Original subtitles

(laughs)

♫ Now, listen here, folks

♫ My name is Tom Sawyer

♫ I don't want to be no doctor or no lawyer

♫ Fishing by the river, that's the only place to be

♫ I want to be free, sitting under a tree

♫ That's me

(upbeat music)

(laughs)

(upbeat music)

♫ These are the stories of Tom Sawyer

♫ Me and Huck Finn just playing by the river

♫ Chasing that steamboat, teacher let me be

♫ I want to be free sitting under a tree

♫ That's me

(laughs)

(bright music)

- [Tom] I always thought that going to school

at any time was bad enough,

but in the Spring, it's purely torture.

Now, I know that a fellow has to get educated and all that,

but when the weather gets warm and the river starts to swell

with the spring thaw, it gets awful hard

to ignore the sound of that old side-wheeler's whistle.

Jiminys, that sure makes a fellow hanker for adventure.

- By jingle, Tom, I think you've got old warrior!

That's it, keep his head up.

Yeah, yeah, yay!

That's him, alright,

that's old warrior, for sure.

- Here, pull him up closer to the bank!

Uh oh, where is he?

- [Huck] That's it, get him in your hat.

Look out, you're gonna lose him!

Aww, Tom.

- [Teacher] Tom Sawyer! - What?!

(chuckles)

- [Boy] You were sleeping again.

- [Girl] He's gonna get it.

- Well?

Just what did you think you were doing?

(giggles)

- Uh, well, uh,

I thought I was fishing, sir.

(laughs)

- Step up here, young man,

this very instant.

- [Boy] Don't let him buffalo you, Tom.

- Never.

(whip) (groans)

(whips)

Well, I reckon you deserve to get a whipping

when you fall asleep in school,

but it sure is hard to stay awake

when the teacher's talking about arithmetic

and summer's winking at you, right around the corner.

It's even worse when you know Huck Finn is waiting for you

to go out and tangle with old warrior.

- Tom! Oh, Tom!

Wait for me!

Won't you come over to my house, today? (giggles)

- Hmm, Jiminy.

I'd like to, Becky, but I promised aunt Polly

I'd come right home after school and do my chores.

- Oh, but isn't it terribly hot for working?

- Mm, maybe, but I don't mind

doing my chores in the bad heat, really.

After all, you see, my aunt counts on me.

- You're sweet.

- I sure hated to lie to Becky like that, but there's

one thing I found out in this life,

you just can't explain to a girl about fishing.

Every time you try, they just pester you to death.

They can't seem to help going on about it,

even nice girls like Becky.

Huck!

Hey Huck, it's Tom!

Come on down!

Get a move on.

Are we going fishing or not?

- Mm mm.

- Well, what's the matter?

Never knowed you to want to pass up fishing.

- I can't, Tom.

I'm really feeling out of sorts today.

(groans)

- I'm coming up.

(groaning)

What's wrong, Huck?

- Tom?

- Yes, Huck?

- I'm dying.

- Do you have a fever?

- Mhm.

- My, you're almost burning up.

Must be catching.

So am I.

- You feeling poorly, too?

- Nope.

- Well, how come you've got as much fever as I have, then?

- Maybe it's because the weather's so hot,

everybody's got a fever.

- But I still don't feel good enough to go fishing.

- Sure enough?

- Maybe I'm not dying, Tom,

but I'm sure enough sick.

Maybe you better go fishing alone.

- I've got an idea.

Let's go for a walk, Huck.

Maybe the fresh air will make you feel better,

and you want to go fishing, after all.

Wouldn't that be better than just lying around in bed

feeling sorry for yourself?

- That's probably true, Tom.

- Does that mean you're coming along, then?

- I reckon not.

- Say, maybe what you need is som elixir.

- Beg your pardon?

- Aunt Polly's painkiller can cure anything.

- What?

- Cured Sid of the collywobbles overnight.

- Uh, uh, uh, maybe we better talk it over.

- Yeah, I'll be right back.

Aunt Polly's pain killer was just the ticket

to bring old Huck around,

and I knew just where she kept it.

There's no way a body can stay sick

after taking a swallow of that.

It tastes horrible.

- Hi, Tom, what are you doing, huh?

Uh oh.

(knocks)

Tom's home from school, Mary.

- Thanks, Sid.

I've got to tell him not to leave the house today.

- I was sure she kept it up here.

- [Mary] What are you looking for, Tom?

- I've got to find the painkiller.

- The painkiller?

Are you sick, Tom?

- No, I'm not.

- Why do you need the painkiller, then?

- Oh, just because.

- Oh, Tom, if you're feeling sick enough for medicine,

maybe we'd better have the doctor come.

- [Tom] I told you, I'm not sick.

- Well, what in the world do you want it for?

