The Boys are Men in Town

Those little hooligans are all grown up in 1941's Men of Boys Town, the sequel to 1938's Boys Town. An admirable perspective is presented, that of meeting misdirected youthful passion with kindness and understanding. The effect is nullified, though, by an excess of moralising and a lack of any real sense of complex humanity.

It's been a really long time since I saw the original Boys Town though I dimly remember finding it a little more effective. It focused more on Spencer Tracy's crusade to create a healing environment for delinquent boys. In the sequel, he doesn't have much to do aside from replaying a few notes.

Most of the plot focuses on Mickey Rooney's character, Whitey, who's briefly adopted by a rich family. Despite his theatrical sobbing when he's parted from his friends, Rooney still gives a decent performance. He was past his child-actor glory days and one can see to-day he was in 1941 the kind of actor who'd have been perfect to play a Peter Parker or Marty McFly. It's a shame that kind of teen role just didn't exist yet in the '30s and early '40s, when everyone was either a baby or a full fledged adult. And by the time They Live by Night came around, Rooney would've been too old.

Some of the kids are really cute in Men of Boys Town. But there's not much of substance here to satisfy the viewer.

Twitter Sonnet #1698

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