MGM Makes Boys Town

About the Book

In 1938 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced Boys Town, a timeless classic about Father Flanagan’s home for wayward boys. Now you may read how MGM’s “Dream Machine” came face to face with a celebrated priest’s “Character Factory.” New research presents the backstory to fans of the film. Movie mogul Louis B. Mayer and Father Edward J. Flanagan held winning hands in a high-stakes movie biography. Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney starred. Gene Reynolds (Tony Ponessa), Martin Spellman (Skinny), and Frankie Thomas (Freddie Fuller), explain how a half-dozen proposed scripts created a legendary Oscar-winning movie in exclusive interviews.

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