Boys Town

Name: Boys Town
Genre: Drama
Released: 1938-09-08
Duration: 1 h 36 min
Rating: 6.8
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Henry Hull, Leslie Fenton, Gene Reynolds

1938·Movie·NR·96 min·★ 6.8(104)

Drama More English titles

“"No boy is bad, if given a chance!"”

Devout but iron-willed Father Flanagan leads a community called Boys Town, a different sort of juvenile detention facility where, instead of being treated as underage criminals, the boys are shepherded into making themselves better people. But hard-nosed petty thief and pool shark Whitey Marsh, the impulsive and violent younger brother of an imprisoned murderer, might be too much for the good father's tough-love system.

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Where to watch Boys Town in United States

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Click a service to open Boys Town there. Availability last verified on June 21, 2026.

Where is Boys Town streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Kanopy	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
India	—	Amazon Video
United Kingdom	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Canada	—	Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, CosmoGo
Australia	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
France	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Spain	Amazon Prime Video, Filmin, Amazon Prime Video with Ads	Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video
Brazil	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Japan	Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store

About Boys Town

Boys Town is a 1938 English-language drama film directed by Norman Taurog. The cast is led by Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Henry Hull. It has a runtime of 1h 36m. Viewers rate it 6.8/10 across 100 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Kanopy.

Boys Town was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and made in United States of America. It was released on September 8, 1938, and carries a NR certification.

Director: Norman Taurog
Writers: Dore Schary, Eleanore Griffin, John Meehan
Release date: September 8, 1938
Original language: English
Age rating: NR
Status: Released
Country: United States of America
Production: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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Boys Town cast & crew

Boys Town was directed by Norman Taurog and written by Dore Schary, Eleanore Griffin, and John Meehan.

The cast features Spencer Tracy as Father Flanagan, Mickey Rooney as Whitey Marsh, Henry Hull as Dave Morris, Leslie Fenton as Dan Farrow, Gene Reynolds as Tony Ponessa, and Edward Norris as Joe Marsh.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Edward Ward, cinematography is by Sidney Wagner, and it was produced by John W. Considine Jr..

Is Boys Town worth watching?

Boys Town holds an audience score of 6.8/10 from 104 ratings, a solidly received drama films.

At 1h 36m, it's an easy, time-light watch.

If you enjoy drama, Boys Town is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch Boys Town

In United States, you can stream Boys Town on Kanopy, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.