Tom Sawyer, Detective

Tom Sawyer (Billy Cook) and Huckleberry Finn (Donald O'Connor) are shipped to Arkansas for the summer. They are to help out at Porter Hall;s farm. But when Hall is accused of murder, it's up tot he boys to prove his innocence.

It's more than sixty years since I read the book, and I couldn't tell you what happened in it a month later. I later discovered that this was one of the many things Mark Twain wrote to clear his bankruptcy. Even so, this programmer from Paramount shows their usual gloss, with Elisabeth Risdon, Clem Bevans, Clara Blandick, and Si Jenks making appearances. They don't lift it out of the B category, but they are fun to see in this unsubtle boy's adventure.

While he might have been jealous of Gene Kelly's fame, or resentful that Danny Kaye replaced him and became immortalized in White Christmas, I have a feeling the biggest hurt in Donald O'Connor's career was Mickey Rooney. Often compared to Mickey in his youth and teen years, Donald played Huckleberry Finn in Tom Sawyer, Detective; Mickey played the same role the following year in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a movie that was infinitely better received. Elisabeth Risdon was used in both productions, but little Donald was cast aside-no pun intended. And, the only reason Donald got the part in 1938 was because Mickey Rooney, the studio's first choice, was busy filming Boys Town. Give Tom Sawyer, Detective a chance. It's obscure and you'll have to work hard to find it, but it's worth watching. Elisabeth Risdon and Porter Hall get a chance to shine in leading roles, and Billy Cook and Donald O'Connor are adorable. They carry the film, and while they weren't asked to sing and tap dance, everyone knows Donald would have been able to.

Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, there's a violent scene where a man gets beaten to death, so I'd send my kids out of the room for a few minutes.

TOM SAWYER, DETECTIVE (Paramount, 1938), directed by Louis King, the studio's contribution to the current trend of Mark Twain stories transferred to the screen, may not be quite as important as David O. Selznick's Technicolor release of THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER (United Artists, 1938) featuring Tommy Kelly in the title role, but a worthy offering to the further adventures of Twain's most beloved fictitional characters of Tom Sawyer and his friend, Huckleberry Finn. Although no connection to Selznick's production, it does come close to being the long delayed sequel or third installment trilogy to Paramount's earlier editions of TOM SAWYER (1930) and HUCKLEBERRY FINN (1931) that featured that former child star of the silent screen, Jackie Coogan (1914-1984), and teenage Junior Durkin (1915-1935) in their individual title roles. With Coogan having outgrown his Sawyer character, and Durkin having since died in an auto accident, the only performer from the initial two installments to reprise a role happens to be that of Clara Blandick as Aunt Polly. The major characters here have been recast by the younger but lesser known set of Billy Cook (not to be confused with other kid actor, Billy Lee) and Donald O'Connor playing Tom and Hunk, plus new surroundings for those Mississippi boys in straw hat, overalls and bear feet, finding new adventure and murder mystery in store.

Adapted from one of Mark Twain's lesser known works featuring his legendary characters, the story begins as Tom Sawyer (Billy Cook) bids farewell to his Aunt Polly (Clara Blandick) as he, accompanied by his best pal, Huckleberry Finn (Donald O'Connor), to spend their summer vacation together at the farm of Tom's uncle, Parson Silas Phelps (Porter Hall), Aunt Sally (Elisabeth Risdon), and their daughter, Ruth (Janet Waldo). While on board the steamer, Tom and Huck encounter Jake Dunlap (William Haade), a man in fear of his life, keeping to himself in his cabin. Jake entrusts the boys a secret of being trailed by a couple of thieves after diamonds he's hidden in his boot. After helping Jake sneak off the boat in disguise, Tom and Huck are welcomed into the Phelps home where they are stunned to find the handyman to be Jake's twin brother, Jupiter (William Haade). Jake, having taken up residence in a nearby cabin, is later found murdered by Jupiter and Brace (Edward Pawley). Due to an earlier argument he had with Phelps, Jupiter switches identities with his deceased brother, puts the blame on Phelps, who left him for dead in the forest, and have him arrested by the Sheriff "Turkeyneck" Slocum (Clem Bevans). While Phelps awaits in jail for the upcoming trial, Tom and Huck join forces as junior detectives doing some crime solving of their own. Other participants in the cast are Phillip Warren (Jack Rutledge, lawyer); Etta McDaniel (Tulip, the Maid); Stanley Price (Sheriff Walker); Raymond Hatton (Judge Tyler); and Si Jenks (Farmer Sikes).

