Original subtitles

(laughs)

♫ Now listen here folks

♫ My name is Tom Sawyer

♫ I don't want to be no doctor or no lawyer

♫ Fishing by the river

♫ That's the only place to be

♫ I want to be free sitting under a tree

♫ That's me

(upbeat music)

(laughs)

(upbeat music)

♫ These are the stories of Tom Sawyer

♫ Me and Huck Finn just playing by the river

♫ Chasing that steamboat

♫ Teacher let me be

♫ I want to be free sitting under a tree

♫ That's me

(laughs)

(upbeat music)

- [Tom Voiceover] Well, we went and did it.

Ben and Huck and me ran away last night

to become pirates.

I felt a little lost waking up on

Jackson Island this morning, but I knew

we had some great adventures ahead of us,

and I was all fired up to get on with it.

(sighs)

- Huck, Huck, get up.

(groans)

Ben.

Hey.

Wake up.

- I need my beauty sleep, Pa.

- I'm not your pa, Ben.

Wake up, we're going to be pirates.

- Huh?

- Come on Ben, you can't be a pirate in your sleep.

There's treasures right under our feet,

I can feel it.

- I plumb forgot where I was.

This is the life, eh fellas?

- [Tom] No more school, hurray!

- [Ben] Hurray!

- [Tom] Take that!

(laughing)

- [Huck] Take that, Ben.

What's the matter, chicken?

Afraid of getting your face wet?

Hey, wait for us.

- I pity all them bookworms.

- Me too, but you know I think some of them

actually like all that studying.

- Nobody's that dumb.

- [Huck] I'm hungry.

- Me too.

Why don't you make a fire, Huck,

and me and Ben will scare up some fish

in the meantime, okay?

- I'm all for that.

(yawns)

- I'm beginning to appreciate a pirate's life.

(soft music)

Uh oh, I got me a big one.

Golly.

- Hang on. - Must be huge.

I'll get him.

- Keep the line steady now.

You got him.

Ben, your pole.

Here, must weigh 100 pounds.

(yells)

That's the biggest catfish I've ever seen, Ben,

and he's sure giving me some battle.

- Just remember, Sawyer, it's me that hooked him.

Smells done to me.

- [Tom] I can taste it already.

- [Huck] They're not quite done enough for eating, Tom,

but if you can wait a little longer,

you won't be disappointed.

- [Ben] Let's have the bacon, too.

- Really, Ben?

Catfish and bacon, I don't know.

That don't sound like a very appetizing combination.

- How much time we planning on being here?

- Where?

- On this island.

- Ben, that ain't no way for a pirate to be talking.

- [Ben] What do you mean by that, Tom?

- It sounds like you're already homesick

for your ma and pa, that's what I'm talking about.

- [Ben] I haven't thunk about them since we come here.

What's the matter with you?

- You promise?

- [Ben] Swear to God.

- [Tom] Well then, how come you're whimpering so much

about how long we're planning on staying here?

- Because pirates are supposed to sail ships.

- Well what do you think we went and

built that raft for?

We just got to make some minor repairs on it

before we set sail on the river.

Ain't that right, Huck?

- Whatever you say, Tom.

You're the captain.

- [Tom] Right!

- [Huck] They're done.

(moaning)

- [Tom] Delicious.

(soft music)

- [Ben] What's the next move, Cap'n Tom?

- I'm for doing a little bit of island exploring myself.

- [Ben] Yeah.

- [Huck] You best be careful, Ben.

There's rattlers in these parts.

- That won't stop me.

- Tom, did you ever wonder why no one ever comes here?

- No, why?

- Why don't you tell us, smart aleck?

- I do believe I have.

- Hmm.

Maybe it doesn't have to do with snakes.

Maybe the place is haunted.

- By the pirates, of course.

- That's right.

- Yeah, by the pirates.

Time to explore.

(soft music)

- This way, please.

(muffled chatter)

Boys and girls, please pay attention.

We have been presented with a problem

and some questions that need answering.

Mr. Rogers, would you care to have me explain?

- I'd be much obliged to you.

- Done.

I'd like to speak about Tom and Ben.

I am positive that everybody is by now

aware of their absences and I was also

prepared to accept the excuse of their

both being ill at the same time.

But these kind folk had other information.

It would appear that both Tom and Ben

disappeared from their very beds in the

middle of the night.

(gasping) Children, now please.

- [Student] Well, what can we do, Mrs. Sawyer?

- Please help us if you have any information

concerning the whereabouts of my Tom.

I'm afraid something terrible has happened.

- If anybody knows anything about either of the boys,

please help us.

- Can anyone supply us with the needed information?

Don't be bashful, just speak right up.

- Please, Joe.

You're good friends with Tom and you're

best friends with Ben.

Do you have any idea where they've gone?

- Can you tell us anything about them?

- [Joe] No sir, I've only seen Ben.

And that was yesterday late.

