Just shy of the centenary of Twain’s Tom Sawyer, Taylor and the Shermans film is a musical. Becky Thatcher’s birthday picnic is recreated as rollicking July Fourth holiday picnic. It’s not Twain’s classic, but it’s light-hearted fun.
While Twain’s details about the rollicking good time are scanty, Taylor’s are effusive. The day begins with a picnic parade followed by a full-scale community picnic with games, music, fireworks, and lots and lots of food.
Load up the vittles, pickles, and hams
Melons and cherry pie
Fritters and dumplin’s,
Turkeys and yams
Pack in a big supply
Apples and peaches,
Soda to sip
Cider is gonna flow
With a hey and a ho
And away we go
On a holiday in Hannibal, Mo.
The cast: Johnny Whitaker as Tom Sawyer; Celeste Holm as Aunt Polly; Jodie Forster Becky Thatcher; Jeff East as Huck Finn; and Warren Oates as Muff Potter.
See Don Taylor. Tom Sawyer (1973). Screenplay by Robert B Sherman and Richard M. Sherman based on Mark Twain’s novel.