Original subtitles

(upbeat music)

♫ 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

♫ 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

- [Becky] Bye, Mama.

- You have a nice time at school today, Miss Becky.

- Thanks Lucy, bye.

(dog barking)

I can't play with you now, Caesar.

Got to go to school.

- [Sally] Good morning, Becky.

- Morning, Sally.

- Good morning, Becky.

You waiting for somebody?

- I was waiting for Tom.

Do you know if he and Ben have come back yet?

- I don't think so.

At least I haven't seem him.

- I guess they're alright though knowing Tom.

- I suppose so.

- Huh?

Why Jeff Thatcher, they're your friends.

Don't you care about them at all?

- Well, sure I do

but Tom'll take care of himself, like you said.

You don't have to worry about Tom, Becky.

Let me walk you to school.

- Thanks but you go on by yourself.

- Um, alright.

Maybe Tom wanted to surprise you by meeting you at school.

He'll probably be waiting for you there right now.

Sure, that's probably where he is.

Want to go see?

- (giggles) Thanks, Jeff.

- Guess I'll see you later then.

(cheerful music)

- Tom?

Hmm.

Oh Tom, wherever you are,

I hope you're alright.

(grunting)

- No man draws a sword on Captain Tom,

the black avenger of the Spanish Main

and lives to tell about it.

- They don't call me the terror of the seven seas

for nothing.

Yield or I cut you into pieces.

(grunting)

- Yield to me and I'll spare your life.

- Ar, Captain Rogers yields to no man, ar.

(grunting)

(yelling)

And I'll send you straight to the bottom.

Ah!

(yelling)

(laughing) (Tom choking)

I got to admit Tom.

You can dive better than anybody except me.

- Come on, Terror of the Seven Seas,

help me out, will you?

You couldn't die as good as me if your life depended on it.

- I bet you I can die just as good as you

any day of the week.

- Morning, you two.

Fresh fish for breakfast.

- Sounds real good, Huck.

- How 'bout eating breakfast now and fighting after?

- Yeah, right.

- They'll be done in a bit,

sure do smell good.

- Guess it'd be Thursday by now.

- Guess it is.

So what?

- I was thinking 'bout the weekend

but it's nothing special, I guess

when you're playing hooky every day.

- Yeah, I suppose you're right, Ben.

- You have often heard me say,

"Punctuality is a virtue."

And in my 10 years as schoolmaster

I have never been late till now

which'd indicate the gravity of the situation

which has caused my tardiness.

Tom Sawyer and Ben Rogers are missing.

They were last seen in the company of Huckleberry Finn.

The last time anyone saw them,

they were playing on the raft

which was found shattered to bits after yesterday's storm.

I was told by the sheriff this morning that they'd,

they have all met their end in the river by drowning.

(class gasping and chattering)

- Oh dear.

- But sir, Tom, Ben and Huck

are the best swimmers of all the boys in Saint Pete.

They couldn't have drowned.

- Do you recall the violence of yesterday's storm?

Now imagine being caught

in the middle of the Mississippi River

when the wind and the water were at their highest fury.

Just think of it.

No one could've survived that.

As difficult as it may be,

we must accept the fact that those three boys are gone.

- [Male] It ain't so, it can't be.

- No, not Tom, please, not Tom.

(classroom crying and whimpering)

- Ready?

Here I come.

(laughing)

I'm coming, Huck.

Oh, made it.

- Ready?

Here I go.

(laughing)

(yelling)

(grunting)

- Ben?

He's out cold.

- Wake up, Ben, come on.

Uh oh.

- Maybe we should douse him with water.

- Good idea,

you're right. - Only

what do we carry it in, Huck?

- Why don't we use our hats?

- Right, let's go.

- [Ben] Wait a minute, I'll go with you.

- [Both] Huh?

- I can make it down to the river

even though I am feeling kind of strange

like maybe my head's got a big crack in it.

Oh, the pain won't stop.

(laughing)

- He was faking it the whole time.

