In an oil-rich 1918 Texas town, manly wildcatter Clark Gable (as "Big John" McMasters) meets fellow prospector Spencer Tracy (as Jonathan "Shorty" Sand). "Don't call me Shorty," advises Mr. Tracy. "Why not, Shorty?" asks Mr. Gable. Although they smack each other around, Gable is allowed. The guys bond while washing up in their long underwear and decide to become partners. Gable and Tracy steal some oil equipment and strike it rich. Tracy's well-dressed girlfriend Claudette Colbert (as Elizabeth "Betsy" Bartlett), who sells ladies' underwear, arrives and goes to bed with Gable. They also make it legal. Very predictably, this starts a long rivalry...Gable and Tracy win some, and they lose some..."Boom Town" starts out exciting and turns into a one-note soap opera that doesn't impress. Mainly, this is due to a boring love story between the three stars. Rather late in the story, beautiful Karen Vanmeer (as Hedy Lamarr) enters as a second love interest for Gable. This makes two for Gable and zero for Tracy. Maybe it's because he's short. It might have been better to show Tracy becoming involved with either of the women, or even another woman. The parts about the oil industry are nicely produced, but proceed with sketchy logic and intrigue. Despite being hollow, "Boom Town" is a classy and engaging production from a studio with the staff to make it happen.***** Boom Town (8/30/40) Jack Conway ~ Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert, Hedy Lamarr

A couple of oil-drilling buddies (Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy) strike it rich together. Then a woman (Claudette Colbert) comes between them. Tracy plays O'Brien to Gable's Cagney in this predictable but fun MGM production. All three stars are in good form. Gable gets most of the memorable lines. Hedy Lamarr does well in her villainess role. Nice support from Frank Morgan, Chill Wills, and Lionel Atwill. In addition to Lamarr, Marion Martin provides some eye candy. Action scenes are great but can't mask what is basically a simple soap opera doused in testosterone. Not to mention a love triangle that's pretty weak. It goes on a bit longer than it should but it's still enjoyable. Fans of the stars will like it.

Boom Town is a Love story, a Drama, a Western, and an Adventure all put into one movie. The film is about 2 guys who love the same girl and love Black Gold. The movie stars Spencer Tracy as Square John Sand, Clark Gable as Big John McMasters, and Claudette Colbert as (Elizabeth) Betsy Bartlett. The movie is a 1940's Classic, and I think it was almost as good as Gone With the Wind. This is the last of three films that Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable starred in together which included San Francisco, Test Pilot, and Boom Town. The Film was star packed. I instantly knew who the actors were once I heard their voices. I especially liked how it was set in a western style and a modern style (for that time anyway) I thought it was going to be like every other western film that I've seen in black and white but it wasn't it was more adventurous and interesting. I especially enjoyed the scenes that showed Big John and Square John fist fighting. I later researched that Spencer Tracy's stunt double actually hit Clark Gable during a scene, because Clark Gable decided that he wanted to do his own stunts.

Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert and Hedy Lamarr star in "Boom Town," a 1940 film directed by Jack Conway. It's about wildcatters and friends, played by Gable and Tracy, who make money as partners, love the same woman, go their separate ways, reunite, all under the specter of oil rigs.Gable has a role he owned, that of Big John, a tough guy, a man's man, kind of Rhett Butler goes wildcatting. Tracy is Jonathan Sand, his buddy, with a girl back home. Big John meets a lady and falls for her - except it's Sand's girlfriend Elizabeth (Colbert) who's just arrived in town. Well, she had to choose between Clark Gable, matinée idol, and Spencer Tracy, a character actor whose talent gave him leading man status. She chooses Big John. Sand accepts it as best he can. By now the two have struck oil and are in the big money. Eventually, Big John loses his part of the business to Sand, and he and Elizabeth leave the area in order to rebuild - and they do, big time. The couple end up in New York, where Big John meets a Big Beauty named Karen (Lamarr) and goes for her, threatening his marriage.Everyone is very good in this absorbing movie, with Lamarr's knockout beauty a real asset. This is nothing against Colbert, who is stunning as well and excellent as Elizabeth. Gable and Tracy have good chemistry - in the end, this is really a buddy movie, and they're a good match. Gable is very sexy and at his peak here.Very enjoyable, with great special effects - no expense spared for the four huge stars.