''Tom Sawyer, Detective'' is a 1938 American

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Louis King Louis King (June 28, 1898 – September 7, 1962) was an American actor and film director of westerns and adventure movies in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s.

, written by Robert Yost,

Lewis R. Foster Lewis Ransom Foster (August 5, 1898 – June 10, 1974) was an American screenwriter, film/television director, and film/television producer. He directed and wrote over one hundred films and television series between 1926 and 1960. Selected film ...

and Stuart Anthony, and starring Billy Cook,

Donald O'Connor Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule. His best ...

Porter Hall Clifford Porter Hall (September 19, 1888 – October 6, 1953) was an American character actor known for appearing in a number of films in the 1930s and 1940s. Hall typically played villains or comedic incompetent characters. Early years Hall wa ...

, Phil Warren,

Janet Waldo Janet Waldo (born Jeanette Marie Waldo; February 4, 1919 – June 12, 2016) was an American radio and voice actress. In animation, she voiced Judy Jetson in various Hanna-Barbera media, Nancy in ''Shazzan'', Penelope Pitstop, Princess from ''Batt ...

Elisabeth Risdon Elisabeth Risdon (born Daisy Cartwright Risdon; 26 April 1887 – 20 December 1958) was an English film actress. She appeared in more than 140 films between 1913 and 1952. A beauty in her youth, she usually played in society parts. In later ...

and

William Haade William Haade (March 2, 1903 – November 15, 1966) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1937 and 1957. He was born in New York City and died in Los Angeles, California. Haade was a construction boss until ...

. It was released on December 23, 1938, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

Plot

Aunt Polly sends Tom and Huck to Arkansas to spend the summer with Tom's Aunt Sally and Uncle Silas Phelps. Unsuccessful lawyer Jeff Rutledge wants to marry Sally and Silas' daughter, Ruth, but wealthy Brace Dunlap also has eyes for her. At the end of the summer, Tom and Huck return to St. Petersburg to return to school. At the start of the following summer, Aunt Sally calls Tom and Huck back to help with the farm since Uncle Silas is in frail health. Aboard the steamship to Arkansas, Tom and Huck are approached by two men claiming to be detectives who ask for their help in finding out about a passenger. At first, Tom and Huck think the man in question is Jupiter Dunlap, the lazy oaf who was supposed to be working on Aunt Sally and Uncle Silas' farm. But the man confesses to being Jake Dunlap, Jupiter's twin brother, who was believed to have died. Jake is carrying two diamonds worth $20,000 inside the hollow heel of his boot and he is certain the "detectives" are actually a pair of thieves trying to rob and kill him. Tom and Huck help Jake disguise himself so he can slip off the boat during a stopover. At Uncle Silas and Aunt Sally's place, Tom and Huck learn Brace Dunlap has been spreading vicious gossip about Uncle Silas losing his mind. When Jupiter makes a crack about Uncle Silas allowing Ruth to marry white trash, Uncle Silas hits him over the head with a stick, temporarily knocking him out. Uncle Silas fears he's killed Jupiter and runs off. Recovering from the blow, Jupiter runs to Brace for help and assists him in killing Jake Dunlap, who is hiding out in a nearby cabin. Brace concocts a plan to dress Jake's body in Jupiter's clothes and dump him in the place where Uncle Silas assaulted Jupiter; this should ensure Uncle Silas will be accused of murder. The next morning, Brace drops by Uncle Silas' farm and asks to see Jupiter. When Uncle Silas tries to stonewall him, Brace threatens to get Sheriff Slocum involved. Tom and Huck borrow a bloodhound and go in search of Jupiter's body. The sheriff's posse is also hunting for the corpse. The bloodhound runs away and finds the body just as the sheriff and his men show up. Shortly afterward, Sheriff Slocum shows up at the house and arrests Silas for murder. The night before the trial, Tom and Huck attempt to help Uncle Silas escape from jail, but Aunt Sally refuses to let Uncle Silas leave. Jeff plans to defend Uncle Silas in court, although the outlook is bleak. Tom and Huck head to the graveyard to break into the Dunlap family crypt and open Jupiter's coffin. The gate of the crypt locks and they're trapped inside. At the trial, the prosecution calls the mysterious Kaylen Joshua Peters; he's actually Jupiter pretending to be a mute who witnessed Uncle Silas killing and burying Jupiter. After Tom and Huck escape the crypt, they encounter St. Louis sheriff Walker, who has arrested the two men Tom and Huck met on the boat. Sheriff Walker tells Tom and Huck there's a generous reward for the return of the stolen diamonds, and they rush off to the courthouse. Tom asks the judge to let him question Peters on the stand. At Tom's request, Sheriff Slocum removes the steel plate from the bottom of the boot Peters is wearing and the pair of diamonds are revealed. Tom then tells the court Jupiter Dunlap got his name from a collection of moles on his leg that looked like the planet Jupiter and its moons. Those moles were not on the body of the man in Jupiter Dunlap's grave. Peters tries in vain to flee the courthouse and then drops his act, telling the judge and jury Brace forced him to go along with the scheme. Jeff tells the judge Brace and Jupiter should be tried for killing and burying Jake Dunlap and trying to frame Uncle Silas for the murder. The case against Uncle Silas is dismissed and the courtroom erupts in cheers.

