The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939)

To avoid his abusive father, a rambunctious boy rafts the Mississippi River with a slave, encountering many wild characters.

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Hugo Butler, Mark Twain (novel)

Stars:

Mickey Rooney, Walter Connolly, William Frawley

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Mickey Rooney	...	Huckleberry Finn
Walter Connolly	...	The 'King'
William Frawley	...	The 'Duke'
Rex Ingram	...	Jim
Lynne Carver	...	Mary Jane
Jo Ann Sayers	...	Susan
Minor Watson	...	Capt. Brandy
Elisabeth Risdon	...	Widow Douglass (as Elizabeth Risdon)
Victor Kilian	...	'Pap' Finn
Clara Blandick	...	Miss Watson

Storyline

Huckleberry Finn, a rambunctious boy adventurer chafing under the bonds of civilization, escapes his humdrum world and his selfish, plotting father by sailing a raft down the Mississippi River. Accompanying him is Jim, a slave running away from being sold. Together the two strike a bond of friendship that takes them through harrowing events and thrilling adventures.

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Plot Keywords:

character name in title | mississippi river | raft | escape | coming of age | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 February 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Huckleberry Finn

Filming Locations:

Alabama, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the con-men Walter Connolly and William Frawley advertise "Romeo & Juliet" as the play they were to present, they say it stars "David Garrick" and "Mrs. 'Sarah Kemble Siddons'", two of the most famous British actors of the 18th century. David Garrick and Sarah Kemble Siddons were both long dead by the year in which "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is supposed to take place.

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Goofs

All through the movie Jim and Huck talk about going down to Cairo. That would mean they started in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, northern Missouri, or northern Illinois. Most of those are not slave states. If they had to get to Cairo. A lot safer way to do it, for Jim would have been to simply cross the Mississippi from Missouri (which was a slave state) to Illinois and simply walk to Cairo. He would not have had to worry about that route. It's not covered why they need to get to Cairo so quickly. And therefore had to use the river. Why they just didn't keep to the Illinois side of the river. So they could ground their boat in Illinois if threatened.

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Connections

Referenced in Electrical Power (1938)

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Soundtracks

At Night
(uncredited)
Written by Walter Jurmann, Bronislau Kaper and Franz Waxman

User Reviews

A shame. This movie does not follow much at all.

I am surprised that there is no other review for this movie and I am the first to post my opinion on this box office hit of 1939, a top 20 hit of its year. When I sat down to watch this adaptation of the famous Mark Twain novel, I knew the running time was under 90 minutes so I did not expect to get the full book which I have read but the cliff notes version which I have also read. But no, Louis B. Mayer just had to give it the MGM cornball effect with scenes which are not in the novel and which change the meaning and transformation of Huck's character. Mickey Rooney, the biggest child actor the movies have ever heard, and in my opinion, also the best it has had brings one of those flawless performances to the role. Rex Ingram makes for a good runaway slave Jim and the other performances are fine. Direction is pendant in the hands MGM journeyman - that is not a craftsman, not an auteur, imagination insignificant, camera angles; perfunctory, directing actors; left to your own devices - Richard Thorpe who had a long and healthy career in Hollywood. You wonder why? The first half does feel like a cliff notes version as the scenes skip through have a general lethargic pace but keeps your attention because the story is good anyway. The changes involve the capture of Jim and Huck's injury and the resolution of the aforementioned events. It is not what happens and tongue-in-cheek ending changes the message of Twain's classic. I won't say I didn't enjoy it. I just mean if you are going to alter a classic, you'd better come up with something better.