A fact-based portrait of Father Edward J. Flanagan, a crusading priest who built a Nebraska community for orphans and believed that "there's no such thing as a bad boy," although his theory is sorely tested by a punky street tough who learns the hard way about the school's altruistic mission. Spencer Tracy's portrayal of the famous founding father won him his second consecutive Oscar (the first was for "Captains Courageous"). Best Picture nominee.