Production

had announced plans to film

Tom Sawyer, Detective ''Tom Sawyer, Detective'' is an 1896 novel by Mark Twain. It is a sequel to ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876), ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884), and ''Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894). Tom Sawyer attempts to solve a mysterious murder i ...

in 1931, after the 1930 version of

Tom Sawyer Thomas Sawyer () is the titular character of the Mark Twain novel ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876). He appears in three other novels by Twain: ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884), ''Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894), and ''Tom Sawyer, Dete ...

was a major box office success. Originally,

Jackie Coogan John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films. Charlie Chaplin's film classic ''The Kid'' (1921) made him one of the first child stars in the ...

and

Junior Durkin Trent "Junior" Durkin (July 2, 1915 – May 4, 1935) was an American stage and film actor. Career Trent Bernard Durkin was born in New York City in 1915. He began his acting career in theater as a child. Durkin first appeared in films in 1930, p ...

were going to reprise their roles as Tom and Huck.
Film Facts Seven years later, Paramount announced

Tommy Kelly Tommy Terrell Kelly (born December 27, 1980) is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State and was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent i ...

and

Jackie Moran Jackie Moran (January 26, 1923 – September 20, 1990) was an American movie actor who, between 1936 and 1946, appeared in over thirty films, primarily in teenage roles. Early life and Hollywood career A native of Mattoon, Illinois, Jo ...

, who had just completed

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' is an 1876 novel by Mark Twain about a boy growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1840s in the town of St. Petersburg, which is based on Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived as a boy. In the nov ...

, would play Tom and Huck in Paramount's

. But when the movie went into production several months later, Billy Cook and

had been cast as Tom and Huck instead.

Cast

* Billy Cook as

Huckleberry Finn Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain who first appeared in the book ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884). He is 12 ...

as Uncle Silas *Phil Warren as Jeff Rutledge *

as Ruth Phelps *

as Aunt Sally *

as Jupiter Dunlap *

Edward Pawley Edward Joel Pawley (March 16, 1901 in Kansas City, Missouri – January 27, 1988 in Charlottesville, Virginia) was an American actor of radio, films and Broadway. The full name on his birth certificate is Edward Joel Stone Pawley; he never ...

as Brace Dunlap *

Clem Bevans Clem Guy Bevans (October 16, 1880 – August 11, 1963) was an American character actor best remembered for playing eccentric, grumpy old men. Early life Bevans was born in Cozzadale, Ohio. Career Bevans had a very long career, starting in va ...

as Sheriff Slocum *

Raymond Hatton Raymond William Hatton (July 7, 1887 – October 21, 1971) was an American film actor who appeared in almost 500 motion pictures. Biography Hatton was born in Red Oak, Iowa. His physician father steered him toward a career in medicine. Howev ...

as Judge Tyler * Howard M. Mitchell as Prosecutor *

Stanley Price Stanley Price (December 31, 1892July 13, 1955) was an American film supporting actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1922 and 1956. He was a charter member of the Screen Actors Guild. Career Price was an actor whose artistic career sp ...

as Clayton *

Harry Worth Harry Bourlon Illingsworth (20 November 1917 – 20 July 1989), professionally known as Harry Worth, was an English comedy actor, comedian and ventriloquist. Worth portrayed a charming, gentle and genial character, totally bemused by life, ...

as Dixon *

Clara Blandick Clara Blandick (born Clara Blanchard Dickey; June 4, 1876 – April 15, 1962) was an American character, film, stage and theater actress. She played Aunt Em in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939). As a character actress, she ...

as Aunt Polly *Si Jenks as Farmer Sykes *

Etta McDaniel Etta McDaniel (December 1, 1890January 13, 1946) was an American actress who appeared in over 60 films between 1933 and 1946. She was the sister of actor Sam McDaniel and actress and Academy Award winner Hattie McDaniel. Early life McDaniel ...

as Tulip * Oscar Smith as Curfew *

Monte Blue Gerard Montgomery Blue (January 11, 1887 – February 18, 1963) was an American film actor who began his career as a romantic lead in the silent era; and for decades after the advent of sound, he continued to perform as a supporting player ...

as Sheriff Walker *Foy Van Dolsen as Alex Cooper *

Robert Homans Robert Edward Homans (November 8, 1877 – July 28, 1947) was an American actor who entered films in 1923 after a lengthy stage career. Life and career Robert Homans was born November 8, 1877, in Malden, Massachusetts. Although he studied ...

as Ship's Captain (uncredited) *

Murdock MacQuarrie Murdock MacQuarrie (August 25, 1878 – August 20, 1942) was an American silent film actor and director. His name was also seen as Murdock McQuarrie. MacQuarrie was born in San Francisco, California, and attended school there. He was the ...

as Posse Member (uncredited)

References

External links

* {{Louis King 1938 films 1930s comedy mystery films American comedy mystery films Paramount Pictures films Films based on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Films based on American novels Films directed by Louis King Films scored by Gerard Carbonara Films scored by John Leipold American black-and-white films 1938 comedy films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language comedy mystery films