''Huckleberry Finn'' is a 1974 musical film version of Mark Twain's 1884 novel ''

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' or as it is known in more recent editions, ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'', is a novel by American author Mark Twain, which was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United St ...

''. The movie was produced by ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...

'' and

Arthur P. Jacobs Arthur P. Jacobs (March 7, 1922 – June 27, 1973) was a press agent turned film producer responsible for such films in the 1960s and 1970s as the ''Planet of the Apes'' series, ''Doctor Dolittle'', ''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'', '' Play It Again, Sam'' ...

(known for his role in the production of the ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

'' films) and directed by

J. Lee Thompson John Lee Thompson (1 August 1914 – 30 August 2002) was a British film director, active in London and Hollywood, best known for award-winning films such as ''Woman in a Dressing Gown'', ''Ice Cold in Alex'' and '' The Guns of Navarone'' along w ...

. It stars Jeff East as

Huckleberry Finn Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain who first appeared in the book ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884). He is 12 ...

and

Paul Winfield Paul Edward Winfield (May 22, 1939 – March 7, 2004) was an American stage, film and television actor. He was known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper who struggles to support his family during the Great Depression in the landmark fil ...

Jim Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring * ''Jim ...

. The film contains original music and songs, such as "Freedom" and "Cairo, Illinois", by the Sherman Brothers:

Richard M. Sherman Richard Morton Sherman (born June 12, 1928) is an American songwriter who specialized in musical films with his brother Robert B. Sherman. According to the official Walt Disney Company website and independent fact checkers, "the Sherman Brot ...

and

Robert B. Sherman Robert Bernard Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) was an American songwriter, best known for his work in musical films with his brother, Richard M. Sherman. The Sherman brothers produced more motion picture song scores than any ...

. This film followed the previous year's highly successful ''

Tom Sawyer Thomas Sawyer () is the titular character of the Mark Twain novel ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876). He appears in three other novels by Twain: '' Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884), '' Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894), and '' Tom Sawyer, ...

'', based on Twain's 1876 novel ''

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' is an 1876 novel by Mark Twain about a boy growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1840s in the town of St. Petersburg, which is based on Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived as a boy. In the no ...

'', also produced and written by the same team and starring East in the role of Huckleberry Finn.

Synopsis

Huckleberry Finn ( Jeff East) is a boy from

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

living with a kindly widow and her sister who has taken him in. One day his father (

Gary Merrill Gary Fred Merrill (August 2, 1915 – March 5, 1990) was an American film and television actor whose credits included more than 50 feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of television guest appearances. He starr ...

), previously thought dead, shows up because he heard of treasure Huck had found. Huck's father essentially kidnaps the boy, wanting $1,000 for his safe return. Staging his own death, Huck escapes and meets up with the kindly slave Jim (

). Together they travel downriver, in search of Jim's freedom.

Cast

* Jeff East as

as Jim *

Harvey Korman Harvey Herschel Korman (February 15, 1927May 29, 2008) was an American actor and comedian who performed in television and film productions. His big break was being a featured performer on CBS' '' The Danny Kaye Show'', but he is best remembered ...

as The King * David Wayne as The Duke * Arthur O'Connell as Col. Grangerford *

as Pap *

Natalie Trundy Natalie Trundy (born Natalie Trundy Campagna, August 5, 1940 – December 5, 2019) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Early years Trundy (pronounced "Troon-dee") was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of an Italian fa ...

as Mrs. Loftus *

Lucille Benson Lucille Benson (July 17, 1914 – February 17, 1984) was an American character actress. Biography Personal life Born in Scottsboro, Alabama, on July 17, 1914, Benson was adopted by her aunt, Mrs. John Benson, after her mother died of tuber ...

Widow Douglas Mark Twain's series of books featuring the fictional characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn include: #''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) #''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884) #'' Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894) #'' Tom Sawyer, Detective ...

* Kim O'Brien as Maryjane Wilks *

Jean Fay Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

as Susan Wilks * Ruby Leftwich as Miss Watson *

Odessa Cleveland Odessa Cleveland is an American film and television actress. Early years Born in Louisiana, Cleveland graduated from Peabody High School. She graduated from Grambling State University with a BS degree in physical education and English and a mast ...

as Jim's wife

Production

The film was a sequel to ''Tom Sawyer'', which was financed from United Artists and Reader's Digest. Even before that film had been released, producer Arthur Jacobs arranged for finance for a sequel based on ''Huckleberry Finn''. The director was J. Lee Thompson, with whom Jacobs had worked several times, most recently on two ''Planet of the Apes'' films.Movies: 'Huck Finn' Company Totes a Heavy Load on Ol' Man River 'Huck' Company on Ol' Man River Archibald, John J. Los Angeles Times 19 Aug 1973: o22. Paul Winfield said he would only agree to the movie if the producer and director would guarantee there would be no "singing slaves". "''Gone with the Wind'' was one of the traumas of my life," said Winfield. Like ''Tom Sawyer'', the film was shot in Arrow Rock and Lupus, Missouri. It was also shot in Natchez, Mississippi. Filming started 18 June 1973. Filming had only just began when Arthur Jacobs died of a heart attack in Los Angeles. Robert Blumofe was assigned to take over time. Filming resumed after the break of one day. Natalie Trundy, Jacobs' wife, had a role in the film and had to fly back to Los Angeles then return to location. Paul Winfield was arrested for possession of marijuana in his hotel room. (He claimed he had been sent it in the mail and was framed.) Thompson said the treatment by Winfield of the local police was "abominable" and that "I would never encourage a company to come to Natchez again." This comment upset the Natchez media who wrote articles critical of Thompson. Thompson retracted his comments about the town but maintained the police had shown prejudice towards Winfield. Director

had problems with the synchronized musical direction. The third major problem was the unfortunate timing of writer Robert B. Sherman's knee operation.

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Feel Like Makin' Love", "Wher ...

sang " Freedom" but insisted on having a

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

backing to her recording. She later threatened to sue if the original cast album was released with a dominant orchestral backing, and so although the album was recorded and printed, it was never released. Despite these setbacks, the film still achieved some success and some of the film's songs, including "Freedom", are still considered classics.

Songs

The songs and score were written by the Sherman Brothers. # "Freedom". Sung by

(who did not approve of the musical arrangement and threatened a lawsuit if the original cast album were not remixed to her liking). # "Someday, Honey Darlin'". Sung by

. # "Rotten Luck". Sung by

(the entire song was filmed sans-sync except for the final line of the song in which we see Merrill look back at the cabin and say, "And now my luck... It ain't so bad!"). # "Cairo, Illinois". Sung by Jeff East and

. # "A Rose In A Bible". # "Royalty!". Sung by

and David Wayne. # "The Royal Nonesuch". Sung by

. # "What's Right, What's Wrong?" Sung by Jeff East. # "Into His Hands". Sung by

Reception

The ''Los Angeles Times'' called it "hardly unpleasant but it is surprisingly dull." The ''New York Times'' called it "a lavish bore".Screen: A Vapid 'Huckleberry Finn' By LAWRENCE VAN GELDER. New York Times 25 May 1974: 16
NY Times archive
/ref>

References

;Bibliography * Sherman, Robert B. '' Walt's Time: from before to beyond''. Pages: 178–181, Santa Clarita: Camphor Tree Publishers, 1998.

External links

* * {{Sherman Brothers 1974 films United Artists films Musicals by the Sherman Brothers 1970s musical films 1974 musical films Reader's Digest Films based on Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Films directed by J. Lee Thompson Films set in the 19th century 1970s English-language films