Boys Town (1938)

Directed by

Norman Taurog

Genre

drama film, biographical film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 33m

Rated

NR

Rating

6.8 of 10 from 107 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A priest named Father Flanagan creates a home and school for boys who have nowhere else to go. The film shows his work with these underprivileged boys and their struggles to build a better life.

inspiringheartfelthopefulearnestsentimentalwarmclassic

What happens

Boys Town is a 1938 American biographical drama film based on Father Edward J. Flanagan's work with a group of underprivileged boys in a home/educational complex that he founded and named "Boys Town" in Nebraska. It stars Spencer Tracy as Father Edward J. Flanagan, and Mickey Rooney with Henry Hull, Leslie Fenton, and Gene Reynolds. The film was written by Dore Schary, Eleanore Griffin, and John Meehan, and was directed by Norman Taurog. Tracy won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio head Louis B. Mayer, who was a Belarusian-Canadian-American Jew known for his respect for the Catholic Church, later called this his favorite film of his long tenure at MGM. Although the story is largely fictional, it is based upon a real man and a real place. Boys Town is a community outside Omaha, Nebraska. In 1941, MGM made a sequel, Men of Boys Town, with Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney reprising their roles from the earlier film. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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