Devout but iron-willed Father Flanagan leads a community called Boys Town, a different sort of juvenile detention facility where, instead of being treated as underage criminals, the boys are shepherded into making themselves better people. But hard-nosed petty thief and pool shark Whitey Marsh, the impulsive and violent younger brother of an imprisoned murderer, might be too much for the good father's tough-love system.
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Reviews
So much average
It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.
Wonderful movie based on a real man named Father Flanagan, played by Spencer Tracy, who works to help keep troubled boys from a life of crime. He establishes a place called Boys Town in rural Nebraska as an alternative to reformatories. One boy in particular, played by Mickey Rooney, is a little hooligan and Father Flanagan has to fight hard to save him.Tracy gives a wonderfully understated and likable performance. Rooney is excellent as well, though I see his more emotional scenes divide modern audiences. I thought he was great though. Henry Hull is good as Tracy's friend and Boys Town's primary benefactor. Leslie Fenton has a small but important part at the beginning of the film as a convict on death row. Probably the best performance I've ever seen from him. Bobs Watson will give you diabetes with his turn as little Pee Wee. It's a great film. The kind they don't make anymore, obviously. Inspirational, wholesome, and heartwarming.
SPENCER TRACY underplays the role of Father Flanagan who was the man behind the creation of BOYS TOWN and yet Hollywood thought his performance deserved an Oscar in 1938. The film looks very dated now and the sentiment is laid on a bit thick. The delinquent boys seem more like stereotyped cardboard characters dreamed up by the scriptwriter with only occasional glimmers of truth in the acting.Best among the supporting cast are GENE REYNOLDS (always a fine child actor who later turned his talents to directing) and little BOBS WATSON, who does a remarkably convincing job of playing the little boy who worships "Whitey," played by MICKEY ROONEY. Rooney's performance is a bit too blustery but there are moments when his acting nails the truth.Still, it's hard to know how much "truth" there is in the story told here, since so much of the script seems to depend on contrivances that make one suspect it's a purely fictionalized account of the actual story behind the development of Flanagan's Boys Town. Anyone with a fondness for Tracy and Rooney will find it easy enough to sit through, but I don't think it's the finest work of either star.
Spencer Tracy won his second consecutive Academy Award for this turn as Father Flanaghan, the architect and operator of Boys Town.Following up 'Captains Courageous', Tracy cemented himself as an actor's actor.Surrounded by an outstanding supporting cast, and pitching a great script, this film definitely makes the 'Best' list and with little question.Well paced and with excellent delivery, 'Boys Town' is definitely one to watch if you really consider yourself a film buff.Bring popcorn.
This is a pretty famous movie, one of those old-fashioned feel-good films that bring a tear or two to the eye of the sensitive individual.It's very dated, yes, but part of that "dated" means mostly nice kids, not brats and more nice role models, instead of extremely-flawed heroes. It seems, as film fans, we normally got one of the extremes thrown at us: overly good or overly bad. This is overly good.....but I'm fine with that.Mickey Rooney really livens the film up with his appearance. He and most of the characters represent an America that is long gone, people and ideas that are way too "corny" for today's audience. Sometimes it's sappy but sometimes it's refreshing to see, too. The "bad" kids in this film seem pretty nice and tame to today's bad kids, believe me. "There are no bad boys," as Father Flanagan put it, and one would wonder if that still applied today. Flanagan is nicely portrayed by Spencer Tracy. The priest is shown to be one who had a real heart for wayward boys.Spencer and Rooney are the obvious stars of this sentimental story but little "Pee Wee," played by Bobs Watson, is the most endearing character in the movie.Corny but a remembrance of a much more innocent America.
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