- Yeah.

(laughing)

- Ben Rogers, you low down scum.

I'm gonna get you for this.

- That way, Tom, get him good.

(Huck laughing)

(Tom and Ben laughing)

Hold on a second, you two, did you hear that?

- Huh, what do you mean, Huck?

- A big old rumble like thunder.

- Guess there could be another storm on the way.

- That ain't thunder.

- It's gotta be.

That storm we had yesterday

hasn't quite played itself out yet.

- Ain't like no thunder I ever heard.

- What direction's it coming from?

- I don't know.

(rumbling in distance)

- Up river, sounds like.

- Let's get up to the look out point, come on.

- Yeah.

(cheerful music)

(cannon firing in distance)

- They're firing the ferry boat cannon.

- Why on Earth would they do that?

- Somebody drowned and now they're looking for 'em.

- For some reason, when you fire a cannon over the water

near where the person went down,

their body's supposed to come to the top.

- Well, that's a mighty strange way of looking for a body

if you ask me, Tom.

- Only one other way,

with bread and mercury.

You take a loaf of bread and you fill it with mercury

and the body'll rise up to it.

- Now why would it do that?

- [Tom] Just one of the mysteries of life, I reckon.

- [Huck] I reckon.

- I wish I was riding that ferry boat right now.

Looks like there's a whole bunch of folks on board.

- It sure would be exciting to be there

when the body rises up.

(cannon firing in distance)

- Why not go down and take a closer look?

- Just remember, we can't let nobody see us.

- We'll be hiding in the bushes.

- Come on, let's get down there.

Hurry up. - Yes, sire.

(cannon firing)

- This is the spot where Bill Turner showed up a year ago

so keep a short eye out, everybody.

(sobbing)

- [Tom] Here she comes.

Everybody, stay down and don't let 'em see ya.

(cannon firing)

- [Boys] Wow!

- If they'd have loaded that cannon with a real ball,

we'd have been goners.

- Awful lot of folks on board.

Could you see who any of 'em were?

- Just looked like a bunch of ants from this far away.

- I wonder who it was they was searching for.

They're still looking.

You'd have thought they'd given up by now.

- Sure would like to know who it was.

- Somebody important from the look of it.

- Huh, I know who they're looking for.

It has to be.

- It has to be what, Tom?

- Just think about it.

Can't you guess who they're searching for, Ben?

- How would I know?

- It's us.

- [Ben] Huh, us?

- Mmhmm, we drowned in yesterday's storm.

- Either I've gone crazy or you have, Tom.

- (giggles) We all know we didn't drown

but they think we did, see?

- While we were swimming?

- Huh?

Yeah, that must be it.

- They'll never find us.

- [Ben] Unless we want 'em too.

- They can search till doomsday

for all the good it'll do 'em.

- But when we show up again think about what'll happen then.

Just think, Ben, we're gonna be heroes,

the biggest heroes that Saint Pete's ever had

in its whole entire history.

- Every one is town's gonna be talking about us.

- Yeah, then they'll throw a big celebration.

- The three of us'll be as famous as President Grant.

(laughing)

(cheering)

(slow music)

- Ah, getting late,

'bout time to turn in.

- Want to use the tent or sleep outside?

- It's warm enough.

There aint' narry a sign of rain.

It'll be a lot nicer outside.

- [Tom] Mmhmm, reckon you're right, Huck.

(Huck yawning and sighing)

- I know who some of the folks on the ferry boat was today.

- Who?

- My dad was there anyway.

I'm sure it was him.

I'll bet he's plenty worried

about my not showing up for so long.

You know what I mean?

- Suppose so.

- I'll bet your Aunt Polly

feel exactly the same way, Tom.

- Mmm, reckon so.

- Yep, probably worried sick about you.

- Well, I don't care how worried she is.

Now I don't want to hear no more about it.

You understand?

- Sure, nothing to get upset about.

Then again, I'm downright curious

what they're saying about us back in town

and I bet you are too.

