ... | General Powell | |
| Gene Lockhart | ... | Mr. Taggart | |
| Henry Travers | ... | Ben Els | |
| Felix Bressart | ... | Michael Simon | |
| Peter Godfrey | ... | Ashton | |
| Guy D'Ennery | ... | Lundstrom | |
| Byron Foulger | ... | Edwin Hall | |
| Milton Parsons | ... | 'Acid' Graham | |
| Arthur Aylesworth | ... | Jack Bigelow | |
| Gene Reynolds | ... | Jimmy Price | |
| Addison Richards | ... | Mr. Johnson | |
| Grant Mitchell | ... | Snade | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
Hoored at a banquet for his sixty year career as an inventor, scientist, and businessman, 89 year old Thomas Alva Edison reflects back on his long career, which includes such achievements as the stock market ticker, the phonograph, the light bulb, and the motion picture. Written by duke1029@aol.com
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
10 May 1940 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Edison, el hombre See more »Filming Locations:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USACompany Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
See more »
(1887) (uncredited)
Music by Reginald De Koven
Lyrics by Clement W. Scott
Played at wedding.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
This was one of the films that Spencer Tracy really believed in and actively supported not because he starred in it, but because he was a great admirer of Thomas A. Edison. This was unusual as Tracy was known throughout most of his career to disparage his own gifts as well as the importance of motion pictures. Also, prior to this film Spencer Tracy had been a very active member of the "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". He even hosted the awards show on at least one occasion. However when the nominations came out for the best films of 1940, Tracy was appalled that "Edison the Man" was so overlooked in the nominations. It was only nominated for best writing. Tracy swore he would never attend another academy award ceremony again. He never did. Not without irony is that although he was nominated another 6 times over the next 28 years, Tracy never won another Oscar after that after winning two in a row in the previous two years. See more »Goofs
The montage sequence depicting Edison's inventions lists "electric power transmission" over a shot of a massive transmission line and the tower that holds it up. That technology was actually developed not by Thomas A. Edison but by Nikola Tesla. (Tesla held over 700 patents, including Radio. Guglielmo Marconi stole the radio patent from Tesla. The US Patent office has since revoked Marconi's claim, giving it to Tesla.) Edison insisted on powering his lights with direct current, which could only travel short distances from the generators that produced it. Tesla used alternating current, which could be run through transformers to increase its voltage so it could be moved over long distances, then reduced in voltage again for home use. Tesla's alternating current, not Edison's direct current, quickly became the standard and is what we use today. See more »Quotes
Thomas A. Edison: [to the Gold Exchange clerk, who once told him he'd have to wait until next Christmas to see Mr. Taggart, before Edison fixed the gold ticker and got an appointment with Taggart:] Merry Christmas.See more »
Crazy Credits
The opening credits appear as 19th Century sampler embroideries. See more »Soundtracks
Oh, Promise Me(1887) (uncredited)
Music by Reginald De Koven
Lyrics by Clement W. Scott
Played at wedding.
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
Enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with Prime Video.
Edison in this version comes across as a kindly soul, sort of "Santa the inventor" -- kind to one and all.
Don't look for historical accuracy of any kind in this film. Although the acting is nicely done. Spencer Tracy is a constant delight. He even gets to play the organ in one scene! Tracy and Co.'s contributions rate it a six, but it certainly doesn't deserve anything more.
I especially loved the one-handed Morse-code tapping Edison. One doesn't need to know much about Edison to realize pretty quickly that this is sheer hagiography.
There is even a court room scene between gas and electrical lighting. Pretty fun.