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Boys Town (1938)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
9 September 1938 (USA) moreTagline:
Greater than the imagination of the best writers! morePlot:
Against all odds Father Flanagan starts "Boys' Town" after hearing a convict's story. Whitey Marsh comes there... more | add synopsisAwards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 nominations moreNewsDesk:
Dance All Night: Mickey Rooney, Paul Oakenfold Liven up AFI Dallas(From amctv.com - AMC News: Film Festivals. 31 March 2008, 9:05 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
There is no such thing as a bad boy - Father Flanegan more (32 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Spencer Tracy | ... | Father Flanagan | |
| Mickey Rooney | ... | Whitey Marsh | |
| Henry Hull | ... | Dave Morris | |
| Leslie Fenton | ... | Dan Farrow | |
| Gene Reynolds | ... | Tony Ponessa | |
| Edward Norris | ... | Joe Marsh | |
| Addison Richards | ... | The Judge | |
| Minor Watson | ... | The Bishop | |
| Jonathan Hale | ... | John Hargraves | |
| Bobs Watson | ... | Pee Wee | |
| Martin Spellman | ... | Skinny | |
| Mickey Rentschler | ... | Tommy Anderson | |
| Frankie Thomas | ... | Freddie Fuller | |
| Jimmy Butler | ... | Paul Ferguson | |
| Sidney Miller | ... | Mo Kahn |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
96 min | 93 min (DVD version) | West Germany:107 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Certification:
USA:Approved (PCA #4528) | Canada:G (video rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | West Germany:12 | Finland:S | Australia:GFun Stuff
Trivia:
Freddie Bartholomew was considered for the part of Mickey Rooney's best friend, but was not cast because the producers felt he was too associated with Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936) and so would not be believable in this film. moreGoofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Pee Wee is hit by a car and the car stops, but the driver does not come and see. moreQuotes:
Dan Farrow: [panicky, about to die in the electric chair] How much time have I got, Father?Father Edward J. Flanagan: Eternity begins in forty-five minutes, Dan.
Dan Farrow: What happens then?
Father Edward J. Flanagan: Oh, a bad minute or two.
Dan Farrow: And after that?
Father Edward J. Flanagan: Well, Dan, that's a question that scientists and philosophers have been asking for a million years.
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This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (32 total)
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The "true story" of Father Flanagan, an Catholic Priest in early 1900's Nebraska, whose motto "There is no such thing as a bad boy" lead him to open a large orphanage for boys nobody wanted. With love and the insistance that there is always hope, the man "gets through" to even the toughest kids anyone else would have called "hopeless".
Spencer Tracy won his second consecutive Best Actor Oscar as the long suffering Flannegan. Mickey Rooney is great as Flannegan's "toughest challenge", and many of the orphans give genuine performances in this Hollywood Classic. The movie "Boys Town" was a major boost to the real-life orphanage, eventually catapulting it to a successful multi-million dollar organization, helping boys (and girls) throughout the US!
"Boy's Town" gives hope to all of the "orphans" among us. Whether without parents, or from unhappy homes. There are always caring individuals whose life goal it is to "leave no child behind". Where there is life, there is hope!*****