''Tom Sawyer'' is a 1973 American musical film adaptation of Mark Twain's 1876 boyhood adventure story, ''

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 ...

'', directed by Don Taylor and starring

Johnny Whitaker John Orson Whitaker, Jr. (born December 13, 1959) is an American actor notable for several film and television performances during his childhood. The redheaded Whitaker played Jody Davis on ''Family Affair'' from 1966 to 1971. He also originated ...

as the title character,

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the hono ...

Becky Thatcher 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 ...

, and 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 ...

. Ho-Chunk tribesman Kunu Hank portrayed Injun Joe. The film 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 ...

'' in collaboration with Arthur P. Jacobs who was best known for producing 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. The film's screenplay and

songs A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...

were

written Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically inscribed, mechanically transferred, or digitally represented symbols. Writing systems do not themselves constitute h ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

, who would go on to provide more award-winning music for the 1974 sequel ''

''. It received three nominations at the

46th Academy Awards The 46th Academy Awards were presented on Tuesday, April 2, 1974, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. The ceremonies were presided over by Burt Reynolds, Diana Ross, John Huston, and David Niven. ''The Sting'' won 7 a ...

; Best Original Score, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.

Plot

Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn play hooky from school and plan to revive a dead cat with the spirit of a man named Hoss Williams who is on his death bed. Sawyer and Finn talk with Muff Potter, the town drunk, but are interrupted when

Injun Joe 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'' ...

says that Doc Robinson wants to see them. Muff and Joe meet Robinson and he informs them that they have a job to dig up the grave of Williams. Joe is angry that Robinson did not fix his leg correctly. Meanwhile, Tom continues to skip school and comes up with fantastic stories about why he is not home for dinner, where he tricks the children of the town to do his punishment chores for him. After Williams dies, Tom and Huck go to the cemetery and find out that Muff and Joe are digging up William's grave on the orders of Robinson. Joe continues to be angry at Robinson and demands more money for the job. When Robinson refuses, Injun Joe picks up a shovel, accidentally knocking Muff out. He hits Doc Robinson into the grave with the shovel, then grabs Muff's knife and jumps in after Robinson and kills him. Tom and Huck witness all this and then flee, making a pact never to tell anyone what they saw. Joe frames Muff for the murder and Muff goes to jail. Meanwhile, Becky Thatcher moves to town which sends Sawyer into a romantic daze. At the trial for Muff, Tom is unable to contain himself as Joe is called to the stand and lies about the incident, continuing to frame Muff for the murder. As Tom is called to the stand, he relates what happened, not mentioning that Huck was with him. Suddenly, Injun Joe throws a knife at Tom, narrowly missing Tom's head and jumps out the window of the courthouse, fleeing. After the trial, Tom and Becky get "engaged", but that quickly ends when Tom mentions he is also engaged to Amy Lawrence. After sulking, Tom is attacked by Huck for "breaking the pact" and they both decide to run away. While paddling down the Mississippi, their raft is capsized by a passing riverboat and they end up on an island, where they enjoy freedom and muse over what happened to Injun Joe. While on the island, they witness some people "dragging the river", a process where a cannon is fired to bring up any bodies from the bottom of the river. Tom and Huck decide to go home and find out that there is a funeral being held for them. The funeral service breaks up when Judge Thatcher sees them in the back of the church. The Widow Douglas takes Huck under her wing. Later, at an Independence Day celebration, Tom and Becky go into McDougal's Cave for a drink of water from the underground spring and run into Injun Joe. Joe chases them through the cave, intent on killing Tom. However, Judge Thatcher, Muff, and Huck catch up to Joe and Muff tosses a torch at Joe, who falls to his death. Later, Huck disappears, worrying the Widow Douglas and Tom finds him at the old fishing place where they hang out. Tom berates Huck for worrying the Widow, and Muff decides to leave town.

Cast

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, ...

