The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn |
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Title card
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| Genre | Fantasy |
| Based on | Adventures of Huckleberry Finn created by Mark Twain |
| Starring | Michael Shea LuAnn Haslam Kevin Schultz Ted Cassidy |
| Theme music composer | Ted Nichols |
| Opening theme | "The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" |
| Ending theme | "The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" |
| Composer(s) | Ted Nichols |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 20 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Joseph Barbera William Hanna |
| Producer(s) | Edward Rosen |
| Cinematography | Kenneth Peach |
| Editor(s) | Edward Warschilka Donald A. Douglas |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Hanna-Barbera Productions |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Picture format | Color |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | September 15, 1968 – February 23, 1969 |
The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an American live-action and animated fantasy television series that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1968, through February 23, 1969. Produced by Hanna-Barbera and based on the classic Mark Twain characters, the program starred its three live-action heroes, Huck Finn (Michael Shea), Becky Thatcher (LuAnn Haslam), and Tom Sawyer (Kevin Schultz), navigating weekly adventures within an animated world as they attempted to outrun a vengeful "Injun Joe" (voiced by Ted Cassidy). After the show's original run, the series continued to air in reruns as part of The Banana Splits and Friends Show syndication package.
Contents
Premise
The pilot episode opens with a live-action prologue which sets the premise for the series. It is late afternoon in Hannibal, Missouri, and Twain's classic characters, Aunt Polly (Tom's aunt) and Mrs. Thatcher (Becky's mother) appear distressed in their concern for the youngsters, who are said to be late arriving home. Next, we see our three protagonists, Huckleberry Finn (Michael Shea), Becky Thatcher (LuAnn Haslam) and Tom Sawyer (Kevin Schultz) taking a shortcut home through the town's graveyard, where they encounter "Injun Joe" (Ted Cassidy). Furious at the two boys for testifying in court against him, Injun Joe chases the three children into McDougal's Cave. As the spry children outrun him, an angry Injun Joe vows revenge, calling out to them "You'll never get away from me! No matter where you go, I'll get you!" Once inside, however, the three youngsters find themselves hopelessly lost in the cave's labyrinthine passageways. This prologue would be re-edited with a voice-over by Michael Shea as Huck Finn summarizing the events, and would serve as the opening sequence for each subsequent episode.
Although we never see the three youngsters emerge from the cave, it is presumed that they eventually find a way out since, as each episode proper begins, we join our three young live-action heroes as they now inhabit an animated world. Throughout the series, the children embark on a quest to return to their families in Hannibal, Missouri, traveling to various exotic animated lands (tropical islands; Egyptian deserts; Aztec cities; etc.) and make friends with—or run afoul of—an array of fanciful animated characters (leprechauns; pirates; sorcerers; etc.). Every episode also features an evil animated antagonist who bears an uncanny resemblance to Injun Joe (voiced by Cassidy). The likeness is not lost on the three children, who are routinely startled by the striking similarity to their nemesis back home; however, no explanation is offered of how, or why, Injun Joe is constantly able to remain one step ahead of them and assume these various guises. As the series only lasted one season, an episode explaining how, or if, the three children ever make it back home, or if it may, in fact, all be some sort of surrealistic "dream", is never seen.
Cast
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Starring
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List of episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
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| 1 | "The Magic Shillelah" | Hollingsworth Morse | Frank Crow Leo Rifkin |
September 15, 1968 | 30-14 |
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Leprechauns seek their lost magic shillelah, which Becky finds first. Tom and Huck are taken prisoner by the gypsy chieftain Zarko, who eventually gets hold of the magic shillelah. Becky and the leprechauns come to the rescue and recover the shillelah. Voices: Dennis Day, Daws Butler, Henry Corden, Don Messick, John Myhers |
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| 2 | "Huck of La Mancha" | Hollingsworth Morse | George Eckstein | September 22, 1968 | 30-9 |
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Tom, Huck and Becky meet Don Quixote de la Mancha. Together they head off to rescue Quixote's squire, Sancho Panza, and challenge the brigand leader Don Jose. Instead Don Jose captures Tom and Quixote, who make their escape and overthrow Don Jose and his men.
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| 3 | "The Terrible Tempered Kahleef" | Bruce Bilson | Joanna Lee | September 29, 1968 | 30-7 |
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In the city of Baghistan ruled by the tyrannical, woman-snatching Kahleef, Becky gets captured, so Tom and Huck stow away on a ship and sneak into the palace. The retired sorcerer Muzaffar helps provide Tom and Huck a way to stealthily rescue Becky.
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| 4 | "The Little People" | Walter S. Burr | Ken Spears Joe Ruby Bill Lutz |
October 6, 1968 | 30-3 |
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Tom, Huck and Becky get shipwrecked and separated on an island. Huck meets the Lilliputians and is to be wed to King Bigun's daughter, Tina. Tom and Becky rescue a hunter, Bitto, and his partner and head to the Lilliputians to help each other escape from a tribe of savages.
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| 5 | "Pirate Island" | Byron Haskin | Kenneth L. Kolb | October 13, 1968 | 30-4 |
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Tom, Huck and Becky row to an island inhabited by apes. Pirates, led by Captain X, come to the island and capture Tom and Becky. Huck and an ape named Bulu help Tom and Becky to battle the pirates and they narrowly manage to escape the ship as it blows up.
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| 6 | "The Last Labor of Hercules" | Hollingsworth Morse | David Duncan | October 20, 1968 | 30-6 |
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Tom, Huck and Becky are lost in the woods and meet Hercules, who has his final labor to complete. The king and his centaur servant try to make sure that he fails and imprison Tom, Huck and Becky, but they escape and, with the aid of Pegasus, prevent Hercules from falling into the king's trap and enable him to complete the last labor.
