Tom Sawyer, Detective (film)

Last updated
Tom Sawyer, Detective
Tom Sawyer, Detective poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Louis King
Screenplay byRobert Yost
Lewis R. Foster
Stuart Anthony
Based on Tom Sawyer, Detective
by Mark Twain
Starring Billy Cook
Donald O'Connor
Porter Hall
Phil Warren
Janet Waldo
Elisabeth Risdon
William Haade
Cinematography Ted Tetzlaff
Edited by Ellsworth Hoagland
Music by Gerard Carbonara
John Leipold
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • December 16, 1938 (1938-12-16)
Running time
68 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Tom Sawyer, Detective is a 1938 American mystery comedy film directed by Louis King, written by Robert Yost, Lewis R. Foster and Stuart Anthony, and starring Billy Cook, Donald O'Connor, Porter Hall, Phil Warren, Janet Waldo, Elisabeth Risdon and William Haade. It was released on December 23, 1938, by Paramount Pictures. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

Aunt Polly sends Tom and Huck to Arkansas to spend the summer with Tom's Aunt Sally and Uncle Silas Phelps. Unsuccessful lawyer Jeff Rutledge wants to marry Sally and Silas' daughter, Ruth, but wealthy Brace Dunlap also has eyes for her. At the end of the summer, Tom and Huck return to St. Petersburg to return to school. At the start of the following summer, Aunt Sally calls Tom and Huck back to help with the farm since Uncle Silas is in frail health. Aboard the steamship to Arkansas, Tom and Huck are approached by two men claiming to be detectives who ask for their help in finding out about a passenger. At first, Tom and Huck think the man in question is Jupiter Dunlap, the lazy oaf who was supposed to be working on Aunt Sally and Uncle Silas' farm. But the man confesses to being Jake Dunlap, Jupiter's twin brother, who was believed to have died. Jake is carrying two diamonds worth $20,000 inside the hollow heel of his boot and he is certain the "detectives" are actually a pair of thieves trying to rob and kill him. Tom and Huck help Jake disguise himself so he can slip off the boat during a stopover.

At Uncle Silas and Aunt Sally's place, Tom and Huck learn Brace Dunlap has been spreading vicious gossip about Uncle Silas losing his mind. When Jupiter makes a crack about Uncle Silas allowing Ruth to marry white trash, Uncle Silas hits him over the head with a stick, temporarily knocking him out. Uncle Silas fears he's killed Jupiter and runs off. Recovering from the blow, Jupiter runs to Brace for help and assists him in killing Jake Dunlap, who is hiding out in a nearby cabin. Brace concocts a plan to dress Jake's body in Jupiter's clothes and dump him in the place where Uncle Silas assaulted Jupiter; this should ensure Uncle Silas will be accused of murder. The next morning, Brace drops by Uncle Silas' farm and asks to see Jupiter. When Uncle Silas tries to stonewall him, Brace threatens to get Sheriff Slocum involved. Tom and Huck borrow a bloodhound and go in search of Jupiter's body. The sheriff's posse is also hunting for the corpse. The bloodhound runs away and finds the body just as the sheriff and his men show up. Shortly afterward, Sheriff Slocum shows up at the house and arrests Silas for murder.

The night before the trial, Tom and Huck attempt to help Uncle Silas escape from jail, but Aunt Sally refuses to let Uncle Silas leave. Jeff plans to defend Uncle Silas in court, although the outlook is bleak. Tom and Huck head to the graveyard to break into the Dunlap family crypt and open Jupiter's coffin. The gate of the crypt locks and they're trapped inside. At the trial, the prosecution calls the mysterious Kaylen Joshua Peters; he's actually Jupiter pretending to be a mute who witnessed Uncle Silas killing and burying Jupiter. After Tom and Huck escape the crypt, they encounter St. Louis sheriff Walker, who has arrested the two men Tom and Huck met on the boat. Sheriff Walker tells Tom and Huck there's a generous reward for the return of the stolen diamonds, and they rush off to the courthouse.

