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What true story inspired Norman Taurog’s film Boys Town?

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Director Norman Taurog, wearing a hat and glasses, sits beside actor Mickey Rooney, who is smiling, on the set of the film Boys Town, with camera equipment visible behind them. — Norman Taurog Norman Taurog (right) with Mickey Rooney on the set of *Boys Town* (1938).

The 1938 film Boys Town, directed by Norman Taurog, was inspired by the true story of the Boys Town facility in Nebraska.12

The institution was established in 1917 by Father Edward J. Flanagan, an Irish-born Roman Catholic priest, in Omaha. Father Flanagan dedicated the facility to the care, rehabilitation, and education of homeless, neglected, or abused children. The organization became well-known for its unique approach, which combined discipline and instruction with affectionate supervision, and for its practice of allowing the children to elect their own mayor.13

The film, which starred Spencer Tracy as Father Flanagan and Mickey Rooney as a resident, brought widespread national attention to the work being done at the village.1