Huckleberry Finn (1975)

Always in a bind, Huckleberry Finn (Ron Howard, American Graffiti) has learned to think on his feet. When his drunken father (Ron’s real dad, Rance Howard, Nebraska) kidnaps him, Huck fakes his own death and escapes down the wild Mississippi. While on the run, Huck teams up with his old friend Jim (Antonio Fargas, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka), a slave headed for free territory. Together they encounter every kind of adventure imaginable—from a hoax involving a pair of lying crooks, to hunters looking for the runaway Jim, and even a dangerous escapade with Huckleberry’s pal, Tom Sawyer (Donny Most, TV’s Happy Days). Hollywood and television veteran Robert Totten (TV’s The Sacketts) directed this charming TV movie based on Mark Twain’s novel. The wonderful cast includes Jack Elam (Support Your Local Sheriff), country music legend Merle Haggard (Killers Three), Ron Howard’s mom Jean Howard (Scrooged) and brother Clint Howard (Ice Cream Man), and Royal Dano (The Outlaw Josey Wales) as Mark Twain.