Movie Reviews: Boys Town and Men of Boys Town

Here are two movies which my family always enjoys, Boys Town and Men of Boys Town.  As a child, I could watch Boys Town day after day, never getting tired of it.  Old movies truly are the best movies, and the lessons in these films are timeless.

Boys Town (1938)

Starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney, this film is one of my favorites.  It is an exciting, touching movie and gives you a wonderful history of the founding of Boys Town.  All of the cast is amazing, especially Spencer Tracy as Father Flanagan and Mickey Rooney and Whitey Marsh.

Father Flanagan visits a murderer about to face the electric chair.  “If I had had just one friend, I wouldn’t have gone bad,” the convict claims.  Father Flanagan decides to be that one friend which boys need so much.  He opens Boys Town, a town built and run by boys. “There is no such thing as a bad boy,” Fr. Flanagan claims, but a cocky kid named Whitey Marsh disagrees. Whitey is obnoxious and unpleasant, but a little boy named Peewee loves him.  Peewee is a victim of a hit and run, and Whitey feels it is his fault.  Wandering the city in shock, Whitey encounters his outlaw brother, Joe, robbing a bank.  Whitey gets shot and is picked up by Fr. Flanagan.  Boys Town will be forced to shut down because of Whitey’s supposed crime of bank robbery, and Whitey is heartbroken.  He’s torn between wanting to save Boys Town and not wanting to tattle on Joe.

The scene in which Peewee gets run over might be upsetting for young viewers.

 

Men of Boys Town (1941)

This sequel to Boys Town stars almost all of the same actors.  Though it has a bit of a darker theme than its predecessor, it is still a great watch and ends nicely.

Despite Boys Town being at full capacity and broke, Father Flanagan cannot resist helping Ted Martley, a boy charged with killing a reformatory guard.  Ted is “the boy who never smiles,” and Whitey Marsh attempts to become friends.  When all else fails, Whitey gives the boy a dog he finds.  Ted immediately takes to the canine and smiles.  What Whitey did not realize, however, is that the dog belongs to Mr. and Mrs. Maitland.  Whitey offers to buy their dog, and the Maitlands are charmed by the teenager.  They offer to adopt Whitey on a trial basis.  When Whitey runs into an escapee from the same reformatory Ted was in, he is appalled by the beatings the boys there have to undergo.  An incident with the law leads Whitey to be sent to the reformatory.  Fr. Flanagan comes to the rescue and exposes the reformatory for what it truly is.  While at the reformatory, Father is unable to keep a promise to Ted of staying for the boy’s operation.  Ted is upset and refuses to talk to Father.  Whitey has returned to Boys Town, which will have to close due to insufficient funds.  Feeling that the Maitlands would give Boys Town money, Whitey offers to return as their adopted son. Surprising and tragic events leads to the salvation of Boys Town and Ted.

This sequel might not be the best for youngsters to watch as the reformatory scenes can be intense.  The boys are hit by guards, and one dies due to beatings.