Tom asks the judge to let him question Peters on the stand. At Tom's request, Sheriff Slocum removes the steel plate from the bottom of the boot Peters is wearing and the pair of diamonds are revealed. Tom then tells the court Jupiter Dunlap got his name from a collection of moles on his leg that looked like the planet Jupiter and its moons. Those moles were not on the body of the man in Jupiter Dunlap's grave. Peters tries in vain to flee the courthouse and then drops his act, telling the judge and jury Brace forced him to go along with the scheme. Jeff tells the judge Brace and Jupiter should be tried for killing and burying Jake Dunlap and trying to frame Uncle Silas for the murder. The case against Uncle Silas is dismissed and the courtroom erupts in cheers.

Cast

Production

Paramount Pictures had announced plans to film Tom Sawyer, Detective in 1931, after the 1930 version of Tom Sawyer was a major box office success. Originally, Jackie Coogan and Junior Durkin were going to reprise their roles as Tom and Huck. [3] Seven years later, Paramount announced Tommy Kelly and Jackie Moran, who had just completed The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, would play Tom and Huck in Paramount's Tom Sawyer, Detective. But when the movie went into production several months later, Billy Cook and Donald O'Connor had been cast as Tom and Huck instead.

Related Research Articles

<i>Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</i> 1885 novel by Mark Twain

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel by American author Mark Twain, which was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885.

<i>Tom and Huck</i> 1995 American film

Tom and Huck is a 1995 American adventure comedy-drama film based on Mark Twain's 1876 novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Brad Renfro, Mike McShane, Eric Schweig, and Amy Wright. The film was directed by Peter Hewitt and produced/co-written by Stephen Sommers. The film was released in North America on December 22, 1995.

<i>Tom Sawyer</i> (2000 film) 2000 American film

Tom Sawyer is a 2000 American animated musical comedy film directed by Paul Sabella and Phil Mendez. Released direct-to-video on April 4, 2000, the film was produced by MGM Animation. It is the only MGM Animation production not to be available exclusively through Warner Home Video worldwide. This is also the final MGM Animation film before shutdown in 2002. It is an adaptation of Mark Twain's 1876 novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, with a cast of anthropomorphic animals instead of humans. Most of the characters' voices are generally performed by country music singers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond Hatton</span> American actor (died 1971)

Raymond William Hatton was an American film actor who appeared in almost 500 motion pictures.

<i>The Adventures of Tom Sawyer</i> (1980 TV series) 1980 Japanese anime television series

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a Japanese anime television series produced by Nippon Animation and directed by Hiroshi Saito, which premiered on January 6, 1980, and ended its run on December 28 the same year. It is based on the 1876 novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

<i>Sing You Sinners</i> (film) 1938 film by Claude Binyon, Wesley Ruggles

Sing You Sinners is a 1938 American musical comedy film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurray, Ellen Drew, and Donald O'Connor. Written by Claude Binyon, the film is about three singing brothers who go to California to find their fortune. Initially the film was to be titled "The Unholy Beebes" and then "Harmony for Three" before finishing with "Sing You Sinners". Filming took place in April/May 1938 in Hollywood. Race track scenes were filmed at the Pomona Fairgrounds and at Santa Anita using two dozen of Crosby's horses. Sing You Sinners was premiered on August 5, 1938 at the Del Mar racetrack with the New York premiere taking place on August 16.

<i>The Adventures of Tom Sawyer</i> (musical) Musical by Don Schlitz

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a musical comedy based on the 1876 novel by Mark Twain conceived and written by Ken Ludwig, with music and lyrics by Don Schlitz. The musical is the story of a fourteen-year-old boy growing up in the heartland of America. This Broadway musical version of Mark Twain's novel is set in 1840 in St. Petersburg, Missouri, a bustling town on the banks of the Mississippi River. In the course of the story, Tom matches wits with his stern Aunt Polly, falls in love with the beautiful, feisty Becky Thatcher, and goes on the adventure of his life with Becky and Huckleberry Finn. Along the way he meets a terrifying villain named Injun Joe, Tom's bratty half-brother Sid, and all the other boys and girls in the village.

