NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

michaelcarraher I was much more familiar with the sequel, "Edison The Man," when I watched this film. The depiction of Edison is completely inconsistent between the two films (apparently about seven years Edison spent as a telegrapher). He doesn't just mature; he undergoes a complete personality change. Edison in this movie is sort of Sheldon Cooper of the 19th Century but annoying, rather than funny. I am shocked by the physical abuse he endures but at times I feel the urge to hit the self- absorbed brat, too. I have read the Edison may have suffered from Asperger's Syndrome (like Sheldon), and Rooney's portrayal is consistent with that, although Asperger's was not yet defined when this movie was made. This may be a far more realistic depiction of Edison than Spencer Tracy's in "Edison The Man." But Tracy's is the more enjoyable of the two films.

lugonian YOUNG TOM EDISON (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1940), directed by Norman Taurog, is an fact-based screen retelling of the boyhood years of one of the true greats in American history, Thomas Edison. As suggested by its opening passage, "This is a story of courage, the courage and triumph of a typical American boy. In all its essential facts, it is a true story. The boy actually did experience the adventures - the joys and sorrows portrayed here. His name might have been John Jones or Bill Smith. It happens to be Thomas Alva Edison." Rather than relying on sources covering Edison's entire life from birth in Milan, Ohio (1847) to death (1931), the screenplay, consisting of material by Harlan Dowry, which often plays like segments listed from Mark Twain's beloved character, "Tom Sawyer," the story as scripted deals mostly with Tom Edison of Port Huron, Michigan, a boy genius and the early life as he lived it.While the screenplay does toy a bit about the facts, overlooking the Edisons having seven children with Tom being the youngest, the narrative introduces Samuel Edison (George Bancroft), a hard-working husband; Nancy (Fay Bainter), his wife and former schoolteacher in Canada; Bill (John Kellogg), his elder son whose character is least interesting and under developed; Tannie (Virginia Weidler), the youngest daughter; while young Tom Edison (Mickey Rooney) is portrayed as the middle child While Tom is portrayed as a misunderstood 16-year-old who's irresponsible and accident prone, it's his love for science that actually stands in the way him having a normal childhood. Tom may be different from the other children but is very special in the eyes of both his mother and sister. Then there's Mr. Edison who not only constantly tells Tom, "Take your hands out of your pockets," but fails to find time and patience to accept him for what he is. Classified as slow and stupid by his spinster schoolteacher (Eily Malyon), Tom's also the laughing stock by most, especially his classmates, namely Joe Dingle (Bobby Jordan), a school bully and son of a local hardware store owner (Victor Kilian). Portions of the story depict Tom's heroism by saving the life of a station master's (J.M. Kerrigan) little boy (Richard Nichols) from an oncoming train; Tom earning a living by selling candy and newspapers on a train under Mr. Nelson (Eugene Palette), the conductor; Tom having to carefully dispose of nitroglycerin on a train full of people; and his expert knowledge sending messages through Morse Code. Because of situations beyond his control, Tom loses both job and respect from those around him, causing him to believe those accusations made against him.As much as these episodic situations take place during the course of a few years, it gives every indication of it set during the course of a few weeks. Whether the screenplay is true or not, whether Rooney physically resembles Tom Edison or not really doesn't matter much for that YOUNG TOM EDISON is a great film. Once seen, its hard to forget these standout scenes: the development of Tom's inventive mind brought forth by some clever devises; tender moments of family togetherness as the Edison's gather around the piano singing to the much underscored "Sweet Genevieve"; Tom finger rolling his right eye-brow while coming up with a positive solution; Mrs. Edison's motherly advice to her son as any mother could; Tom's despair while walking aimlessly through the rain as he hears in his mind voices of laughter and ridicule following his pleading with local business owners to give him a job; plus the climactic race against time segment as Tom makes every effort to save an oncoming train from danger through some ingenious plan. Aside from Rooney's excellent portrayal, Fay Bainter stands out most as the understanding mother while Virginia Weidler gives an unforgettable performance playing Tom's younger sister who repeatedly tells him with amazement, "Gosh, you're smart." George Bancroft with mustache and sideburns should not go without mention playing the stern father. Humor, sentiment and moral lessons in the tradition of Tom Sawyer are thrown in on few occasions, the best being where Tom Edison tricks his way from taking his overshoes and muffler on to his next ventures. With apple pie and milk being his favorite meal simply shows young Tom Edison the all-American boy with a bright future of great inventions ahead of him. When YOUNG TOM EDISON played regularly on commercial television prior to the 1980s cable TV generation, usually on Edison's birthday, February 11th, the promotional announcement presented after the film's closing showing Spencer Tracy in forefront of Thomas Edison's portrait as narrator talks about an upcoming sequel, EDISON, THE MAN (1940), was usually omitted. Not until its broadcasts on Turner Classic Movies has this final segment been restored in both 1991 home video distribution and later DVD presentations. Thanks to films such as these does the name and legend of Thomas Alva Edison live on. (****)

mark.waltz As much a fan I am of the MGM musicals, I must admit that I enjoy Mickey Rooney more as a dramatic actor in his younger days than I did as a musical star. Playing a variety of characters during the heyday of his youth (1937-1943), he showed a great versatility, although a little bit of him goes a long way. However, one of his best is "Young Tom Edision", the growing up adventures of one of the greatest Americans in history. From the moment you meet Mickey's Tom, waking up his younger sister Virginia Weidler with a clever communication invention, to his saving of a train in danger (all thanks to the signals he makes from another train's whistle to get his sister's attention), Rooney is outstanding. Ms. Weidler isn't bad, either, and almost steals the show. There's a very amusing sequence in school where Mickey is punished by his spinster teacher (Eily Maylon) and ends up almost setting the school on fire. This leads to an exchange between Maylon and Ma Edison (Fay Bainter) that equals the exchange between Auntie Em and Miss Gulch in "The Wizard of Oz".Bainter and George Bancroft are outstanding as the parents, and a spanking scene between Bainter and Rooney will definitely provide some laughs. 50 years later, the scene would be re-used to great "adult" comic affect in "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion". Great character players like Eugene Palette, Victor Kilian (now the father of Rooney's rival, after being his dead beat dad in "Huckleberry Finn"), and Clem Bevans. Every aspect of this film seems just right, and rightly sets the ending up for a sequel featuring Spencer Tracy.

Arthur Hausner Like most people, I have always been an admirer of Thomas Alva Edison, probably the most prolific inventor of all time. But as I watched the movie, I wondered how much of it was fabricated. According to the world book encyclopedia, pretty much all of the incidents depicted in the movie happened, although some of the time frames were changed to allow Mickey Rooney to play the part throughout the film. And Rooney, always a very underrated actor, is terrific. With very good support from Fay Bainter, Virginia Weidler and George Bancroft as members of Edison's family, this is a film easily enjoyed by everyone. And look for a cameo by Spencer Tracy, who already had been cast in the sequel, "Edison, the Man (1940)," which was in production when this film was released.