The moving story of Father Flanagan (Spencer Tracy) who battled the courts, the community but mostly the odds to build Boys Town in Nebraska, a home for abandoned, homeless boys, regardless of race, creed or colour. When the tough, rebellious Whitey March (Mickey Rooney) arrives, Father Flanagan faces the challenge of his life. He must fight not only to save the self-destructive youth, but to save Boys Town itself. Spencer Tracy won his second Academy Award for his performance and Mickey Rooney excels as Whitey, proving his strength as a talented dramatic actor. Eleanore Griffin and Dore Schary also earned Oscars for their original story. Co-starring Henry Hull, Leslie Fenton and Gene Reynolds. “Boys Town” will steal your heart and leave you with something even better - inspiration.
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
How to watch
Stream, rent or buy via
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
306418
Language
English
Audience classification
G
Subject categories
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Academy awards (Motion pictures)
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Black and White
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)