The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1968–1969) User Reviews

Daring for its time, and still fun today

[mcornett · 8/10 · 23 January 2017]

I watched this on and off as a kid...I was too young to catch it in first run, but then it aired in reruns for a long time but trying to find it could be tricky as sometimes it was in a morning cartoon block, sometimes on Saturday mornings, and sometimes not at all. Later, as an adult, I told friends about this show and they didn't believe me...but now there's proof as it's on DVD!

Tom, Huck, and Becky are chased by Injun Joe into a cave that suddenly turns into animated backgrounds. They flee Joe through the cave (I guess it's meant to be a sort of inter-dimensional portal...) and they end up wandering through different locations and time periods, always encountering adventures with villains who look and talk just like Injun Joe.

The unique thing was that the three heroes were live-action actors against an animated background and interacting with animated characters. And for its time, it was very well-done. The animated portions were very much standard Hanna-Barbera of the late 60s.

The stories ranged from the comical to the adventurous to the downright sinister. Settings ranged from ancient Greece to Spain (where they meet Don Quixote) to China to India to a Gothic swamp to a generic medieval Europe to a valley inhabited by cave men. (No explanation is given as to why they shift time periods and location so easily; as I kid I wanted to know!) Injun Joe always showed up, as a robber captain or a Nemoesque mad scientist or a wicked king or even an evil sorcerer. (He never recognized the kids, but he was always their enemy. Again, no explanation.) Sometimes they riffed on classic literature; plots are cribbed from Don Quixote, Moby Dick, Greek mythology, and others. One episode, "The Ancient Valley," is a clear, wry commentary on the arms race, and another, "The Conquistador's Curse," is a commentary on greed with Injun Joe barely appearing at all.

In its time it was popular with kids and teens, and the young stars had their 15 minutes of fame, but actual ratings were so-so and a second season never produced.

Watching it today, it's still fun, making me remember snowy Saturday mornings watching this and dreaming of the sort of flamboyant, pulpy adventure it depicted. To modern eyes, it's sometimes primitive but still impressive, and on occasion the depiction of minorities is less than enlightened by modern standards, but nearly every group is depicted as having its good and bad, so there's that much, at least.

So, maybe not dazzling, but good if you're nostalgic like I am. I'm so happy it's now available on DVD!

A fun romp, and a forerunner to Scooby Doo

[dmarkwind-551-200082 · 8/10 · 9 April 2020]

It's hard to believe that I first saw this series more than 50 years ago, when it aired on Sunday nights just before The Wonderful World of Disney. What I remember was a show that was adventurous, featured Mark Twain's characters Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher, and Huckleberry Finn, and used a mix of live action and animation to tell fun and exciting stories. I'm glad it's finally available on DVD, but "The Complete Series" set of three discs includes only the 20 episodes of the show, with no extras whatsoever, not even subtitles. A feature on the making of the show, or a remembrance piece with the cast and crew recalling their experiences, would have been nice.

Anyway, the show's setup is that Tom, Becky, and Huck get chased into a cave by the murderous Injun Joe, who escaped from jail and now wants revenge on the young protagonists for testifying against him in court. Joe menacingly yells "I'll find you, no matter where you go!" This is all explained in about a minute during the show's live-action intro, which is repeated at the beginning of every episode. Once in the cave, the kids get lost and emerge in an animated land, with the three actors being pretty much the only live-action elements and everything else they encounter, including all other characters, being fully animated. In each episode, they're in a different animated land with new challenges to face, and more often than not, the kids help someone and make new friends. Also in each episode, there's a main bad guy who has the animated face of Injun Joe. No explanation for this is offered. Tom, Becky and Huck's adventures take them through time and all over the world from South American mountains, to African jungles, to Middle Eastern deserts, to South Sea islands, to a valley of Neanderthal-like people, to ancient China, to Antarctica, the Pacific Northwest, and even an undersea Atlantis. In some episodes, they encounter characters and situations from literature, including Hercules, Lilliputians from Gulliver's Travels, and Don Quixote from Man of La Mancha. In others, they face thinly-veiled versions of Captain Nemo, Genghis Khan, and Captain Ahab. I like that there's a variety of stories, and probably my favorite episode is called "Hunting the Hunter" in which the kids encounter an island of talking animals where they are put on trial for being human. It has a pro-animal bent I wouldn't have expected in a kids' show from the 1960s. I also liked the episode "The Conquistador's Curse," which explores the characters' humanity, and it's one of two episodes where Tom and Huck face off against each other, at least temporarily.

The main cast, which includes Michael Shea as Huck, Kevin Schultz as Tom, and Lu Ann Haslem as Becky, are all good in their roles and seem to grow in confidence as the season progresses. Shea and Schultz both went on to a variety of television appearances throughout the 70s and into the 80s. Haslam, who is cute and spunky as Becky, doesn't seem to have continued acting after this series. The other cast member in every episode is Ted Cassidy, best known as Lurch from the Addams Family, and as Ruk in the Star Trek original series episode "What are Little Girls Made of." Things I find strange are that in the live-action portion, Cassidy never appears in the same frames as the kids, and you never see him mouth his dialogue on screen. The majority of his role is voicing the animated bad guys, and his deep voice makes him intimidating. I should mention that the show's theme song, which you hear at the beginning and end of every episode, is a bouncy and fun barbershop quartet number accompanied by banjo and trombone, and is different from anything else I can recall on television.

