Men of Boys Town (1941)

Mickey Rooney and Spencer Tracy return in this sequel to the original Boys Town. This time the school faces financial trouble as Father Flanagan tries to help every little boy he meets. ... See full summary »

Director:

Norman Taurog

Writer:

James Kevin McGuinness (original screenplay)

Stars:

Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Bobs Watson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Spencer Tracy	...	Father Flanagan
Mickey Rooney	...	Whitey Marsh
Bobs Watson	...	Pee Wee
Larry Nunn	...	Ted Martley
Darryl Hickman	...	Flip
Henry O'Neill	...	Mr. Maitland
Mary Nash	...	Mrs. Maitland
Lee J. Cobb	...	Dave Morris
Sidney Miller	...	Mo Kahn
Addison Richards	...	The Judge
Lloyd Corrigan	...	Roger Gorton
George Lessey	...	Bradford Stone
Robert Emmett Keane	...	Burton
Arthur Hohl	...	Guard
Ben Welden	...	Superintendent (as Ben Weldon)

Storyline

Mickey Rooney and Spencer Tracy return in this sequel to the original Boys Town. This time the school faces financial trouble as Father Flanagan tries to help every little boy he meets. Larry Nunn and Dwayne Hickman join in this time around as Flanagan discovers a reform school that has neither reforming nor schooling. It's up to Flanagan, Whitey, and the rest of the school to teach them there's no such thing as a bad boy.

---

Plot Keywords:

ham radio | father edward j. flanagan character | reform school | dog | trial | 

---

Taglines:

M-G-M's NEW Hit!

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sequel to the Oscar Winning film, Boys Town (1938).

---

Quotes

Father Edward J. 'Eddie' Flanagan: The coddled, the weak and the doubting will fall.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Miracle of Sound (1940)

---

Soundtracks

Taps
(uncredited)
Written by Daniel Butterfield
Lyrics anonymous
Played on a bugle by Bobs Watson and by the boys' band and sung by the St. Luke's Episcopal Church Choristers at Beau Hunk's burial

User Reviews

Where's Henry Hull?

They're back! Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Bobs Watson, Sidney Miller, and the memorable structure and story of Boys Town return in Men of Boys Town. Aren't we forgetting someone? The person who made Boys Town possible by continually funding it in the first movie-where's Henry Hull? I don't know if he refused to be in the sequel or if Hollywood forgot to invite him to the party, but since I'm a fan of his, I missed him. His character was still in the movie, but Lee J. Cobb replaced him, and the audience was not supposed to notice.

This one's a bit weird, with a subplot that seemed to summon the expertise of a therapist, not a priest. Mary Nash and Henry O'Neill play a couple whose child has died, and they're on the lookout to adopt from Boys Town. Instead of choosing a younger boy, they set their sights on Mickey Rooney, one of the oldest in the home, because he's the age their son would have been. When they start suggesting he call them Mom and Dad, it feels really strange. Larry Nunn and Darryl Hickman are the new boys, but there's no way to repeat the heartwarming feeling you get from watching the original Boys Town. I know you'll want to rent it, but just don't expect too much out of it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 April 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das sind Kerle

Filming Locations:

Boys Town, Nebraska, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1