- You saw my Ben and he didn't say what he was doing?

- Well sir, all that he said is that,

"I'm off to do some pirating, Joe."

- [Mr. Rogers] Pirating?

- I said to him that I'd rather be a highway thief

and he got real upset over that, Mr. Rogers.

- Pirates, highwaymen, what's the difference?

- There's a whole lot of difference between

a highwayman and a pirate.

- Obviously, Mr. Harper.

What did he mean by that pirate remark?

- He was just going to go out there

and plunder a few ships.

You know, that kind of thing.

- Thank you, we have a playground for that

sort of nonsense.

I need to know exactly what this pirating

thing means to Ben.

- Sir, I only know what being a highwayman is to me.

- I'm disappointed with you, Joe.

A pirate, a highwayman.

You're just filled with fantasies.

- Mr. Dobbins, don't be so hard on the boy.

Maybe Ben and Tom really had a plan in mind

and they asked Joe to come along with him.

- Well, maybe so.

- Tom's younger brother, Sid, has been going on

about how Tom and that Huck Finn's

been hunting for the lost pirate treasure

that's supposed to be buried up on Carve Hill.

- I'm glad you apprised me of that.

It's quite obvious that Tom and Ben

slipped out of their houses in the middle of the night

to go off on some kind of pirate expedition.

Mr. Harper mentioned that they had a raft,

so the river was obviously--

♫ 15 men on a dead man's chest

♫ Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

♫ Do do do, do-de-do-de-lo-do

♫ Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

(humming and whistling)

- Oh boy.

(groans)

Wow. - Sorry.

♫ Many brave hearts lie sleep in the deep

♫ So beware

(humming)

- Uh oh.

Careful, it's a snake.

(groaning)

(soft music)

(groaning)

(yells)

- Are you all right?

- [Ben] I'm coming up.

Gosh, it's pretty up here.

- [Tom] Look, a ferry boat's leaving St. Petersburg.

- [Huck] That's the Illinois ferry.

Goes across the Old Missy about three times a day.

Hard to get the other side without her.

- [Tom] Hey, why don't we camp here for the night?

- [Ben] Sounds good to me.

- What's happening?

- [Tom] Huh, where?

- [Huck] Over there.

There's a storm brewing and it's fixing to come our way.

We got to find some shelter real quick.

- [Ben] We better get a move on.

- [Tom] Oh, right.

(soft music)

- It'll pass.

- I don't know, it's really coming down.

(thunder roars)

- Looks pretty bad to me.

I'm going back inside.

Maybe we should spend the night here.

- I think you've got a great idea there, Ben.

We can stay high and dry.

- Tom. - Yeah?

- Don't forget, I'm the one who found it.

(thunder roars)

(groans)

- [Tom Voiceover] While we was out doing

the serious business of being pirates,

my Aunt Polly was fit to be tied.

By now she probably figured out about the raft,

and what with the storm and all of that,

she must have been worried sick for our safety.

- Mama, don't fret so much.

Tom will show up very soon, I'm sure of it.

- Believe me, Mary, when he does show up,

I'm going to beat that boy within an inch

of his very life.

- Sugar?

Please don't be so hard on him, Mama.

By the time he took a break from his pirating

and realized what time it was,

it was probably too late to come home.

- I'll be switched if I'm going to forgive him

this time, Mary.

A whipping won't be enough.

- [Mary] I feel badly for Tom.

- No point to pity the boy, Mary.

He made his bed and he'll sleep in it.

Oh Thomas, come back, please come back home.

- Oh Mama, it's time to start

thinking about supper. - Oh dear.

- Mama, it stopped raining.

(soft music)

(horn blows)

- I'd give anything to be a steamboat pilot, wouldn't you?

- You bet.

- Well, I wouldn't.

I'd still rather be a pirate than steering

some old side wheeler up the Mississippi.

- I'd rather be a steamboat pilot than a pirate

any old day, Huck.

- Same here.

(horn blows)

- Well Ben, don't forget that right now,

we're still pirates and we have a treasure to find.

- We'd better get to fixing our ship then,

because pirating don't work so good without a ship.

Hey, the raft is missing.

I'm sure this is where we left it.

- Uh oh.

Must have washed away.

- [Huck] Looks like the river's come up a might

since last night.

- Now how are we going to get back to St. Petersburg?

- Pirates never go back home.

- [Ben] We've got to find a way out, Tom.

- We've got everything we need right here

on this island, Ben.

- But we have to go home sometime.

- Don't worry, everything's going to work out.

- Tell me how.

- Hmm, just take my word for it, Ben.

- Ben, we came to this island in search of treasure

and believe me, when the time comes,

we'll find a way off.

Ain't that so, Tom?

- That's right.

Now come on, Ben, let's take the rest

of the supplies to the cave.

(whistling)

(soft music)

(knocking)

- [Mary] Officer Collins.

- Afternoon, Mary.

- I'll fetch Mama.

