Boys Town (1938)

Director:

Norman Taurog

Writers:

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

Release Date:

9 September 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | 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:

Boy | Boys Town Nebraska | Orphanage | Inspiring Story | Racial Slur

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

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
Robert Emmett Keane	...	Burton
Victor Kilian	...	The Sheriff (as Victor Killian)
Boys Town Acapella Choir	...	The Choir (voice) (as Boys Town A Cappella Choir)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Arthur Aylesworth	...	Tim (uncredited)
King Baggot	...	Derelict in Mission Next to Weasel (uncredited)
Barbara Bedford	...	Catholic Nun (uncredited)
James Blaine	...	Court Officer (uncredited)
Stanley Blystone	...	Guard (uncredited)
Edwin Brian	...	Boy (uncredited)
Everett Brown	...	Darky (uncredited)
Orville Caldwell	...	Warden (uncredited)
Bennie Chorre	...	Young Thunder (uncredited)
Roger Converse	...	Newspaper Reporter Lane (uncredited)
George Cooper	...	Tramp (uncredited)
Nell Craig	...	Catholic Nun (uncredited)
Helen Dickson	...	Catholic Nun (uncredited)
Wesley Giraud	...	Butch (uncredited)
Robert Gleckler	...	Mr. Reynolds (uncredited)
Donald Haines	...	Alabama (uncredited)
John Hamilton	...	Warden (uncredited)
Murray Harris	...	Hillbilly (uncredited)
Billy Hazard	...	Newsboy (uncredited)
Edward Hearn	...	Train Guard (uncredited)
Al Hill Jr.	...	Apples (uncredited)
Al Hill	...	Rod (uncredited)
Donald Hull	...	Newsboy (uncredited)
George Humbert	...	Calateri (uncredited)
Gladden James	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Raymond Kelly	...	Boy (uncredited)
Don Latorre	...	Boy (uncredited)
Billy McCullough	...	Boy (uncredited)
Claire McDowell	...	Catholic Nun (uncredited)
Jackie Morrow	...	Boy (uncredited)
Paul Nichols	...	Boy (uncredited)
Ray Nichols	...	Boy (uncredited)
Tommy Noonan	...	Red (uncredited)
Jay Novello	...	Gangster (uncredited)
Ronald Paige	...	Jimmy (uncredited)
Charles Ramos	...	Mex (uncredited)
Kane Richmond	...	Newspaper Reporter Jackson (uncredited)
Kent Rogers	...	Tailor (uncredited)
Nelson Scott	...	Commissioner (uncredited)
Jimmy Sommerville	...	Newsboy (uncredited)
Bobby Stone	...	Boy Mopping Floor (uncredited)
Chuck Stubbs	...	Slats - in Prologue (uncredited)
A.W. Sweatt	...	Jackie - in Prologue (uncredited)
Phillip Terry	...	Newspaper Reporter (uncredited)
Johnny Walsh	...	Charley Haines (uncredited)
Frank Whitbeck	...	Trailer Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Sonny Boy Williams	...	Boy on Bannister (uncredited)
Robert Winkler	...	Boy (uncredited)
William Worthington	...	Governor (uncredited)
John Wray	...	Weasel (uncredited)
Walter Young	...	Judge (uncredited)

Directed by
Norman Taurog

Writing credits
John Meehan		(screenplay) and
Dore Schary		(screenplay)
Dore Schary		(original story) and
Eleanore Griffin		(original story)
Jack Mintz		contributor to screenplay construction (uncredited)

Produced by
John W. Considine Jr.	....	producer

Original Music by
Edward Ward

Cinematography by
Sidney Wagner		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Elmo Veron

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Joe Cooke	....	unit manager (uncredited)
Jay Marchant	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Horace Hough	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Urie McCleary	....	associate art director
Edwin B. Willis	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Special Effects by
Slavko Vorkapich	....	montage effects

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo Arnaud	....	musical arranger

Other crew
Howard Dietz	....	press representative (uncredited)
Orville O. Dull	....	production associate (uncredited)
Edward Flanagan	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Carl 'Major' Roup	....	script clerk (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1938) (USA) (theatrical) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
• M.P.E.A. (1949) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Turner Entertainment  package design (1989 release)

Also Known As:

"Boys' Town" - USA (poster title)

Runtime:

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

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Australia:G | USA:Approved (PCA #4528) | Canada:G (video rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | West Germany:12 | Sweden:Btl | USA:TV-G | Argentina:Atp

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:

Referenced in Pulp (1972)

Soundtrack:

Silent Night, Holy Night

An Old-Fashioned Feel-Good Film

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.