Well, Tom?

- Hmm, yep, I think I found it.

- Tom, you stay away from Peter with that medicine.

You're not gonna give it to him again.

Tom, you tell me this minute

who you intend to give that painkiller to.

Tom Sawyer, are you listening to me?

Mother said to tell you that you're

not to go outside after school today.

- But I've gotta go outside, Mary.

- Well, maybe if you told me

where you were going with that painkiller,

I could be more understanding.

- I'm just taking it over to a sick friend.

- Well, why are you being so mysterious about it, Tom?

Would that sick friend be Huckleberry Finn, by any chance?

- Mhm.

- You keep out of this, snitch.

- Stop it!

- Tom!

- Sometimes a fellow just has to

take matters into his own hands,

especially when he's got a friend who's ailing,

and I reckon this was one of those times.

It's me, Huck.

- Huh?

You're wasting your time, Tom,

I ain't gonna take it.

- This medicine is just great.

It'll have you up and hopping in no time at all.

- Yeah?

Well, I don't want it.

- Now, I wouldn't give you nothing

that was bad for you, Huck.

Just open your mouth and swallow.

- What's it taste like?

- It's tolerable if you swallow it real fast.

- I'm not a fast swallower.

- Hmm, how would you like me to just show you, then?

I'll take a swallow, myself.

Mm mm.

(sniff)

(groan)

Now, there's a right and a wrong way to do this.

Here's the best way.

Down the hatch! (gulp)

(gagging)

- That's the best?

(groaning)

It's delicious.

Well, now, that wasn't really so bad.

Reckon it's your turn, now.

- You know, I think I'm feeling better already.

- Here, try it.

(gag) It's great.

(gagging)

- Watching you take it made me all well again.

- I'm only thinking about what's best for you.

- By jiminy, I never felt better in my whole life, Tom.

Let's go fishing.

- I don't think so.

(gagging)

I'm suddenly feeling a little poorly

for some strange reason.

(retching)

- Huh?

What's the matter?

(groaning)

- At the time all this was going on,

aunt Polly was coming home from the church hall

with her hired man, Jim.

She had been helping to decorate the hall

for the social, Saturday night,

and what, with the heat and all,

I reckon she felt a little poorly, herself.

- You came home early, mother.

Are you feeling alright?

- Of course I'm alright dear,

I just feel a little tired from this heat.

(groans)

- Mother, what is it?!

(groaning) Oh, it's nothing, dear,

just let me sit down.

- You never should have gone out in this heat.

- Hey there, aunt Polly, you know what Tom did?

- Where's Tom?

- He's outside playing.

- That's not quite right.

He's gone to look after a friend who's been feeling poorly.

- Oh?

Who is this sick friend?

- I, uh, don't seem to remember.

Tom has so many friends, you know.

- I remember, Mary.

Ask me.

- Well, who is it?

- Huckleberry Finn.

- Oh, I don't think so.

- Oh, you don't have to cover up for him, Mary.

I know that Tom keeps company with Huckleberry Finn

the minute my back is turned.

- I'm sorry.

It's just that poor Tom was so concerned

about his friend, mother.

- I wonder if it's true.

- I'm sure it must be true, mother,

'cause he took the painkiller along with him.

- Oh my.

Mary?

- Yes. - Would you mind

fetching doctor Mitchel for me?

I'm not feeling very well at all, today.

- Yes, mother.

Say, you know what?

Why don't I go get doctor Robinson instead?

- Doctor Robinson?

- I've heard that his methods are

very modern and up to date.

- Doctor Mitchel's aways been

up to date enough for the Sawyer family.

- Maybe we could just talk about it

a little bit more, mother.

- There's nothing more to talk about, Mary.

Doctor Mitchel's been our family doctor

ever since you were born.

I can't imaging why you'd want me to change

to that young doctor Robinson.

Why Atlantic Ocean, he's not much older than you are.

- Everybody knows that doctor Mitchel's

been drinking too much lately.

- That's enough.

I'm surprised that a daughter of mine

would repeat such a story about anybody.

(gagging)

(coughs)

- My poor stomach.

(gagging)

Doctor Mitchel can help me.

Hey, doctor Mitchel, wait!

- Well, Thomas, how good of you to want to carry my bag.

- Sure.

- Fine boy.

- Doctor Mitchel, do you mind if I ask you something?

- Of course not, my boy.

- If somebody took painkiller when they weren't really sick,

do you think it would be dangerous to their health?

- Oh, I don't think it would be very dangerous,

unless this fellow would have drank

the whole bottle of the stuff.

- It was just an ounce.

- That's nothing to worry about, Tom.

- It sure makes me feel awful sick whenever I take it.

- That's perfectly natural.

Anybody who takes something that tastes as bad as painkiller

is bound to feel a little sick from it.

