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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960 film)

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Film poster
Directed byMichael Curtiz
Written byNovel:
Mark Twain
Screenplay byJames Lee
Produced bySamuel Goldwyn Jr.
StarringEddie Hodges
Archie Moore
Tony Randall
Neville Brand
CinematographyTed D. McCord
Edited byFredric Steinkamp
Music byJerome Moross
Production
companies
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Formosa Productions, Inc.
Distributed byLoew's Inc.[1]
Release date
  • August 3, 1960 (1960-08-03) (U.S.)
Running time
107 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,357,000[2]
Box office$2,750,000[2][3]

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a 1960 American adventure drama film directed by Michael Curtiz. Based on the 1884 novel of the same name by Mark Twain, it was the third sound film version of the story and the second filmed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film was the first adaptation of Huckleberry Finn to be filmed in CinemaScope and Technicolor. It stars Eddie Hodges as Huck and former boxer Archie Moore as the runaway slave Jim. Tony Randall also appeared in the film (and received top billing), and Buster Keaton had a bit role in what proved to be his final film for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, his former studio. Neville Brand portrayed Pap Finn, Huck's alcoholic father.

Some scenes in the film were shot on the Sacramento River, which doubled for the Mississippi River.

Plot

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(Needs additional plot from the start of the movie to these concluding scenes.)

Huck tries to trick the sheriff's wife by disguising himself as a girl, but she soon susses out that he's a boy, but she believes him when he says he's a runaway apprentice who's been treated badly. Huck asks for a glass of water, but she offers to get him some lemonade and leaves the room.

While she's gone, Huck grabs the keys on the wall and slips out unnoticed. Huck goes out to the shack to free Jim from his shackles.

The sheriff returns with the Duke and King and a slave chaser with his dogs. They they go out to the shack and discover that Jim is gone so they begin searching for him with the dogs.

Jim is hobbling due to the shackles that have been on his legs. They separate with Jim going towards the river and swimming to safety, while Huck is doubling back with Jim's shirt to fool the dogs with the scent from the shirt.

Huck is caught by the Duke and King who call for the sheriff, but Huck comes up with an ingenious lie about the king and the Duke, telling the sheriff they paid him to free the slave Jim a while he produces a $20 gold coin. The sheriff believes Huck and arrests the Duke and King as abolitionists, much to their chagrin, and leads them off back to the house by gunpoint.

Huck tells the sheriff he needs to go back to his raft because he's afraid someone will steal it. The sheriff says to hide his raft well and then return to the house for some Huckleberry pie and leaves Huck by the river.

Huck finds a raft and a floats about near the river shore calling out for Jim. Jim comes to Huck and they discuss their future plans. Jim wants to go north, while Huck wants to go south to New Orleans. The movie ends with Jim waving goodbye to huck from the shore as Huck poles his raft toward steamboat going south.

Cast

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Archie Moore and Eddie Hodges on set

Box office

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According to MGM records the film earned $1,950,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $800,000 elsewhere, resulting in a net loss of $99,000.[2]

Comic book adaptation

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  2. ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study
  3. ^ US and Canada figures see – "Rental Potentials of 1960", Variety, 4 January 1961 p 47.
  4. ^ "Dell Four Color #1114". Grand Comics Database.
  5. ^ Dell Four Color #1114 at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
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