Two buddies who rise from fly-by-night wildcatters to oil tycoons over a twenty year period both love the same woman.
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Title: Boom Town (1940)
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Nominated for
2
Oscars.
See more awards »
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Clark Gable | ... | Big John McMasters | |
| Spencer Tracy | ... | Square John Sand | |
| Claudette Colbert | ... | Betsy Bartlett | |
| Hedy Lamarr | ... | Karen Vanmeer | |
| Frank Morgan | ... | Luther Aldrich | |
| Lionel Atwill | ... | Harry Compton | |
| Chill Wills | ... | Harmony Jones | |
| Marion Martin | ... | Whitey | |
| Minna Gombell | ... | Spanish Eva | |
| Joe Yule | ... | Ed Murphy | |
| Horace Murphy | ... | Tom Murphy | |
 |
Roy Gordon | ... | McCreery |
| Richard Lane | ... | Ass't. District Attorney | |
|
|
Casey Johnson | ... | Little Jack |
|
|
Baby Quintanilla | ... | Baby Jack |
Learn more
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Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (90) »
Storyline
Buddies Big John McMasters and Square John Sand are fast-talking, wisecracking wildcatters who manage to con enough equipment and capital to develop their own oil fields, but their friendship is put to the test when Big John inadvertently falls in love with Elizabeth, Square John's longtime girlfriend. Eventually their friendship and partnership comes to an end on the flip of a coin. Years later, when Big John's interest in the beautiful Karen Vanmeer threatens his marriage too, Square John intervenes in an effort to save the marriage of his former friend - even if it means ruining him financially. Written by G. Taverney (duke1029@aol.com)
Plot Keywords:
nitroglycerin | black servant | tool pusher | oil well derrick | indian |Taglines:
Devil may-care men fought for girls and gold See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
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(1918) (uncredited)
Music by Turner Layton
Lyrics by Henry Creamer
Played in the dance hall and sung by Marion Martin
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Photo 40 on the "Boom Town" page is from "Test Pilot" and shows Myrna Loy, Clak Gable and Spencer Tracy. See more »Goofs
When Clark Gable rides the donkey at the rodeo he is holding a balloon. In the first wide shot the balloon is gone, but it reappears in the next close up. See more »Crazy Credits
[Opening title] This is the story of a hard driving breed of Americans - oil prospectors - "wildcatters". Made of the bone and blood of pioneers - men born of the lasting miracle that is America - they probed the Earth from early Pennsylvania to California's Kettleman Hills to bring forth America's greatest treasure, the life blood of today's world - oil! See more »Alternate Versions
Also available in a computer colorized version. See more »Soundtracks
After You've Gone(1918) (uncredited)
Music by Turner Layton
Lyrics by Henry Creamer
Played in the dance hall and sung by Marion Martin
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
30 August 1940 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Boom Town See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$1,614,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1Contribute to This Page
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This was the biggest film of the year for MGM in 1940. They used four of their biggest stars, any one of whom could have starred in their own films.
Clark Gable already had an Oscar for It Happened One Night, another nomination for Mutiny on the Bounty, and was nominated in the 1940 Academy Awards for Gone with the Wind.
Spencer Tracy, a nine-time Oscar nominee, already had a nomination for San Francisco, a win for Captains Courageous, and a win the previous year for Boy's Town.
Three-time Oscar nominee Claudette Colbert already had a win for It happened One Night, which she did with Gable, and a nomination for Private Worlds.
Frank Morgan had gotten one of his two nominations for The Affairs of Cellini.
And, our Star of the Month, Hedy Lamarr, was just beginning her career.
This was a raucous film with all the excitement that you would expect in one about wildcatters in the oil business and featured barroom fights, streets of mud, and stories ripped from the headlines. It was an amazing love story about two men in love with the same woman. It was pure entertainment.