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IMDbPro

Boys Town

  • 1938
  • Passed
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
6K
YOUR RATING
Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney in Boys Town (1938)
Official Trailer
Play trailer3:12
1 Video
27 Photos
BiographyDramaFamily

When a death row prisoner tells him he wouldn't have led a life of crime if only he had had one friend as a child, Father Edward Flanagan decides to start a home for young boys.When a death row prisoner tells him he wouldn't have led a life of crime if only he had had one friend as a child, Father Edward Flanagan decides to start a home for young boys.When a death row prisoner tells him he wouldn't have led a life of crime if only he had had one friend as a child, Father Edward Flanagan decides to start a home for young boys.

  • Director
    • Norman Taurog
  • Writers
    • John Meehan
    • Dore Schary
    • Eleanore Griffin
  • Stars
    • Spencer Tracy
    • Mickey Rooney
    • Henry Hull
  • See production, box office & company info
    • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Norman Taurog
    • Writers
      • John Meehan
      • Dore Schary
      • Eleanore Griffin
    • Stars
      • Spencer Tracy
      • Mickey Rooney
      • Henry Hull
    • 60User reviews
    • 22Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 3 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    Boys Town
    Trailer 3:12
    Watch Boys Town

    Photos27

    Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney in Boys Town (1938)
    Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney in Boys Town (1938)
    Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Edwin Brian, Everett Brown, Jimmy Butler, Wesley Giraud, Donald Haines, Al Hill Jr., Sidney Miller, Mickey Rentschler, Gene Reynolds, Martin Spellman, and Frankie Thomas in Boys Town (1938)
    Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney in Boys Town (1938)
    Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney in Boys Town (1938)
    1/2 sheet, 22 x 28
    Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney in Boys Town (1938)
    Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney in Boys Town (1938)
    Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney in Boys Town (1938)
    Spencer Tracy in Boys Town (1938)
    Sonny Boy Williams in Boys Town (1938)
    Boys Town (1938)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Spencer Tracy
    Spencer Tracy
    • Father Flanagan
    Mickey Rooney
    Mickey Rooney
    • Whitey Marsh
    Henry Hull
    Henry Hull
    • Dave Morris
    Leslie Fenton
    Leslie Fenton
    • Dan Farrow
    Gene Reynolds
    Gene Reynolds
    • Tony Ponessa
    Edward Norris
    Edward Norris
    • Joe Marsh
    Addison Richards
    Addison Richards
    • The Judge
    Minor Watson
    Minor Watson
    • The Bishop
    Jonathan Hale
    Jonathan Hale
    • John Hargraves
    Bobs Watson
    Bobs Watson
    • Pee Wee
    Martin Spellman
    Martin Spellman
    • Skinny
    Mickey Rentschler
    Mickey Rentschler
    • Tommy Anderson
    Frankie Thomas
    Frankie Thomas
    • Freddie Fuller
    Jimmy Butler
    Jimmy Butler
    • Paul Ferguson
    Sidney Miller
    Sidney Miller
    • Mo Kahn
    Robert Emmett Keane
    Robert Emmett Keane
    • Burton
    Victor Kilian
    Victor Kilian
    • The Sheriff
    • (as Victor Killian)
    Boys Town Acapella Choir
    • The Choir
    • (voice)
    • (as Boys Town A Cappella Choir)
    • Director
      • Norman Taurog
    • Writers
      • John Meehan
      • Dore Schary
      • Eleanore Griffin
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Father Edward Flanagan, who died almost ten years after this movie was released, was the first person ever to live to see somebody win an Oscar for portraying him.
    • Goofs
      While the boys are praying out front for the injured Pee Wee, Whitey goes behind them and grabs a branch of a tree with no leaves. When he turns around, the branch now is covered with leaves.
    • Quotes

      Dan Farrow: [panicky, about to die in the electric chair] How much time have I got, Father?

      Father Edward J. Flanagan: Eternity begins in forty-five minutes, Dan.

      Dan Farrow: What happens then?

      Father Edward J. Flanagan: Oh, a bad minute or two.

      Dan Farrow: And after that?

      Father Edward J. Flanagan: Well, Dan, that's a question that scientists and philosophers have been asking for a million years.

    • Alternate versions
      Also available in a computer colorized version.
    • Connections
      Edited into Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972)
    • Soundtracks
      Theme Music of Boys Town
      (uncredited)
      Music Traditional, from "Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes"
      Performed by the Boys Town Acapella Choir (as Boys Town A Cappella Choir)
      [Sung at an assembly]

    User reviews60

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Worth watching over and over.
    Very touching story about a man who knows the right thing to do and is selfless in giving the boys a chance at life with no regard to how it might affect his own life. I think that viewing this should be manditory for some of the people who have lost touch of what matters most in this life and it's not money.
    helpful•18
    5
    • Sushifreak
    • Nov 18, 2003

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 9, 1938 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Hebrew
    • Also known as
      • Boys' Town
    • Filming locations
      • Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

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