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IMDbPro

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

  • 19391939
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
42,735
3,627
Mickey Rooney in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939)
Watch Trailer
Play trailer4:05
1 Video
6 Photos
AdventureDramaFamily
To avoid his abusive father, a rambunctious boy rafts the Mississippi River with a slave, encountering many wild characters.To avoid his abusive father, a rambunctious boy rafts the Mississippi River with a slave, encountering many wild characters.To avoid his abusive father, a rambunctious boy rafts the Mississippi River with a slave, encountering many wild characters.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
42,735
3,627
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Richard Thorpe
    • Writers
      • Hugo Butler
      • Waldo Salt(dialogue)
      • Mark Twain(novel)
    • Stars
      • Mickey Rooney
      • Walter Connolly
      • William Frawley
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Richard Thorpe
    • Writers
      • Hugo Butler
      • Waldo Salt(dialogue)
      • Mark Twain(novel)
    • Stars
      • Mickey Rooney
      • Walter Connolly
      • William Frawley
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 25User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 4:05
    Trailer

    Photos6

    Mickey Rooney in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939)
    Mickey Rooney in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939)
    Mickey Rooney in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939)
    Mickey Rooney, Clara Blandick, Lynne Carver, Walter Connolly, William Frawley, Elisabeth Risdon, and Jo Ann Sayers in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939)
    Mickey Rooney in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mickey Rooney
    Mickey Rooney
    • Huckleberry Finn
    Walter Connolly
    Walter Connolly
    • The 'King'
    William Frawley
    William Frawley
    • The 'Duke'
    Rex Ingram
    Rex Ingram
    • Jim
    Lynne Carver
    Lynne Carver
    • Mary Jane
    Jo Ann Sayers
    Jo Ann Sayers
    • Susan
    Minor Watson
    Minor Watson
    • Capt. Brandy
    Elisabeth Risdon
    Elisabeth Risdon
    • Widow Douglass
    • (as Elizabeth Risdon)
    Victor Kilian
    Victor Kilian
    • 'Pap' Finn
    Clara Blandick
    Clara Blandick
    • Miss Watson
    Erville Alderson
    Erville Alderson
    • Sheriff at Jail
    • (uncredited)
    Arthur Aylesworth
    Arthur Aylesworth
    • River Queen Pilot
    • (uncredited)
    Irving Bacon
    Irving Bacon
    • Tad
    • (uncredited)
    Wade Boteler
    Wade Boteler
    • 1st Riverboat Captain
    • (uncredited)
    Ed Brady
    Ed Brady
    • Man at Show
    • (uncredited)
    Harlan Briggs
    Harlan Briggs
    • Mr. Rucker
    • (uncredited)
    Nora Cecil
    Nora Cecil
    • Mrs. Shackleford
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Cording
    Harry Cording
    • Watermelon Thief
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Richard Thorpe
    • Writers
      • Hugo Butler
      • Waldo Salt(dialogue) (uncredited)
      • Mark Twain(novel)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Rex Ingram, playing Jim, was actually born on a riverboat on the Mississippi River. He was born near Cairo, IL, which is Jim's intended destination in the book and film.
    • Goofs
      When the group is counting their take, one mentions "a lead nickel". Nickel five-cent pieces were not issued by the mint until after 1867 - after the Civil War.
    • Quotes

      Jim: I run off.

      Huckleberry Finn: Jim!

      Jim: I had to, Huck, I had to.

      Huckleberry Finn: You can't do that! You belong to the women.

      Jim: She was fixing to sell me, Huck. I heard her talking about it last night. She said she need the money bad. Had to give it to your Pap.

      Huckleberry Finn: Oh.

      Jim: If one of them slave traders got me, I never would get to that free state. I never would see my wife, or little Joey.

    • Connections
      Featured in Classified X (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Jim's Song
      (uncredited)

      Written by Franz Waxman

    User reviews25

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Of the four versions seen of Huckleberry Finn so far, this one's the best
    The others were the 1993 Elijah Wood film which was quite good, the 1974 musical version which was heavily flawed but still above-average and the 1975 Ron Howard version which was soggy and actually very bad. The photography in this film may be at times less than lavish and the final third feels rushed, but of the four it was the version that came across on its own as the best. As an adaptation perhaps it's not great, then again this is adaptation we're talking about(when something is not faithful to its source it doesn't mean it's immediately bad) and it does deserve judgement on its own merits. And while it's not perfect, it has many merits. The authentic river locations are a major plus, while the dialogue flows well and manages to be entertaining and poignant and the story still has cohesion and a good sense of atmosphere. The film may have primarily have been a showcase for Mickey Rooney but even with that the story is thankfully not ignored. Jim's jail scene is deeply heart-breaking. The pacing does feel rushed in the final third of the film but for most of the film it is just right, while the direction is very competent if not entirely imaginative. But the best asset about this version of Huckleberry Finn is the acting, so effective to the extent that it's like the characters themselves stepping out of the pages, and we are talking also about physical resemblances. Mickey Rooney's Huck is charming, mischievous and towards the end affecting(he may be somewhat too old, though not by much, but he doesn't look like he is), while Rex Ingram(personal favourite actor in the film) is very dignified and nuanced as Jim and Victor Kilian's Pap dominates quite terrifyingly. Walter Connolly and William Frawley are wickedly funny and menacing, in almost all four versions the Duke and the King have been scene-stealing characters(apart from 1975, hardly any the actors acquitted themselves well apart from Jack Elam). Elizabeth Ridson is fine as well. Overall, very good and underrated, of the four versions so far seen it's the best by quite some way. 8/10 Bethany Cox
    helpful•7
    1
    • TheLittleSongbird
    • Oct 18, 2013

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 10, 1939 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Huckleberry Finn
    • Filming locations
      • Sacramento River, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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