jacksonsislandcasting Reviews

Huckleberry Finn (1931)

Not a great Twain adaptation, but Junior Durkin is a heck of a Huck

[6/10 · 1 August 2023]

TOM SAWYER proved to be one of the biggest box office successes of 1930, so naturally Paramount hurried to reteam Jackie Coogan and Junior Durkin in HUCKLEBERRY FINN. The problem: Tom plays a fairly minor role in the novel, and Coogan was too big a star to play a supporting role. The screenwriters' solution was to have Tom tag along with Huck and Jim on their journey. Fidelity to the source material is far less important to Hollywood than pacifying a star. Coogan, who was a bit too much of a goody-goody to make a convincing Tom (he wasn't capable of capturing the character's penchant for mischief and rule-breaking), is more aggravating than endearing here and you'll soon wish Huck and Jim had sailed without him. But Junior Durkin, as he was in TOM SAWYER, is a letter-perfect Huck, with the perfect mix of charm and laissez-faire attitude. His natural charisma and potent personality shine through, even in this somewhat creaky rewrite of Twain. HUCKLEBERRY was a solid success at the box office and Paramount announced plans to bring back Coogan and Durkin in TOM SAWYER, DETECTIVE and TOM SAWYER ABROAD, but the projects never got off the ground. Tragically, the Broadway-trained Durkin would die in a car accident (that nearly killed fellow passenger Coogan as well) in 1935. It would have been fascinating to see what he might have done in more complex, adult roles.