(knocking)

Mama, Officer Collins is here to see you.

- [Polly] I do hope you're bringing us good news about Tom.

- Fact is, that only a little while ago

someone reported to me that after the storm,

they discovered an empty raft laying up

against the riverbank.

I reckon it's possible the boys might have used

that raft to get to someplace they wanted to explore.

- [Polly] It's possible.

- Of course, I ain't been up there to confirm my suspicion.

- Oh, I wonder if they were running away.

- That same thing occurred to Mr. Rogers.

- Don't worry yourself now, Officer Collins.

My Tom will be coming home before you know it,

tripping up the stairs and slipping into his bed

while trying to avoid my whip.

- I'm sure he will, Miss Polly.

- I hope so, I'm much obliged for your

visit, Officer Collins.

I feel much better knowing the search for Tom

is in your hands.

- I'll be in touch.

- Mama, you're absolutely right.

Sure as I'm standing here, Tom will slip into

his room tonight and you'll find him in bed in the morning.

- [Polly] I hope you're right, Mary.

- I'm sure I'm right.

(sighs)

(soft music)

- [Huck] I feel as free as a bird and as light as a feather.

I never thought anything could be so sweet.

- Freedom is mighty sweet when you come to think about it.

- Yeah, but if you fellas was to live

the same way I did, why, you'd be free

every day of your lives.

You'd be able to fish and swim and sleep when you wanted,

and even be with your best friends all the time.

- I reckon we'll all just stay here forever, right?

- We couldn't leave even if we wanted to

without the raft.

- Tom, we've been around this island from stem to stern.

But I'm still not positive how it's laid out.

- Well, it's shaped something like this, Huck.

Long and kind of narrow.

I'll draw you a picture.

- [Both] Hmm.

- Here, now pay attention.

This is the Mississippi.

St. Pete's here, and Illinois' here on the other side.

Now, Jackson Island's right about here.

It's about half a mile from here to St. Petersburg,

but it's only a few hundred yards,

more or less, to Illinois.

Now the water's real shallow on the Illinois

side of the island, so the steamboats can't get through

without dragging bottom.

- That means we've got a good chance

of wading across it.

- Yeah, but the current's mighty strong there.

- I'm thinking it'd be a lot better if we could

swim to St. Pete.

- We could if we wanted to.

- I'm not a swimmer.

- How you going to be a pirate if you can't swim?

- Shucks, you can teach him how, Tom.

- I ain't a magician.

(laughing)

(yawns)

- I'm sleepy, I'm hitting the hay.

- I'm not feeling that tired.

- Me neither, I'll stay up with you.

(soft music)

Getting kind of cold.

(soft music)

(groaning)

What's wrong, you scared?

- I'm not scared.

I'm about to freeze to death out here.

- I reckon living outdoors takes some getting used to.

(soft music)

- Huh?

What's that you writing about?

- [Tom] Huh, nothing.

- Ah.

Becky.

Does that mean Becky Thatcher?

- Uh uh, no way.

(groans)

(coughs)

(soft music)

(knocking)

- It's open.

- It's a little late for you to be up, isn't it, Becky?

- I can't get to sleep.

I'm worried about Tom.

- Tom can take care of himself.

- I know.

- Becky, you know that boys will be boys

and that's part of growing up.

- I know, Mother, but maybe he's--

- Hmm?

- Mother, I quarreled with Tom.

- But Becky, you mustn't be upset.

It's not the end of the world.

- But maybe Tom ran away because he was

upset that we had had a quarrel.

(laughs)

- Becky, child, I'm sure Tom is quite safe,

and having the time of his life.

Now why don't you get to bed?

He'll probably be at school in the morning.

- [Mr. Rogers] Mind the store, I'll be right back.

(knocking)

- Why, Mr. Rogers, how nice to see you.

Won't you come in?

- Thank you for the offer, Miss Polly.

- [Polly] Surely.

- But it's late, and I'm afraid I've brought some bad news.

- You don't mean about our boys, do you?

- Well, I'm afraid so, Miss Polly.

Officer Collins has just found the raft.

- [Polly] The raft?

- The one that our boys may have been using.

He put some people to searching down along

the riverbank and they came across the raft.

It was four miles up river.

I guess it must have washed ashore during the storm.

- Maybe they made it back before they

were caught by the storm.

- No, I'm afraid not, Miss Polly.

- What do you mean by that?

- [Mary] They found something, Mama?

- I'm sorry.

But the raft was in pieces when they found it.

(gasps)

(groans)

Miss Polly!

I think she's fainted.

- [Mary] Mama?

(soft music)

(snoring)

- [Tom] Aunt Polly, Sid, Mary, goodnight.

♫ These are the stories of Tom Sawyer

♫ Me and Huck Finn just playing by the river

♫ Chasing that steamboat

♫ Teacher let me be

♫ I want to be free sitting under a tree

♫ That's me

(laughs)

(upbeat music)