Always remember, my boy, that the worse a medicine tastes,

the better it is for you.

- Seems to me, if you take medicine when you're well,

and it makes you sick, the same medicine

would make you sicker if were already sick when you took it.

- Only a doctor could understand such things.

- Yeah? Gee.

- Well, thanks.

See you later, my boy.

- I don't think you know what you're talking about.

- How can you mistrust a doctor

on his way to visit a suffering patient?

- What suffering patient do you mean?

- What?

Do you mean to tell me that you haven't heard about it yet?

- Haven't heard about what?

- Your aunt Polly is very ill

and her hired man, Jim, came to fetch me.

- Huh? Aunt Polly.

(somber music)

Come in, doctor Mitchel.

- Thank you, Tom.

- Where's aunt Polly, Sid?

- She's in bed.

- Now, just relax, mother.

- I heard you were sick, aunt Polly.

- No, I'm only suffering from the heat, Tom.

Well, you're gonna be just fine,

now that doctor Mitchel is here.

- I came just as soon as I got your message, Mrs. Polly,

now, what seems to be the trouble.

- Just heat frustration, doctor.

- We'll see.

Will you two please wait outside for a few minutes?

- Of course.

Come on, Tom.

- Can you sit up for a moment, Mrs. Polly?

- Yes, doctor.

- When did you first start feeling poorly?

- I felt a bit unsettled ever since morning,

but I promised to help decorate the church hall

for the social coming up next Saturday.

I guess it happened then.

- [Tom] This is the first time I've ever

seen aunt Polly sick, Mary.

I sure hope she gets well soon.

- I know.

We'll just have to wait to hear

what doctor Mitchel has to say.

- Gee, Mary, who's gonna cook our supper for us?

- That's right.

Aunt Polly won't be able to.

- I will.

I intended to anyway because mother

was supposed to be working at the church all day.

- I like the way you cook.

- Are you gonna make our breakfast, as well?

- I suppose so if mother - Good.

- isn't any better.

- Will you make pancakes for breakfast, Mary?

- Of course, if that's what you want.

- I like sour milk pancakes,

with lots of butter and black stripe molasses.

- [Mary] (chuckling) Alright, Tom.

- Maybe you can even make us some

strawberry shortcake for desert tomorrow night.

- That'd be nice.

- We could even have chicken and dumplings with gravy.

Wow!

- Don't you think we should check with

mother about that first?

- Well, sure, when she gets well, that is,

but gee, as long as she's still sick,

we can have whatever we want!

- Tom.

- Oh boy!

What's wrong?

- Doesn't it mean anything to you

that mother loves you and Sid

as much as she would if you were her own sons?

- Yeah, sure, Mary.

- Then how can you be so happy

when she's so sick?

Don't you even care, Tom?

- Well, yeah, I care an awful lot about aunt Polly.

- Well, I don't believe you, Tom,

'cause it's your fault that aunt Polly's sick to begin with.

- Why my fault?

- You know it's true.

You're the one she's always worrying about

just because you get into trouble all the time.

You don't see me or Mary sneaking off

to go fishing with Huck Finn,

or falling asleep in school,

or chucking cornbread at Ms. Watkin's Goat.

- Hmm, well...

- I'm afraid I have to agree with Sid this time, Tom.

Oh, doctor Mitchel.

- Shh.

Mary, your mother's illness is worse than I'd expected.

- Oh!

Is my mother well enough to talk to me, doctor?

Yes, Mary, but she wants to talk to Thomas, first.

- You sure she said Tom?

- That's what she said, Tom.

Now, Mrs. Polly was especially anxious

to spend a few minutes with you

before speaking with Mary or Sid.

- Yes, sir.

- Now, run along, boy.

Quickly.

(somber music)

- Aunt Polly?

Are you awake, aunt Polly?

Aunt Polly!

This is Tom, can you hear me?

- Yes, Tom, I hear you.

- Now, then.

Mary and Sid, I'm terribly sorry to have frightened you.

- What? - Yeah?

- But, you see, it was Mrs. Polly's idea.

Shh.

Your mother wanted Tom to think

that she's sicker than she really is,

and maybe that would frighten him into

behaving himself from now on.

- Then, she's alright?

- Hey, now don't you go worrying about her, Mary.

- Oh?

- Your mother just spent too much time and energy

making decorations for the church

and she needs a few days in bed

to get her strength back, that's all.

- Sit down and talk to me for a minute, Tom.

- Yessum.

- It's time to talk about your future, Tom.

You have to give some thought to

what kind of man you want to be.

I won't always be around to guide you.

My days are numbered on this old world.

I can sense in my bones, the end is near.

- You'll be just fine.

Doctor Mitchel is here.

- Doctor Mitchel can't do much, Tom.

