How a 1940 Oil Epic Became the Highest-Grossing Film of Its Year

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Boom Town paired Hollywood titans Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy in a rugged, high-stakes drama about wildcatting. Despite critical mixed reviews regarding its repetitive plot, the film’s star power and spectacular oil-field sequences propelled it to become the most successful box office release of 1940.

Released in 1940, Boom Town was a massive commercial triumph for MGM, earning over $5 million globally and securing an estimated profit of $1,892,000. The film followed the volatile lives of two oil wildcatters, "Big John" McMasters and "Shorty" Sand, whose friendship was defined by a cycle of booms and busts. Inspired by James Edward Grant’s Cosmopolitan story, "A Lady Comes to Burkburnett," the narrative spanned from the rough-and-tumble Western oil fields to the corporate boardrooms of New York, where McMasters eventually faced legal trouble for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act.

The production was notable for its intense behind-the-scenes dynamics. Clark Gable, who had real-life experience as an oil-well driller in Oklahoma, starred alongside Spencer Tracy. Their collaboration was marked by professional friction; Tracy, unhappy with his second-billing status, reportedly proved difficult during filming. While the film’s spectacle—including its depiction of massive oil gushers—received praise, critics like Bosley Crowther of The New York Times felt the human drama often devolved into monotonous, repetitive conflict. Nevertheless, the film’s broad appeal was undeniable, ranking seventh in Film Daily’s 1940 poll of the year's best films.

Technically, the film was recognized for its visual and auditory ambition, earning Academy Award nominations for Harold Rosson’s cinematography and for the special effects work of A. Arnold Gillespie and Douglas Shearer. The film’s legacy remains tied to its status as a quintessential star vehicle, capturing the era’s fascination with industrial expansion and the rugged American spirit. Even as the plot moved from the frontier to the East, the spectacle of the oil industry served as the primary engine for audience interest, cementing the film’s place as a definitive, if narratively thin, blockbuster of its time.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• How a 1938 Hollywood blockbuster captured the high-stakes reality of early aviation
• How a 1935 Hollywood blockbuster survived four years of chaotic script development and tantrums
• Why the studio head of MGM called a 1938 drama his favorite film
• How a massive 1950 Hollywood production conquered the African wilderness to become a blockbuster
• The 1962 epic How the West Was Won was a technical nightmare to film
• How a fictional Kazakh journalist became a real-world political disruptor in 2020
• The massive travel platform accused of profiting from war crimes
• Why the star-studded Borderlands adaptation became one of 2024's biggest box-office disasters
• The monster in the closet: a tale of childhood trauma and generic horror
• How a 1966 film about a lioness sparked a global wildlife conservation movement
• Why Otto Preminger’s 1958 drama Bonjour Tristesse remains a polarizing masterpiece of cold elegance
• How a 1950 comedy about a corrupt tycoon became a landmark of American cinema

More in Films · More in Entertainment · Latest · A–Z · All topics