Customer Reviews

Men of Boys Town [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Men of boys town" was a good movie. It revolves around the same characters that where in "Boys Town" although not being as great as boys town. However if you loved "Boys Town" you will like "Men of boys town".

This film is a little gem that deserves far more outings than it seems to get these days, but if they don't show its bigger brother much, they aint going to show this, which is a shame.

The film relies (and succeeds) heavily on the bad / disadavantaged orphan straying off the straight and narrow, then being coaxed back onto the right path by the 'Been there, know the score, now get with it' routine; who else could fill this role but Micky Rooney? And to avoid too much of the sweet faced sickly, Pal Joey ' I'll make it - cough cough - , don't worry about me ' shenanikins, who else but crater faced Tracy for the job of counter-balancing the unavoidable shmaltzy corn? Soft but tough at the same time, as was the real person upon whom these films were inspired, employing tactics previously used by Cagney in 'Angels.....,' beating the kids to every sneaky trick ending with a kick up the backside.

Actually, there's a little twist where Father Flanagan (Tracy) himself strays off the path, and has to be mildly censured and brought back in line by Dave Morris (Lee J Cobb). The best part of this film is the fantastic slow motion wrestling routine put on by Whitey and the older boys as part of a review for visitng dignitaries. So, if you see this on DVD, buy it, you won't regret it.

WHILE SPENCER TRACY AND MICKEY ROONEY WERE THE MAIN STARS IN THIS SHOW THIS REVIEW FOCUSES ON LARRY NUNN WHO PLAYED TED MARTLEY. THERE WAS NEVER A MORE 'JAMES DEAN' LOOK-ALIKE THAN NUNN. IN THIS SHOW, NUNN PLAYED HIMSELF NOT HIS ROW OF TED MARTLEY. IN SOME ACTORS THEY PLAY WHO THEY REALLY ARE SUCH AS HIS ATTITUDE [WHO KILLED A GUARD IN THE REFORM SCHOOL BECAUSE HE WAS BEATEN SO BAD HE COULD NOT WALK. AND THE WAY FATHER FLANIGAN WAS ABLE TO GET HIM TO TELL WHY HE KILLED THE GUARD]. THE WAY HE ACTED WAS A CALL FOR ATTENTION. NUNN IN LATER REAL LIFE COMMITED SUICIDE ACCORDING TO THE INTERNET. IT WAS BECAUSE OF NUNN THE REASON I GOT THIS SHOW AS WELL AS THE ORIGINAL SHOW 'BOYS TOWN ON THE SAME DVD. BOBS WATSON [PEE-WEE] AND SIDNEY MILLER [MO KAHN] WERE ALSO GOOD--MAKING IT ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS OF ITS TIME. I WAS RAISED IN A SIMILAR SITUATION SO I WOULD HAVE A MORE UNDERSTANDING FOR A SHOW SUCH AS THIS.

This sequal was a typical good old time movie, a little hammy in places, but keep the tissues handy and enjoy.

The two main actors were great and I love any movie they are in. This was an esceptionally good movie