HUCKLEBERRY FINN.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 301, 19 December 1931, Page 25 (Supplement)

HUCKLEBERRY FINN.

“ Huckleberry Finn,” which will reopen the Civic for talkies on Christmas Eve, brings Jackie Coogan back to the screen in the role of Tom Sawyer, Junior Durkin continues in his role of Huck. Mitzi Green is as Becky Thatcher. And impudent Jackie Searl makes more mischief as Sid, Tom’s annoying little brother.

The adult cast which won such favour in “ Tom Sawyer ” is augmented by two popular character actors, Eugene Pallette and Oscar Apfel, for “Huckleberry Finn.” These two funny men are seen as a pair of desperadoes from whom Huck and Tom rescue two innocent young girls. Clara Blandick is again seen as Tom’s worried Aunt Polly, and Jane Darwell re-enacts the role of the good-hearted Widow Douglas. The same attention to production detail which made “Tom Sawyer” such an interesting trip into the past century, is a feature of “ Huckleberry Finn.” A complete village of the 1850’s was built and populated. Costumes, customs and speech idioms were faithfully copied. More than two hundred children were assigned parts in this production, under the direction of Norman Taurog, who achieved such success with “ Skippy.”