Tom Sawyer (1973 film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tom Sawyer
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Don Taylor
Produced by	Arthur P. Jacobs Frank Capra Jr.
Written by	Mark Twain (novel) Robert B. Sherman Richard M. Sherman
Starring	Johnny Whitaker Celeste Holm Warren Oates Jeff East Jodie Foster
Music by	Songs: Richard M. Sherman Robert B. Sherman Score: John Williams
Cinematography	Frank Stanley
Editing by	Marion Rothman
Studio	Reader's Digest
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	March 15, 1973 (1973-03-15)
Running time	104 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Money made	$6,000,000 (rentals)

Tom Sawyer is a 1973 American musical film. It is based on Mark Twain's famous 1876 adventure book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The movie was directed by Don Taylor.

In the film, Johnny Whitaker plays Tom Sawyer. Jodie Foster plays Becky Thatcher, and Jeff East plays Huckleberry Finn. A Ho-Chunk tribesman named Kunu Hank played the character Injun Joe.

The movie was made by Reader's Digest with Arthur P. Jacobs. He was known for making the Planet of the Apes films. The songs and story for the movie were written by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman. They also wrote music for the 1974 movie Huckleberry Finn. Tom Sawyer was nominated for three big awards at the 46th Academy Awards. These were for Best Original Score, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design.

The Story of Tom Sawyer

Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn are two friends who love adventure. They often skip school. One day, they plan to try and bring a dead cat back to life. They believe it can be done with the spirit of a man named Hoss Williams, who is very sick.

Tom and Huck talk with Muff Potter, a man who drinks a lot. But Injun Joe interrupts them. He says that Doc Robinson wants to see Muff and Joe. Doc Robinson tells them they need to dig up Williams' grave. Injun Joe is angry because Doc Robinson did not fix his leg well. Meanwhile, Tom keeps skipping school. He makes up wild stories about why he is not home. He also tricks other kids into doing his chores for him.

After Williams passes away, Tom and Huck go to the cemetery. They see Muff and Joe digging up the grave for Doc Robinson. Injun Joe is still angry at Robinson. He demands more money for the job. When Robinson says no, Injun Joe hits him with a shovel. Robinson falls into the grave. Injun Joe then takes Muff's knife. He jumps into the grave and causes Doc Robinson's death. Tom and Huck see everything. They run away and promise never to tell anyone what they saw.

Injun Joe blames Muff for what happened. Muff is put in jail. Around this time, Becky Thatcher moves to town. Tom quickly falls in love with her. At Muff's trial, Injun Joe lies about what happened. He continues to blame Muff. Tom cannot keep quiet when he hears this. When Tom is called to speak, he tells the truth. He does not mention that Huck was with him. Suddenly, Injun Joe throws a knife at Tom. It just misses Tom's head. Injun Joe then jumps out the courthouse window and runs away.

After the trial, Tom and Becky decide to be "engaged." But this ends quickly when Tom mentions he was also engaged to Amy Lawrence. Tom feels sad. Then Huck gets angry at Tom for "breaking their promise." So, they both decide to run away. They paddle down the Mississippi River on a raft. A riverboat tips their raft over. They end up on an island. There, they enjoy their freedom. They also wonder what happened to Injun Joe. While on the island, they see people "dragging the river." This is when a cannon is fired to bring up bodies from the river bottom.

Tom and Huck decide to go home. They find out that a funeral is being held for them! The funeral stops when Judge Thatcher sees them in the church. The kind Widow Douglas takes Huck in to live with her. Later, during an Independence Day party, Tom and Becky go into McDougal's Cave. They want to get water from an underground spring. Inside, they meet Injun Joe. Joe chases them through the cave. He wants to hurt Tom. But Judge Thatcher, Muff, and Huck catch up to Joe. Muff throws a torch at Joe. Joe falls and does not survive. Later, Huck disappears. The Widow Douglas is worried. Tom finds Huck at their old fishing spot. Tom tells Huck not to worry the Widow. Muff decides to leave town.

Meet the Cast

• Johnny Whitaker as Tom Sawyer
• Jodie Foster as Becky Thatcher
• Celeste Holm as Aunt Polly
• Warren Oates as Muff Potter
• Jeff East as Huckleberry Finn
• Lucille Benson as Widder Douglas
• Henry Jones as Mr. Dobbins
• Noah Keen as Judge Thatcher
• Dub Taylor as Clayton
• Richard Eastham as Doc Robinson
• Sandy Kenyon as Constable Clemmens
• Joshua Hill Lewis as Cousin Sidney
• Susan Joyce as Cousin Mary
• Steve Hogg as Ben Rogers
• Sean Summers as Billy Fisher
• Kevin Jefferson as Joe Jefferson
• Page Williams as Saloon Girl
• James A. Kuhn as Blacksmith
• Mark Lynch as Prosecuting Attorney
• Jonathan Taylor as Small Boy
• Anne Voss as Girl
• Frederick Allen as a Hobo/Crying Man at the Funeral
• Kunu Hank as Injun Joe

Did you know? Jodie Foster and Johnny Whitaker had also starred together in the movie Napoleon and Samantha the year before, in 1972.

Awards and Nominations

In 1974, the Sherman Brothers and John Williams were nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Score. This award is for the best music in a movie. Later, these three were also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music. Tom Sawyer also received Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration and Best Costume Design. These awards recognize the best movie sets and clothing designs.

Songs from the Movie

Here are the songs featured in the film:

• River Song (The Theme from “Tom Sawyer”) sung by Charley Pride, Chorus & Orchestra
• Tom Sawyer - sung by Aunt Polly, Mary, Sidney
• Gratifaction - sung by the Boys
• How Come? - sung by Tom
• If'n I Was God - sung by Tom
• A Man's Gotta Be (What He's Born to Be) - sung by Tom, Huckleberry and Muff
• Hannibal, Mo(Zouree) - sung by the Cast
• Freebootin' - sung by Tom, Huckleberry
• Aunt Polly's Soliloquy - sung by Aunt Polly

See also

In Spanish: Las aventuras de Tom Sawyer (película de 1973) para niños