- Huh?

Yeah, well so what if I am?

- Aha, we'll never find out if we don't go back.

- So, you're a coward.

You just want to give up and go home.

- Uh uh, it's not that at all, Tom.

It's only--

- Go on.

- I'm just wondering how my father's doing

just like you're thinking about your Aunt Polly.

You are thinking about her, aren't ya?

- Yeah.

- How 'bout you, Huckleberry?

- Huh, how 'bout what?

- Wouldn't it be fun if we could go back to Saint Pete

and hear what they're saying about us?

- Well, for you, maybe.

Folks ain't never had nothing good to say about me.

So if they think I'm gone,

the only thing they're gonna say

is good riddance to bad rubbish.

- That ain't so.

Ain't so at all.

Just ask Tom.

- Huh?

Oh, you're right, Ben.

Listen, Ben,

if I went to town just to hear what people were saying

and then came right back,

would that be okay with you?

- You mean desert the island?

- Huh?

- No, 'course not.

I'll be back before breakfast

but then we'll know what everybody in town is saying.

- What?

Alright, I'll go with you.

- [Huck] Heck, I'll go too.

- Well, if all three of us go

there's a chance we might get caught

and then we'd never make it back.

- Hmm, yeah, you're right.

- Well, then, according to our oath,

I'm the leader of this pirate gang

and I've decided I'm going in alone.

- Well it sounds alright to me, 'cept for one thing.

- What?

- How do you get across the river?

Our raft drifted off in the storm.

- [Tom] I'm gonna swim.

(suspenseful music)

- [Huck] See ya in the morning, Tom.

You take care of yourself, now.

- [Tom] I will.

- Best of luck, Tom.

See ya at breakfast.

- [Tom] Thanks, Ben, so long.

(suspenseful music)

Since the Missouri shore is too far from Jackson Island

for even a good swimmer like me,

my plan's to head for the Illinois side of the river

only a couple of hundred yards away.

Once I get there,

I can head upstream

to where the ferries dock.

Then, once the ferries on its way

and nobody's watching,

I can sneak aboard the lifeboat

that they got tied to the back of the ferry boat

and nobody'll be the wiser.

(sighs heavily)

(suspenseful music)

That river's awful wide alright.

One thing's for sure,

I ain't about to try to swim that far against the current.

But the last ferry'll be casting off any minute.

(suspenseful music)

- [Male] What are we waiting so long for?

Let's get a move on.

- Mr. Gutley said he might be a couple of minutes late.

I promised him we'd wait till he got here.

- [Male] Well, if he ain't here soon, we'll go without him.

- Here he comes now.

- [Mr. Gutley] Sorry I'm late, thanks for waiting.

- [Male] You just made it, Mr. Gutley.

Alright, prepare to cast off.

Just give me a hand with the gang trap, will ya?

- [Male] Lines are clear, skipper.

Plank is secured, skipper.

- [Tom] I'll see what's going on at Ben's house first.

(suspenseful music)

Looks like nobody's home.

Don't see nobody around.

The plans working perfect so far.

- [Sheriff] I'm sorry, Miss Polly,

the search parties couldn't find a trace.

- [Polly] Ah, now.

- [Sheriff] Brings me no joy to say it

but there's no getting away from the fact that--

- [Polly] You're wrong.

Tom's alright, I tell ya.

If any harm had befallen that boy, I'd know it.

You wait, he'll walk through that door

and he'll be just fine.

- [Ben's Father] I got no doubt

the same's true for Ben, Sheriff.

- [Mary] They might've drifted downstream to Clarksville

or even as far as Elsbury.

- [Sheriff] Not likely.

See, we've already--

- [Polly] Well, of course.

That would explain everything.

No wonder we couldn't find him.

- Now look, folks, I hope those boys are alright

just as much as you do, believe me,

but we've been in touch with every town south of us

and no one's seen 'em.

- What's our next step?

- A few towns haven't reported back yet.

We can only wait and hope for the best.

