Boys Town

Alphabetical Listing of Movie Reviews

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  • Boys Town -- Sentimental but emotionally honest story of how Father Flanagan (Spencer Tracy) built his school for homeless and delinquent youths during the Depression. Directed by Norman Taurog, the Hollywood version centers in the conflict between the priest's charismatic powers of persuasion and a street-tough (Mickey Rooney) who only thinks he's hard-boiled. Tracy's Oscar-winning performance as a role model for those in need of one was a credible blend of the idealistic and the pragmatic. (A-I)1938




    Movies have been evaluated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating, the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief synopsis of the movie.

    The classifications are as follows:

    • A-I -- general patronage;
    • A-II -- adults and adolescents;
    • A-III -- adults;
    • A-IV**
    • L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
    • O -- morally offensive.
    ** Discontinued classification. All archived movies that were originally in the A-IV category are now classified as L.
  • Office for Film and Broadcasting | 1011 First Avenue, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10022 | (202) 541-3000 © USCCB. All rights reserved.

    Office for Film and Broadcasting | 1011 First Avenue, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10022 | (212) 644-1880 © USCCB. All rights reserved.