Excellent but underrated film

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Could the sequel "Men Of Boys Town" be better than "Boys Town"? Well, I thought it was possible, because as good as the original was throughout most of its story, the ending was a bit illogical -- a dedicated priest leading a bunch of children to disarm and capture three men who were guilty of armed robbery and more.And, the sequel started out well enough, although the talents of Henry Hull were sorely missing. Lee J. Cobb took his role here, and although Cobb is very likable, he doesn't provide the memorable performance that Hull did. Mickey Rooney seems more mature...and isn't overacting as much here, making his character much more likable, but unfortunately he goes a bit too far and, essentially, he becomes Andy Hardy. His slow motion fighting routine is a classic and really shows just how talented Rooney was. And, as the story begins we learn that a couple of years have passed and there have been improvements and additions to Boys Town. Then, Father Flanagan is called to a trial where a boy who is now paralyzed has murdered a guard at a reform school. All continues well. As the crippled delinquent's sour personality begins to improve, a couple comes to Boys Town to adopt, and adopts Rooney, and that leads to him to be placed in a reformatory himself, where he learns of the torture that takes place there. Rooney and Tracy straighten that out, the crippled boy walks again, and the couple get their adoptee, though not Rooney, who graduates from Boys Town at the end of the movie.There are some good supporting performances here. The performance of young Darryl Hickman here is a hoot and not to be missed. Henry O'Neill is excellent, as always, as the adopting father, and Mary Nash is good as his wife.I'm one of those few people who believes that this film IS better than the original. Tracy's acting is just as good, Rooney's is more realistic, and the story is more logical.You can get the best of both worlds here -- the current iteration of the DVD has both films for your DVD shelf.

Norman Taurog directs and Spencer Tracy plays Father Flanagan in another film about the priest who walked the walk in his philosophy about their being no such thing as a bad boy.Men of Boys Town finds Tracy burdened down with a lot of responsibility. His responsibility to each and every boy that he takes in at Boys Town and to the institution itself. Some of their stories overlap with Tracy's main concern about keeping the institution afloat.One of those kids is Larry Nunn, a kid crippled after he killed a guard in a reformatory he was in. His story is similar to the one that was in the original Boys Town where Gene Reynolds was another kid who was crippled. Nunn is far more cynical and bitter after seeing and experiencing what he has in that other institution.Another kid is Darryl Hickman, a young juvenile offender from that same place who sneaks out of the place with Mickey Rooney when Rooney goes to visit one of Nunn's friends. Talk about deja vu, in the original Boys Town it was Rooney who was the smart mouth who gets tamed by his experience at Boys Town. I guess the Deity and the scriptwriters have a sense of humor.Besides Tracy and Rooney, Sidney Miller and Bobs Watson are retained from the original film. Rooney would be stealing this whole film if it weren't for Tracy. Nobody steals a scene from Spencer Tracy. I guess since Boys Town is still here we do know that Father Flanagan did solve the problems shown in this film as well. Though it looks a whole lot like Tracy is getting stretched way to thin, in the movies and in life itself, problems sometimes do have a way working themselves out if we can only perceive the solution.Anyway, Men of Boys Town is simply Spencer Tracy continuing his award winning role as the ever wise and patient Father Flanagan. Good enough reason to see this film.

Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney return as Father Flanagan and Whitey Marsh in this sentimental sequel to the almost equally sentimental original "Boys Town." However, the sentiment is in a good cause, and both films are ideal for those rainy afternoons on the sofa with a pound of chocolates and a box of Kleenex.As he was in the original film, Spencer Tracy is the rock at the center of "Men of Boys Town." His performance as Flanagan is solid, reassuring, and subtle. Tracy was a master of film acting and never indulged in histrionics; however, when he spoke his words carried weight, and his figure had a presence that commanded attention. Mickey Rooney, on the other hand, could overplay a part, and his Whitey Marsh in the original "Boys Town" teeters perilously on being over the top. However, three years later, both Rooney and Whitey are more mature, and the characterization benefits. Rooney has toned down and deepened his performance, and, with more screen time, he holds his own with Tracy.The film's plot is melodramatic and includes a crippled boy, a dog, a potential adoption, an escapee from a reform school, and financial problems, all of which, not surprisingly, resolve themselves in a flood of tears and smiles in the best tradition of old MGM movies. Bobs Watson returns as Pee Wee, and, although he should have outgrown the game with the candy in the drawers, he remains memorable for the waterworks that he could evidently turn on and off at the director's command. Anne Revere, no slouch in the tears department herself, has a small memorable part near the film's conclusion. Lee J. Cobb, who took over for Henry Hull as Dave Morris, Father Flanagan's friend, is effective, although there is an initial jolt when he appears, because his is the only major role that was recast from the original film.The original "Boys Town" and this sequel must have drawn millions into the coffers of Father Flanagan's home for boys. When the music soars over heart-rending scenes and Tracy intones his philosophy of there being no such thing as a bad boy, only the hardest curmudgeon would not be moved to reach for a checkbook.

Mickey Rooney's performance is what makes this film terrific. I'm always amazed at the talent of Mickey Rooney. In my opinion he is a much underrated performer. He could do it all.Make you laugh, make you cry, make you jump for job. Mickey Rooney is the star of this movie, Men Of Boys Town. His performance is tops. He ease and dramatic and comedy talents are well on display here. In my opinion, he far outshines Spencer Tracy in both Boys Town and Men Of Boys Town. Mickey should have one the Oscar for this one. If you want to see more great acting by Mickey Rooney check out Young Tom Edison, Drive A Crooked Road, Huckleberry Finn etc. You wil be glad you did. Mickey Rooney, forever may he shine. He was and is the tops. The King Of Hollywood!