- [Ben's Father] And if they don't turn up, what then?

- I've given orders for the search parties

to keep dragging the river till Saturday night

and then,

I guess you better talk to the reverend.

I imagine you'd want to make some kind of arrangement

for a memorial service.

- Nothing else to do, I suppose.

- Huh, Saturday's just a few days from now.

- What else can we do, Mary?

(crying)

- Oh (crying).

- [Polly] Those poor boys.

- Now look, there's no proof

that anything's happened to 'em.

There's still hope.

- [Sheriff] Well folks, I best be on my way.

- [Ben's Father] I'll go with you Sheriff.

- [Sheriff] Good night, Mary.

- Night, Sheriff.

- [Ben's Father] See you in the morning.

- It's quite late, mother

and you scarcely slept last night or the night before.

Try and get some rest, won't you?

- I'm afraid until I know for certain

what's happened to Tom,

I won't be able to rest, Mary.

He was the best hearted boy I've ever known

and he never meant any harm to anyone.

No more responsible than a coat

but he was a good boy full of kindness.

- No doubt about that, mother.

- But you know, he never would've got caught in that storm

if he had been in school like he was supposed to.

- Hush, Sid.

- Mary, you and Sid go on up to bed.

I'll sit awhile.

- Good night, mother.

- Night, Aunt Polly.

Mary, you think Aunt Polly meant all those things she said

about Tom?

- [Mary] Of course she did, Sid.

Why, your brother is one of the finest boys I've ever known.

I believe we'll all be proud of him some day,

don't you?

- [Sid] Well, uh...

- [Mary] Good night, Sid.

- [Sid] Good night, Mary.

- The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away

but please don't take my Tom.

Take me in his place.

I don't mind.

I've led a full life and a good one

but Tom, my Tom, he's just a child.

(Tom and Polly sobbing)

(sad music)

- I'm sorry, Aunt Polly.

(Tom sobbing)

Just like I figured,

nobody was minding the ferry boat so late

so it was no problem taking the lifeboat.

My plan's working fine, 'cept for one thing,

I didn't 'spect to feel so bad about Aunt Polly.

Only thing kept me from telling her I'm okay

is I promised Ben and Huck not to.

But seeing her cryin' her eyes out over me,

it liked a broke my heart.

She can be awful vexing

with her scolding and fussing over me all the time

but I suppose I care more about Aunt Polly

than just about anyone else in the world.

- Huh?

Golly, it's morning already.

Hey Huck, wake up.

- [Huck] What?

Oh, let me alone, Ben.

I'll wake up when I have a mind to.

- [Ben] Tom ain't back yet and it's almost dawn.

- [Huck] He'll be back soon enough.

- It's almost sunrise.

He oughtta be here by now.

- He'll be here sooner or later.

Don't worry.

- Maybe he won't ever come back,

you thought of that?

And I'm not saying it'll happen for sure

but it might.

- [Tom] You know what your trouble is Ben?

You worry too much.

- Hey!

- You see there, Ben?

Now, what did I tell ya?

- [Ben] Sure enough, welcome back, Tom.

- My clothes are still wet from swimming.

- I'll get some wood and build up the fire.

- Thanks.

(sad music)

- I should've known you'd come back.

- That's alright, Ben.

I reckon I woulda felt the same way.

- So was everyone talking about us?

- Yep, I caught quite an earful, alright.

I'll tell you all about it once I get dried off.

- Sure, Tom.

- [Tom] Huck and Finn'll be grinning like monkeys

when I tell 'em about it

but the best part'll be

when I tell 'em my plan

for us all going home again.

It's a humdinger

and it's guaranteed to make us more famous

than anybody in Saint Pete,

maybe the whole state of Missouri

or even, maybe the entire United States of America.

- Hey, sun's coming up.

Gonna be a beautiful morning, I reckon.

- [Tom] Yeah, a real humdinger.

(slow music)

(upbeat music)

♫ These are the stories of Tom Sawyer, 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