Life on the Mississippi Poster

Great Performances

Life on the Mississippi (24 Nov. 1980)

TV Episode  -  115 min  -  Music
6.7
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 6.7/10 from 47 users  
Reviews: 2 user | 1 critic

Most mid-19th-century Mississippi River boys dreamed of occupying that pinnacle of power and glamour... See full summary »

Director:

Peter H. Hunt

Writers:

Mark Twain (book), Philip H. Reisman Jr. (screenplay)
 Loading+Watchlist

Watch it

Buy it from Amazon »

On TV Tonight

  Thu. May. 31   Time Zone:
 

Connect with IMDb


Pre-Order the Kindle Fire
« Previous Episode  | 315 of 347 Episodes | Next Episode »
Edit

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Lansing ...
Horace Bixby
David Knell David Knell ...
James Keane ...
Mr. Ealer
Donald Madden Donald Madden ...
Mr. Brown
John Pankow ...
George Richie
Bill Holliday Bill Holliday ...
Mr. Thornburg
Luke Reilly Luke Reilly ...
Tom
Marcy Walker Marcy Walker ...
Emmeline
Don Brady Don Brady ...
Mr. Leathers
Jack Lawrence Jack Lawrence ...
'Paul Jones' Captain
John Kirk John Kirk ...
Mate on 'Paul Jones'
Bill Atwood Bill Atwood ...
Watchman on 'Paul Jones'
Thom Thomas Thom Thomas ...
Clerk on 'Paul Jones'
Jim Babrowski Jim Babrowski ...
Preacher
Douglas Wells Douglas Wells ...
Mr. Grogan
Edit

Storyline

Most mid-19th-century Mississippi River boys dreamed of occupying that pinnacle of power and glamour, the pilot house of a riverboat. In a riot of local color, this film tells how, unlike many, Sam's dream comes true. A callow teenager, he talks the tough but consummate Horace Bixby into making him his apprentice on the "Paul Jones," eventually following him to the much finer "Aleck Scott." Meanwhile, he is already spinning fantastic yarns to everyone from awe-struck lads ashore, to fellow "cub pilots", to young lady passengers who catch his eye. Things temporarily take a turn for the worse when Bixby must attend a meeting and leave Sam to work under Brown, a dour tyrant with a grudge against him. Written by Paul Emmons <pemmons@wcupa.edu>  

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Genres:

Music

Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Great Performances: A Todo o Vapor See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Great Amwell Company See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Donald Madden's final TV performance. See more »

Quotes

Bixby: There she is, boy, the Mississippi, 1200 miles of her, and the whole way is paving stones with the bones of dead steamboats and the reputations of dunderhead pilots!
See more »