<i>Tom Sawyer</i> (1917 film) 1917 comedy-drama film directed by William Desmond Taylor

Tom Sawyer is a 1917 American silent comedy-drama/adventure film starring Jack Pickford, Robert Gordon, and Clara Horton; it is based on Mark Twain's 1876 novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Directed by William Desmond Taylor, the film was released by Paramount Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Haade</span> American actor

William Haade was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1937 and 1957. He was born in New York City and died in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisabeth Risdon</span> English film actress (1887–1958)

Elisabeth Risdon was an English film actress. She appeared in more than 140 films from 1913 to 1952. A beauty in her youth, she usually played in society parts. In later years in films she switched to playing character parts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Hackathorne</span> American actor (1896-1940)

George Hackathorne was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1916 and 1939.

<i>The Adventures of Tom Sawyer</i> (1938 film) 1938 American film directed by Norman Taurog

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a 1938 American drama film produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Norman Taurog who had previously directed Huckleberry Finn (1931) with Jackie Coogan and Junior Durkin. The film starred Tommy Kelly in the title role, with Jackie Moran and Ann Gillis. The screenplay by John V. A. Weaver was based on the classic 1876 novel of the same name by Mark Twain. The movie was the first film version of the novel to be made in color.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huckleberry Finn</span> Fictional character

Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain who first appeared in the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884). He is 12 to 13 years old during the former and a year older at the time of the latter. Huck also narrates Tom Sawyer Abroad and Tom Sawyer, Detective, two shorter sequels to the first two books.

<i>Tom Sawyer</i> (1930 film) 1930 film

Tom Sawyer is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by John Cromwell and starring Jackie Coogan. The screenplay by Grover Jones, William Slavens McNutt, and Sam Mintz is based on the 1876 novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

<i>Huckleberry Finn</i> (1931 film) 1931 film

Huckleberry Finn is a 1931 American pre-Code adventure comedy film directed by Norman Taurog, and written by Grover Jones and William Slavens McNutt, based on Mark Twain's 1884 novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It stars Jackie Coogan as Tom Sawyer, Mitzi Green as Becky Thatcher, Junior Durkin as Huckleberry Finn, and Jackie Searl as Sid Sawyer.

<i>Huckleberry Finn</i> (1920 film) 1920 film by William Desmond Taylor

Huckleberry Finn is a surviving American silent dramatic rural film from 1920, based on Mark Twain's 1884 classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures. William Desmond Taylor directed Huckleberry Finn, as he had the 1917 film version of Tom Sawyer, using a scenario written by Julia Crawford Ivers, who also had been the writer for Tom Sawyer.

<i>The Adventures of Tom Sawyer</i> 1876 novel by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is an 1876 novel by Mark Twain about a boy, Tom Sawyer, growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1840s in the town of St. Petersburg, which is based on Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived as a boy. In the novel, Sawyer has several adventures, often with his friend Huckleberry Finn. Originally a commercial failure, the book ended up being the best-selling of Twain's works during his lifetime. Though overshadowed by its 1884 sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the book is considered by many to be a masterpiece of American literature. It is alleged by Mark Twain to be one of the first novels to be written on a typewriter.

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is a 1955 CBS TV film adaptation of Mark Twain's 1884 novel of the same name, starring Charles Taylor in the title role. It was directed by Herbert B. Swope Jr. It aired on September 1, 1955 as the Season 2 premiere of the anthology program Climax!.

References

  1. "Tom Sawyer, Detective (1938) - Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved 2015-03-11.
  2. "Tom Sawyer, Detective". Afi.com. 1938-12-23. Retrieved 2015-03-11.
  3. , Film Facts