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| 7 | "The Gorgon's Head" | Hollingsworth Morse | Herman Miller | October 27, 1968 | 30-16 |
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In a cave, Tom, Huck and Becky free a maiden and for that the Guru imprisons them, but the Guru's servant releases them. Together, the three head off to get the Gorgon's head in order to defeat the fire hydra and rescue the maiden.
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| 8 | "The Castle of Evil" | Walter S. Burr | Kenneth L. Kolb | November 3, 1968 | 30-5 |
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In a dark forest, Becky is caught by the skeleton warriors of the wizard Zilbad. Tom and Huck infiltrate the castle and break into Zilbad's laboratory to rescue Becky, where Huck tricks Zilbad into turning himself into a crystal statue, which undoes his evil curses.
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| 9 | "Hunting the Hunter" | Hollingsworth Morse | Kenneth L. Kolb | November 24, 1968 | 30-11 |
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While trying to find food, Tom, Huck and Becky are surrounded by animals who do not like humans. After a judgement trial, a hunter arrives. Becky aids an injured fox, while Tom and Huck distract the hunter, which enables the animals to ambush him.
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| 10 | "The Curse of Thut" | Bruce Bilson | David Duncan | December 1, 1968 | 30-2 |
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Lost in the desert, Tom, Huck and Becky are met by Thut, who seeks his lost love Marna, and are taken to the Typhonian Pharaoh for a deadly trial, but they manage to summon Thut, who ends his 5,000 year search for Marna and shows the three the way out. Note: This story was adapted in issue #1 (10232-812, December 1968) of the Gold Key comic The New Adventures of Huck Finn. |
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| 11 | "The Ancient Valley" | Hollingsworth Morse | David Duncan | December 15, 1968 | 30-13 |
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Tom, Huck and Becky fly in a balloon to a prehistoric valley. A spear-throwing tribe are at war with a rock-throwing tribe. Becky tries to stop this useless war, but the three are captured by a mountain tribe. They make their escape after disposing of the mountain tribe's chieftain.
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| 12 | "Menace in the Ice" | Walter S. Burr | Peter Allan Fields | December 22, 1968 | 30-10 |
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Tom, Huck and Becky are abducted by Captain Calidor and put to work on his ship. Calidor is intent on melting the snowland glaciers. After some difficulty, Huck gets help from the Abominable Snowmen whilst the ship's servant, Huga, turns against Calidor and overthrows him.
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| 13 | "The Eye of Doorgah" | Robert Gist | Herman Miller | December 29, 1968 | 30-1 |
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A gem called the Eye of Doorgah is stolen from a temple. Both Tom and Huck go off to find it and are caught at a Thuggee clan's lair, but they manage to escape, recover the gem and return it to the temple, where Doorgah banishes the Thuggee clan.
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| 14 | "Mission of Captain Mordecai" | Ezra Stone | Joanna Lee | January 5, 1969 | 30-8 |
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Lost at sea, Tom, Huck and Becky board Captain Mordecai's ship. The captain's mission is to kill a monstrous whale. As the three are swallowed by the whale, the captain chases them around the whale's body until they escape through the whale's blowhole.
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| 15 | "The Jungle Adventure" | Hollingsworth Morse | Bill Lutz | January 19, 1969 | 30-15 |
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In the jungle, Tom is poisoned by a Anatrata bush. Huck and Becky get caught on a slave-trading ship, while Tom is taken by tribal warriors. Huck and Becky escape with Chibunu and get back to the tribe in time to cure Tom.
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| 16 | "Son of the Sun" | Hollingsworth Morse | Al C. Ward Kenneth L. Kolb |
January 26, 1969 | 30-19 |
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Tom splits with his friends and enters an Aztec city where he is made the Sun King, but his trial for true kingship is bound to fail. Huck and Becky save Tom and they all make their escape.
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| 17 | "Prophecy of Peril" | Hollingsworth Morse | David Duncan | February 2, 1969 | 30-17 |
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Tom, Huck and Becky thwart a Mongol ambush on a Chinese prince. The Khan sends Tom to enter the city of Petua by means of a Trojan horse. Huck and Becky escape with the help of a dog, while Tom escapes Petua in a dragon kite and blows up the Mongol camp.
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| 18 | "Strange Experiment" | Hollingsworth Morse | Kenneth L. Kolb | February 9, 1969 | 30-12 |
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Tom, Huck and Becky enter the house of a mad scientist, Dr. Filostro, who shrinks Huck. Tom and Becky escape their prison and get Huck to his normal size. In the chaos that follows, Filostro, his assistant Creech and a hideous monster all get shrunk.
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| 19 | "The Curse of the Conquistador" | Bruce Bilson | Tom and Helen August | February 16, 1969 | 30-18 |
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In Ancient Incan ruins lies the armor of a cursed conquistador who haunts Tom, Huck and Becky for the gold they took away from him, which they lose as they progress onward. After they lose all the gold, they find themselves freed from the curse.
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| 20 | "All Whirlpools Lead to Atlantis" | Robert Gist | Robert Sabaroff Leo Rifkin |
February 23, 1969 | 30-20 |
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Tom, Huck and Becky get sucked down a whirlpool to the ocean floor. King Llandor of Atlantis and Huck exchange clothes, so Morpho's minions mistake Huck for Llandor. Morpho next captures Tom and Becky, but all three make their escape and help Llandor defeat Morpho and his minions.
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See also
In Spanish: Las nuevas aventuras de Huckleberry Finn para niños
