The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960)

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Mark Twain (novel)
James Lee (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 August 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Family

Plot:

Huckleberry Finn, a rambuctious boy adventurer chafing under the bonds of civilization, escapes his humdrum world and his selfish...

Plot Keywords:

River | Escape | Raft | Friendship | Humor

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Tony Randall	...	The King of France
Archie Moore	...	Jim
Eddie Hodges	...	Huckleberry Finn
Patty McCormack	...	Joanna Wilkes
Neville Brand	...	Pap Finn
Mickey Shaughnessy	...	The Duke
Judy Canova	...	Sheriff's wife
Andy Devine	...	Mr. Carmody
Sherry Jackson	...	Mary Jane Wilkes
Buster Keaton	...	Lion Tamer
Finlay Currie	...	Capt. Sellers
Josephine Hutchinson	...	Widow Douglas
Parley Baer	...	Grangeford man
John Carradine	...	Slave catcher
Royal Dano	...	Harlan, Sheriff

Also Known As:

Mark Twain's 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

South Korea:All | West Germany:6 (f) | USA:Approved (certificate #19461) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-8 | Norway:7

Filming Locations:

Sacramento River Valley, California, USA

Company:

Formosa Productions

Trivia:

The four songs included in the film were originally intended for an M-G-M Technicolor musical version of "Huckleberry Finn" which was supposed to have been filmed in 1952, but was never made. It was supposed to have starred Dean Stockwell as Huck, William Warfield (fresh from his triumph as Joe in Show Boat (1951)) as Jim, and Gene Kelly and Danny Kaye as the two con men.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Just before Huck and Jim jump off the riverboat, Huck puts on his pants. We hear a "snap" as he snaps his pants. He then zips up his zipper. Neither snap fasteners or zippers were in use at the time (1851).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Exorcist III (1990)

Soundtrack:

Pittsburgh Blue

Good down to earth family movie.

I just watched this movie on Turner Classic Movies and I really enjoyed it. I don't know how closely it follows the book, as I haven't read this book, just "Tom Sawyer", but I find the movie to be a great family movie. It was fun watching Huck get out of one scrape just in time to get into another. He was always on the run, along with the Widow Douglas' slave, Jim. It made think back to my boyhood days and honestly, it made my boyhood adventures look dull. The plot hearkens back to a time when life was simple and offered more freedom to boys then today's world does. I'm not sure the movie is entirely realistic, but that's quite all right with me. The acting was well done, the colour quality was great for 1960, and the whole plot flowed quite smoothly. I didn't quite understand the ending, which I won't spoil for you. If you like tales of boyhood adventure from an America the world will never see again, you have to see Huck Finn. And it's got some of the greatest actors of the day in it as well. What more can you ask for.

10/10