Nobody can do very much when a person's time on earth

is just about all used up.

I can't help worry that I didn't do my duty with you.

What's to become of you after I'm gone?

- Hmm? You mustn't talk about such things, aunt Polly!

You mustn't!

(sobs) Oh, you're not going anywhere.

- I wouldn't be worried about it

if I could be sure that my life meant something to somebody

whose welfare was my responsibility

and who'd behaved himself like a civilized person

when I'm no longer around,

Maybe my example will inspire people

to be kind at each other from now on.

- I've already started to follow your example, aunt Polly.

My friend Huck was sick,

so I took him some painkiller.

- Are you saying that Huckleberry Finn took it?

- No ma'am.

- I didn't think so.

It's very hard to make a child

take something that's good for him.

- It's pretty bad, alright.

- Oh, my time is coming close. (groans)

The time is drawing near

when you won't have to worry about me anymore.

- Gee!

- Oh, Tom, give me your word

that you'll stay out of mischief from now on.

- You look much better now than you did

when you came home, aunt Polly.

- Don't try to cheer me up now, Tom.

Just stay here beside me.

- I really mean it.

- No.

- Let me feel your forehead.

- It's really bad, isn't it?

- Feels pretty cool to me, now.

- Nonsense, I'm gravely ill.

- Hmm.

Hey, I think your fever has gone away, aunt Polly.

- Oh, how can you make light of my suffering?

Oh.

- I wouldn't do that, but you know what?

Maybe doctor Mitchel made a big mistake.

He was pretty tipsy coming here, today.

- Oh, Tom.

Just let me pass away peacefully, please.

- Pass away?

- Oh yes, I just can't abide

the pain and uncertainty of being disappointed

by the people I love any longer.

- Can I do anything to stop your suffering, auntie?

- How is that again, Tom?

- Oh Tom, I'd give anything to believe

you'd put yourself out to relieve my suffering, but no.

- I promise I would.

- Oh?

- I don't want you to suffer anymore.

I just want you to get well.

Come on, aunt Polly, please!

Tell me what you want me to do, aunt Polly,

and I promise I'll do it

if it will just make you get better.

I'll go in peace if you promise to behave.

- Go in peace?

You mean die?

- Yes, Tom.

- No. I'll never behave if it means

you would go away from us.

- Oh.

- You're the only mother

I can ever remember having, aunt Polly.

- Tom, oh Tom,

darling, there.

(chuckles)

- Oh, mother, are you gonna be all better now, I hope?

- Aunt Polly, all of us want you to be well, again.

- Well, I'm alright.

- Oh, mother, are you sure?

- Really, I am.

- Well, whatever happened?

- Well, I just realized how much

I loved all my children and I recovered.

- Oh, that's wonderful, mother.

- Oh, I'm so glad.

(chuckles)

- Now,

all's well.

- [Tom] Well, I want to tell you,

it plumb wore the stuffings out of me

dragging aunt Polly back from

the edge of the grave, so to speak.

I was kind of surprised, though,

that Mary and Sid didn't seem to be

as worried about it as I was.

I guess it's just that when a fellow starts to get older,

he gets more responsible about things

than girls and young brothers do.

Yep, that must be it.

- Meow.

Meow.

(cat meows)

hmm?

(cat meows)

I wonder what I said.

(cat meows)

I like you too, Peter,

but I came for Tom.

- Meow.

- Hi.

- You must be feeling better.

- Sure am, and I owe it all to this.

- The painkiller?

Do you mean you really took some?

- Actually, all I had to do was smell it and I got better.

(cat meows)

- Meow? - Meow?

- Hey, Peter wants some.

- I've still got the spoon, right here.

- Great, let's give him some while he's in the mood.

- Tom, you don't reckon that stuff will poison him, do you?

- No, it will be good for him.

- Uh,

easy. - Here.

- He don't seem entirely cheerful about it.

- Aw, this will perk him up and make him

feel like a kitten again.

See?

(cat screams)

- Yow!

(cat grumbling)

- I know it don't taste too good, Peter,

but doctor Mitchel says that's what makes it good for you.

I ain't never seen him carry on so frisky before,

have you, Huck?

(laughs)

- [Huck] I think he really likes it, Tom.

- [Tom] You know, I think he does too. (chuckles)

(laughs)

- [Huck] Peter's feeling no pain.

(laughs)

- [Tom] Well, sir, after all the

fussing and carrying on was done,

old Peter was more chipper than I've ever seen him before,

so I reckon aunt Polly's painkiller

really does work, after all.

(upbeat music)

♫ These are the stories of Tom Sawyer

♫ Me and Huck Finn just playing by the river

♫ Chasing that steamboat, teacher let me be

♫ I want to be free, sitting under a tree

♫ That's me

(laughs)