Film historian and archivist Raymond Durgnat reports that all of Vidor’s films from the Judge Willis Brown series are lost, with the exception of Bud's Recruit of which one reel survives.[3]
Theme
Brown was a Salt Lake City juvenile court judge who specialized in “rehabilitating juvenile offenders.” He based the series on his experiences operating his “Boy’s Cities” (not to be confused with Boys Town). The movies depict “inter-ethnic” city youth facing and resolving social and moral challenges constructively. Director Vidor declared that he "deeply believed" in the value of the films.[4]