They're back! Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Bobs Watson, Sidney Miller, and the memorable structure and story of Boys Town return in Men of Boys Town. Aren't we forgetting someone? The person who made Boys Town possible by continually funding it in the first movie-where's Henry Hull? I don't know if he refused to be in the sequel or if Hollywood forgot to invite him to the party, but since I'm a fan of his, I missed him. His character was still in the movie, but Lee J. Cobb replaced him, and the audience was not supposed to notice.
This one's a bit weird, with a subplot that seemed to summon the expertise of a therapist, not a priest. Mary Nash and Henry O'Neill play a couple whose child has died, and they're on the lookout to adopt from Boys Town. Instead of choosing a younger boy, they set their sights on Mickey Rooney, one of the oldest in the home, because he's the age their son would have been. When they start suggesting he call them Mom and Dad, it feels really strange. Larry Nunn and Darryl Hickman are the new boys, but there's no way to repeat the heartwarming feeling you get from watching the original Boys Town. I know you'll want to rent it, but just don't expect too much out of it.
This one's a bit weird, with a subplot that seemed to summon the expertise of a therapist, not a priest. Mary Nash and Henry O'Neill play a couple whose child has died, and they're on the lookout to adopt from Boys Town. Instead of choosing a younger boy, they set their sights on Mickey Rooney, one of the oldest in the home, because he's the age their son would have been. When they start suggesting he call them Mom and Dad, it feels really strange. Larry Nunn and Darryl Hickman are the new boys, but there's no way to repeat the heartwarming feeling you get from watching the original Boys Town. I know you'll want to rent it, but just don't expect too much out of it.