A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

This is a good family movie. Young Tom Edison stars Mickey Rooney. Mickey Rooney's character seem little different than Andy Hardy in his Andy Hardy flicks. Young Tom Edison is probably best enjoyed in the afternoon with the family. It depicts a mischievous young Thomas Edison, the wizard of Menlo Park, as a curious youngster getting into trouble because of his curiosity and boyhood charm. Parents need to realize that their young children, although mischievous, might grow up to be a real genius, inventor, or provide humanity something important to use. The children might realize that anything is still possible in their life, although they might have a rocky start. True curiosity is the most important step in order to do anything important. Unfortunately, the film is in black and white, which was standard in the 40s. Maybe, it should be redone in color. Enjoy and pop some popcorn.

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.

In this film, Mickey Rooney very capably plays the title role. His energy, very good acting and 'aw, shucks' attitude worked well in this film. That combined with the usual MGM polish and writing made this an enjoyable movie. As for this interpretation of Edison, he's a combination of Jimmy Neutron (or Dexter) and a Horatio Alger character--full of schemes to earn a buck as well as an abiding love of science.When I watch biopics from Hollywood's golden age of the 1930s-1940s, I always assume that the truth took a back seat to entertainment and drama. More often then not, the facts have been 'adjusted' to make a more enjoyable film--regardless if it strays pretty far from the truth. So, as I watched "Young Tom Edison", I naturally assumed it was once again a very highly fictionalized account. This seemed even more obvious when Tom jumps onto the train tracks to save a little boy's life. However, imagine my surprise when I did some reading and found this film was actually pretty close to the truth! Sure, they took a few liberties here and there, but for the most part it was real. Sometimes the truth really is stranger than fiction! Overall, it's quite enjoyable and a nice companion piece to MGM's other Edison film that came out the same year, "Edison, the Man"--which shows the adult life of the great inventor.

This was always a favorite of mine when I would see it on television many years ago but I had forgotten how good a film it still is. I just saw it today on TCM and I have to say something about this under-appreciated gem. The cast is a terrific ensemble of filmdom's great character actors such as George Bancroft who appears in countless films, among them Stagecoach. He plays Tom's father with great heart and finally when he realizes who is son really is, they share a heartwarming thumping of the town's most obnoxious father, son pairing. Virginia Weidler is very good as Tom's sister. Another of Hollywood's most talented children, she appeared frequently with Mickey and Judy and also had a high profile role in The Philadelphia story.Fay Bainter has one of her best roles ever as Tom's mother, easily worthy of an academy nod. While the story may not resemble reality, it communicates some very important human truths about family. This film is every bit as good as The Yearling and should be considered a must for family viewing.