The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Norman Taurog

Writers:

Mark Twain (novel)
John V.A. Weaver (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 February 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Adventure

Tagline:

Everybody knows him! Everybody loves him! He's everybody's favorite boy! Mark Twain's most beloved story

Plot:

Misadventures of a mischievous boy in 1850 Missouri.

Plot Keywords:

Missouri | Murder | Graveyard | Cave | Island

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

May Robson	...	Aunt Polly
Walter Brennan	...	Muff Potter
Victor Jory	...	Injun Joe
David Holt	...	Sid Sawyer
Victor Kilian	...	Sheriff
Nana Bryant	...	Mrs. Thatcher
Olin Howland	...	Mr. Dobbins - Schoolmaster
Donald Meek	...	Sunday School Superintendent
Charles Richman	...	Judge Thatcher
Margaret Hamilton	...	Mrs. Harper
Marcia Mae Jones	...	Mary Sawyer
Mickey Rentschler	...	Joe Harper
Cora Sue Collins	...	Amy Lawrence
Philip Hurlic	...	Little Jim
Ann Gillis	...	Becky Thatcher

Runtime:

Spain:77 min | USA:91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:K-12 (1951) | Finland:S (1938) | USA:Approved (certificate #3745)

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Company:

Selznick International Pictures

Trivia:

H.C. Potter was the initial director but quit over "Selsnickian interference." His footage (in black and white) was completely discarded.

Movie Connections:

Version of "Aventuras de Tom Sawyer" (1958)

Soundtrack:

Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean

Faithful version with Tommy Kelly an almost perfect Tom Sawyer...

Selznick's THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER is an extremely faithful version of the famous Mark Twain story, generally well acted and cast with the kind of precision the producer was famous for.

TOMMY KELLY, despite some drawbacks in his acting, makes an almost perfect Tom Sawyer. He's a bit too quick in flashing the full smile, the nervous sideways glances, the hesitant speech pattern when confronting strict adults--but then, in the '30s there was no HALEY JOEL OSMENT or DANIEL RADCLIFFE to fulfill requirements for more natural acting.

Likewise, ANN GILLIS is a bit too coy as Becky Thatcher and even VICTOR JORY is a bit too melodramatic as Injun Joe. MAY ROBSON makes a wonderful Aunt Polly, stern but all the time showing that beneath the gruff exterior she's got a warm spot for her troublesome Tom. The final scene, where she slaps Sid in the face, is priceless.

William Cameron Menzies created some wonderful effects for the cave sequence that he designed and the early Technicolor does justice to all the sets and costumes, giving the film the look of an illustrated children's version of the classic novel.

Well worth viewing, although it may not be fast paced enough to suit today's children used to more fast-moving stories.

Trivia note: Both TOMMY KELLY and JACKIE MORAN (in a small role as Huck Finn) had bits in Selznick's GONE WITH THE WIND the following year--and both were featured in the Gettysburg battle death announcements, Kelly as a member of the band with tears in his eyes and Moran as Phil Meade.