Boys Town (1938)

Director:

Norman Taurog

Writers:

John Meehan (screenplay) and
Dore Schary (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 September 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Greater than the imagination of the best writers!

Plot:

Against all odds Father Flanagan starts "Boys' Town" after hearing a convict's story. Whitey Marsh comes there...

Plot Keywords:

Children | Classic | Father Edward J. Flanagan | Irish American | Bishop

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 nominations

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

Also Known As:

Boys' Town (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

96 min | 93 min (DVD version) | West Germany:107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound 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:G

Filming Locations:

Boys Town, Nebraska, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

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.

Goofs:

Continuity: The blackface Whitey wipes off in line doesn't match when he arrives back at the barber.

Quotes:

Freddie Fuller: There's our baseball field... last year one of our players was drafted by the St. Louis Browns.
Whitey Marsh: Well, I like the Yankees.
Freddie Fuller: You would!

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies (2006) (TV)

A Classic

I have enjoyed this movie since I was a child. I saw it for the first time when I was about ten-years-old and have watched it many times since. While parts of it may seem "hokey" by today's standards, the performances of Tracey and Rooney are memorable. The tensions between the "tough-love" priest and the wise-mouthed swaggering delinquent make for timeless drama. I have to admit though, that every time I watch this movie, there is a part of me that wants Whitey Marsh to stay bad, remain a delinquent and fail to succumb to the straight-laced rules of Boys Town. (Perhaps, that is the rebellious residue of a Catholic education.) In any event, I agree with the sentiments reflected by a prior poster, that when Pee Wee gets hit by the car, and Whitey starts sobbing, well, it is hard not to sob along with him.