Celeste Holm Celeste Holm (April 29, 1917 – July 15, 2012) was an American stage, film and television actress. Holm won an Academy Award for her performance in Elia Kazan's '' Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947), and was nominated for her roles in ''Come to ...

as Aunt Polly *

Warren Oates Warren Mercer Oates (July 5, 1928 – April 3, 1982) was an American actor best known for his performances in several films directed by Sam Peckinpah, including ''The Wild Bunch'' (1969) and ''Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia'' (1974). A ...

as Muff Potter * Jeff East as

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 ...

as Widder Douglas * Henry Jones as Mr. Dobbins * Noah Keen as Judge Thatcher *

Dub Taylor Walter Clarence "Dub" Taylor Jr. (February 26, 1907 – October 3, 1994),Dub Taylor, 87, Actor in Westerns, The New York Times, October 5, 1994, Section B, Page 12 was an American character actor who from the 1940s into the 1990s worked extens ...

as Clayton *

Richard Eastham Richard Eastham (born Dickinson Swift Eastham; June 22, 1916 – July 10, 2005) was an American actor of stage, film, and television, a concert singer known for his deep baritone voice, and an inventor. Early years Eastham's birth name was ...

as Doc Robinson *

Sandy Kenyon Sandy Kenyon (born Sanford Klein; August 5, 1922 – February 20, 2010) was an American actor of film and television. He appeared as a guest actor on numerous television series, including a recurring role on ''The Americans''. He was also the orig ...

as Constable Clemmens * Joshua Hill Lewis as Cousin Sidney * Susan Joyce as Cousin Mary * Steve Hogg as Ben Rogers * Sean Summers as Billy Fisher * Kevin Jefferson as Joe Jefferson * Page Williams as Saloon Girl * James A. Kuhn as Blacksmith * Mark Lynch as Prosecuting Attorney * Jonathan Taylor as Small Boy * Anne Voss as Girl * Frederick Allen as a Hobo/Crying Man at the Funeral * Kunu Hank as Injun Joe Jodie Foster and Johnny Whitaker had starred in ''

Napoleon and Samantha ''Napoleon and Samantha'' is a 1972 American adventure drama film directed by Bernard McEveety and written by Stewart Raffill. Filmed in and around John Day, Oregon, it stars Johnny Whitaker and Jodie Foster (in her feature film debut) in the ...

'' the previous year.

Production

The film was shot in Arrow Rock and Lupus, Missouri.

Meramec Caverns Meramec Caverns is the collective name for a cavern system in the Ozarks, near Stanton, Missouri. The caverns were formed from the erosion of large limestone deposits over millions of years. Pre-Columbian Native American artifacts have been f ...

in Stanton, Missouri provided the cave settings. Another similar film was released on television that same year which was shot at Upper Canada Village, in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. The paddle-wheeled boat used in the theatrical musical film was the ''Julia Belle Swain'', currently (as of September 24, 2013) moored at Riverside Park in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Awards and nominations

In 1974, the Sherman Brothers, along with John Williams, received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score. The trio would later be nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Music, Scoring Original Song Score and/or Adaptation. ''Tom Sawyer'' also received Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration ( Philip M. Jefferies, Robert De Vestel) and Best Costume Design ( Donfeld).Awards for ''Tom Sawyer'' (1973)
/ref>

Songs

# '' River Song'' (The Theme from “Tom Sawyer”)

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and professional baseball player. His greatest musical success came in the early to mid-1970s, when he was the best-selling performer for RCA Rec ...

, Chorus & Orchestra # ''Tom Sawyer'' - Aunt Polly, Mary, Sidney # ''Gratifaction'' - Boys # ''How Come?'' - Tom # ''If'n I Was God'' - Tom # ''A Man's Gotta Be (What He's Born to Be)'' Tom, Huckleberry and Muff # ''Hannibal, Mo(Zouree)'' - Cast # ''Freebootin - Tom, Huckleberry # ''Aunt Polly's Soliloquy'' - Aunt Polly

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 1973 films 1970s adventure films 1970s musical films American adventure films American children's films American musical films Films scored by John Williams Films about orphans Films based on American novels Films based on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Films directed by Don Taylor Films set in the 19th century Films set in Missouri Films shot in Missouri Musicals by the Sherman Brothers Reader's Digest United Artists films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films