Unlike the earlier SAWYER-FINN adaptations, plus MGM's upcoming release of THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN (1939) starring Mickey Rooney, TOM SAWYER, DETECTIVE is strictly "B" material without any recognizable marquee names. Billy Cook (1928-1981), who makes a commendable Tom, appeared in a few more films before disappearing completely from acting by 1942. Aside from a spooky segment in the cemetery and his courtroom segment as he attempts to prove the Parson's innocence on the witness stand, Cook's Tom also has to endure an assortment of loving kisses from a little girl (no, not Becky Thatcher) who claims him as her hero. Donald O'Connor, on the other hand, the most recognizable name in the cast by today's standard, found success in an assortment of teenage musicals for Universal in the forties, followed by stage, nightclub and television appearances in later years. Aside from the "Francis, the Talking Mule" film series (1949-1955) for Universal, his most immortal role was that of Cosmo Brown in MGM's lavish musical, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952) starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds.

Unseen on broadcast television since the 1970s, TOM SAWYER, DETECTIVE was one of those now forgotten items that used to air regularly in the New York City area prior to 1973 on WPIX TV, Channel 11. The 65 minute movie, at that time, was usually placed on a one hour time slot (commercials included) that eliminated the opening minutes involving Tom and his Aunt Polly. The complete product was later broadcast on a couple of occasions on New Jersey's WTVG, Channel 68, before disappearing from the television markets completely in the Metropolitan area by 1978. Never distributed to cable TV or home video, a print can be found on DVD through a company called Loving the Classics.

A movie obviously geared for kids should still be of interest to middle-aged children with fond memories having seen this one on black and white television with rabbit-ear antenna during their younger days. (**1/2)

In chronological order, this is the first of several Donald O'Connor movies I'm reviewing on this site. He plays Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer's friend who's played by Billy Cook. O'Connor gets whatever laughs here when spitting on a fish or having to deal with his pet turtle. Also, he prays for rain then thinks the Lord overdid it when it becomes a storm! There's a case involving diamonds, twin brothers, and who's the bad guys and the good ones. I'll just now say this was quite a funny and dramatic movie based on a book by Mark Twain. So on that note, I recommend Tom Sawyer, Detective. P.S. One of the players is Janet Waldo-best known to me as the voice of teen Judy Jetson on "The Jetsons". She must have been in about her real teens at this time.

Most people are aware that Mark Twain wrote a successful novel called TOM SAWYER in 1876, which has never been out of print. Based on his recollections of his youth in Hannibal, Missouri, Twain created a permanent boy's book about youthful coming of age and adventure. He followed it with his masterpiece, HUCKLEBERRY FINN (about Tom's closest friend) in 1885. Although he wrote five to seven other major works besides these two, most people recall TOM SAWYER and HUCKLEBERRY FINN as the novels they have read by Twain.

What most people don't know is that Twain kept toying, in later years, with returning to the two boys. He actually wrote two novellas, TOM SAWYER, DETECTIVE and TOM SAWYER ABROAD. The former is the basis of this film, so more a little later. The latter was actually one of two literary works by Twain where he spoofed popular writers of his age he did not like. In A DOUBLE-BARRELLED DETECTIVE STORY he makes fun of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle (Twain disliked detective stories and made mincemeat of them in THE STOLEN WHITE ELEPHANT). In TOM SAWYER ABROAD he deals with a balloon voyage from America to Africa and the Middle East, and he is spoofing Jules Verne (complete with a mad aeronaut).

Twain also would try a western story (which was published in LIFE MAGAZINE back in the 1960s), TOM AND HUCK AMONG THE INDIANS. It was never finished. In the end of his life he had plans of taking the two boys to their last days, and having them die together. A Broadway play based on that idea was produced in the 1980s with George C. Scott and John Cullum.

The story of TOM SAWYER, DETECTIVE is based on an actual crime story - but an ancient one from the late 17th Century. It involved Soren Quist, who was executed for murder in Veilby, Denmark, on circumstantial evidence. The story involves disguises and twins. Twain simply puts the story into the Mississippi Valley, involving Tom's Uncle Silas, who supposedly murders Jupiter Dunlap and is put on trial for his life. What the actual villains don't know is that Tom is aware of an alternative victim, and of a stranger who is not behaving as he should be. Tom is the dominant figure in the story (and the film), with Huck as "Dr. Watson" in the case.

The film is rarely shown nowadays. The last time I saw it listed was about 1968. It was a fair example of a "B" feature, but had nothing outstanding going for it except an interest in movies based on Twain's works. Even though a young Donald O'Connor was Huck Finn, he did not really shine in it too much. Porter Hall did have some moments acting mysteriously, trying to bury a body at night. I also recall Billy Cook (as Tom) preening himself in the courtroom while confronting the villains on the witness stand. It was not a boring film, so I give it a "6" out of "10", but I would not move heaven and earth to try to see it.