The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn (1960)

In the pre-Civil War South, a young boy (Eddie Hodges) and a slave (Archie Moore) run away and take a raft down the Mississippi River. Each is escaping: the boy is running away from his drunken abusive father (Neville Brand) and the black man escaping slavery and seeking freedom. Based on the classic novel by Mark Twain and directed by Michael Curtiz (CASABLANCA). This film adaptation eliminates several key characters and sequences from the novel. But it keeps the spirit of the book intact and I think it's a decent and often charming adaptation. Being made in 1960, the film stays faithful to the novel without any PC concerns that a contemporary adaptation would have. Hodges seems a bit too urban for Huck Finn and boxing champ Moore isn't an actor and his readings are often stiff. Fortunately, they have a good rapport and both are likable enough to keep us rooting for them. There's a lovely Americana score by Jerome Moross (THE BIG COUNTRY). With Tony Randall, Buster Keaton, Patty McCormack, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Sherry Jackson, Mickey Shaughnessy, Josephine Hutchinson, Harry Dean Santon, Finlay Currie and Judy Canova.