Diagonaldi Very well executed

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

vincentlynch-moonoi 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.

bkoganbing 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.

ccthemovieman-1 I had an inkling, despite the fine cast in here, that this sequel wasn't close to the original or it would have been better known. Few people even know this exists. That's not a big loss to them, as this isn't much. It was just too sappy and there was too much focus on this pouting teenager who had been abused at another institution, a place where the good Father Flanagan (Spencer Tracy) was going to expose.This one just didn't have the charm of "Boys Town." Too bad wasting the talents of Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Bobs Watson, Darryl Hickman, Henry O'Neil, Lee J. Cobb and others. Wait - I shouldn't say that about Rooney. He's the star of this film and puts in another good performance.

Michael Bo Father Flanagan desperately needs $200,000 to finance the two new wings of Boys Town, the community's young reformed mayor Whitey lets himself be adopted on a trial basis by a couple that might help raise the money, and a new kid, Ted with the broken back and the many ghosts in the closet, reluctantly enters Boy Town, and it seems like he is never going to trust humankind again.Three years after the enormous success of 'Boy Town', director Norman Taurog and his brilliant cast is at it again, reforming young sinners and fighting their battle against the inhuman ways children were treated in reform schools. Father Flanagan preaches an anti-punishment policy way ahead of its time: "There is no redemption in a lash", he says.It is Whitey, this time around, that gets to say the immortal words, "There's no such thing as a bad boy", and adds: "... someone told me once". And again Mickey Rooney is the center of attention here, I was once more amazed at this young actor's ease, the complete confidence that he exudes plus the vulnerability. Never once does he come across as too cocky, he is just always quite right, which is an art. Rooney was a brilliant, intuitive player, and it is about time someone gave him credit for it.The rest of the acting is not quite on that level. Spencer Tracy as Father Flanagan plays the easy part here, sufficing to smile warmly and speak heatedly, but he is nice to be in a room with.As always, modern viewers cringe at the angelic choirs that accompany the miracles that make all the pieces fit together, and they must have sounded grating even in 1941. But, beggars can't be choosers, and I like this second round of Boys Town almost as much as the first.