Boys Town

Boys Town

96 mins | Drama | Sept. 8, 1938

Devout but iron-willed Father Flanagan leads a community called Boys Town, a different sort of juvenile detention facility where, instead of being treated as underage criminals, the boys are shepherded into making themselves better people. But hard-nosed petty thief and pool shark Whitey Marsh, the impulsive and violent younger brother of an imprisoned murderer, might be too much for the good father's tough-love system.

Boys Town

96 mins | Drama | Sept. 8, 1938

Boys Town
Devout but iron-willed Father Flanagan leads a community called Boys Town, a different sort of juvenile detention facility where, instead of being treated as underage criminals, the boys are shepherded into making themselves better people. But hard-nosed petty thief and pool shark Whitey Marsh, the impulsive and violent younger brother of an imprisoned murderer, might be too much for the good father's tough-love system.
IMDb rating 7.2
Producers Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Original title Boys Town
Directors Carl Roup, Horace Hough, Norman Taurog
Writers John Meehan, Eleanore Griffin, Dore Schary

Cast

Spencer Tracy

as Father Flanagan

Mickey Rooney

as Whitey Marsh

Henry Hull

as Dave Morris

Leslie Fenton

as Dan Farrow

Gene Reynolds

as Tony Ponessa

Edward Norris

as Joe Marsh

Addison Richards

as Judge

Minor Watson

as Bishop

Jonathan Hale

as John Hargraves

Bobs Watson

as Pee Wee

Martin Spellman

as Skinny

Mickey Rentschler

as Tommy Anderson

Frankie Thomas

as Freddie Fuller

Jimmy Butler

as Paul Ferguson

Sidney Miller

as Mo Kahn

Victor Kilian

as The Sheriff

Arthur Aylesworth

as Tim (uncredited)

King Baggot

as Derelict in Mission (uncredited)

Barbara Bedford

as Nun (uncredited)

George Cooper

as Tramp (uncredited)

Nell Craig

as Nun (uncredited)

John Hamilton

as Prison Warden (uncredited)

Claire McDowell

as Nun (uncredited)

Jay Novello

as Gangster (uncredited)

Phillip Terry

as Newspaper Reporter (uncredited)

William Worthington

as Governor (uncredited)

John Wray

as Weasel (uncredited)