Young Tom Edison

In the 1930s and early '40s, fans flocked to biopics. So Hollywood had a great idea: take the stars of Boys Town and reteam them -- with a twist -- to tell the compelling life story of America's greatest inventor, Thomas Edison. So Mickey Rooney portrayed Young Tom Edison and Spencer Tracy headlined Edison, the Man. The films opened two months apart, and each garnered huge, enthusiastic audiences. In this tale of Edison's youth, Tom's scientific curiosity and experiments gone wrong are subjects of scorn in his hometown and in his family. Tom shows heroism in the face of great danger, and even invents a device to help the doctor save his mother's life. But will that be enough to win over the folks who call him addled?

• drama