And now finally on to what I really wanted to talk about. The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn aired in 1968, exactly a year before Hanna Barbara studios debuted its much more successful series, Scooby Doo Where Are You, in 1969. While Huckleberry Finn doesn't revolve around kids solving mysteries, involves a cast of three companions rather than four, and doesn't feature a recurring animated animal companion, the two shows frequently sound and look and like each other. On my most recent rewatching, I noticed that a number of pieces of incidental and mood-setting music, which I know well from repeated viewings of Where are You, show up in New Adventures, or rather were in this series before Scooby Doo. Ted Nichols was the musical director for all of Scooby Doo, and for part of Huckleberry Finn. And speaking of sound, voice actor Don Messick, who was the voice of Scooby Doo until 2012, as well as scores of other well-known characters from Papa Smurf, to Astro from the Jetsons, to Droopy, and many others, also voiced animated characters in three Huckleberry Finn episodes, including the first episode.

While Huckleberry Finn varies its style to depict the different animated lands the protagonists visit, the two shows frequently have a similar look. If fact, one episode, called "Strange Experiment," in which the kids encounter a mad scientist with an assistant who resembles Frankenstein's Monster, has backgrounds and character designs that could have easily fit into Scooby Doo. It's worth noting that production design for both series was by Iwao Takamoto, who started as an apprentice under the tutelage of Disney's "Nine Old Men," and left Disney in 1961 for Hanna-Barbera where he had a hand in developing many well-known and beloved cartoon characters and was responsible for naming Scooby-Doo after Frank Sinatra's final phrase in "Strangers in the Night."

And the links to The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn aren't limited to Scooby Doo and animated shows. Hollingsworth Morse, who directed half of New Adventure's episodes, also directed a slew of well-known live-action shows including Emergency!, Lassie, Love, American Style, Adam-12, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Dukes of Hazzard, and The Fall Guy.

Brilliant but very intelligent short-lived animated series from Hanna-Barbera

[raysond · 6 April 2005]

This was at the time,one innovative series that featured both live action and animated and to make it special,it took the characters of Mark Twain's classic,"Huckleberry Finn",which consisted of Tom Sawyer,Huck Finn,and Becky Thatcher to strange and exotic places where they visited any land,time in history and it was always they were facing constant danger at every turn in which they would encounter some menacing villain or in other aspects creatures from other places. In other words they went each week for one animated world to the next where in some of the episodes,they would face some kind of predicament in which the show always ended in a cliffhanger until next week,where the conclusion of the story was to be continued.

"The New Adventures of Huck Finn",premiered on NBC-TV in September of 1968 and it ended in September of 1969. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The show lasted one season,producing 20 episodes,which when NBC canceled the series in 1969,repeats were aired on different days,until the 1970's where some of the episodes were in syndication for the half-hour version of "The Banana Splits".

"The New Adventures Of Huck Finn",was a brilliant premise that came on Sunday evenings at the 7:00 hour where when it first premiered in September of 1968,it went up against some very tough competition which featured the shows,"Lassie","Gentle Ben",and at the same time the science-fiction adventure series,"Land Of The Giants". It was followed on Sunday nights by "The Wonderful World Of Disney",and not to mention "The Ed Sullivan Show". This was a excellent and highly innovative concept for Hanna-Barbera,which was in fact the first series produced by the company,and one of the first shows to blend in live action with animation. Also,this was a first for the studio,especially in prime-time and it was something that Hanna-Barbera did,and this was two years after one of the most highly successful animated series in prime-time history,and the longest-running,"The Flintstones",which ran for six years in prime-time television.

Speaking of this series by the way,I saw some of the episodes as a child and it blew me away with the non-stop action mixed in with some of breathtaking adventure and high-flying animation that kept it's viewers hooked,and me too. When I found out that the network that aired it,NBC-TV canceled the series,a lot of its audience was devastated,and this may have to do with the show's demise,which was at the time quite expensive to create as well as produced. It should have been given the chance to succeed,and it could however have worked very well with if the network decided to moved the series to Saturday Mornings. But they didn't. Speaking of the main villain,no better actor at the time was more menacing and more evil than Ted Cassidy who gave the show its juice and he was simply magnificent. Ted Cassidy,by the way,was a more sinister actor in some of the roles he played,and that was a role that was far better than the one he had opposite,"The Addams Family". See some of the episodes and you'll know why. As he chased our young friends from one animated world to the next,you'll never know what to expect since in some of the animated villains they faced really looked just like Injun Joe!!!.....As for Tom Sawyer(Kevin Schultz),Becky Thatcher(Lu Ann Haslam),and Huck Finn(Micheal Shea),they always were faced with the constant peril and sudden danger everywhere they went. Some of the episodes were directed by the best in the business and it consisted of Hollingsworth Morse,Ezra Stone,Virgil W. Vogel,and in some segments by William Hanna and Joesph Barbera. One of the best episodes of that series is called "The Eye Of Doogerah",and it is something to see!!!

Too bad that this series is never shown anymore. Recently,Cartoon Network's sister station Boomerang has resurrected some for the episodes after being out of action or for one point,missing for decades. They showed these episodes in its entirely during the network's programming of Boomeraction,which consisted some of the greatest Hanna-Barbera action/adventure animated cartoons anywhere!!! Not to be missed!

New Adventures of Huck Finn on DVD Finally!!!

[scottaparo · 10/10 · 4 July 2016]

After years of waiting the good people over at Warner Archives has released on DVD all 20 episodes of the New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn fully remastered!!! They are gorgeous! The colors are vibrant and pop off the screen. If you love this show you need to head over to WB shop.com and place your order the set is 29.99. I'm just totally awe Amazed by the quality of the episodes. For years I've been watching old VHS recordings I had from the 80's and now to have this remastered set is like a dream come true. I can't thank Warner Archives enough for their outstanding work on this set. They really out did themselves. They even restored the original opening.

Well ahead of its time

[TVvuer69 · 10/10 · 24 October 2005]

I first saw this series as a kid in the mid-70's when the Banana Splits aired in syndication. I didn't care much for the stars of that show, but I couldn't help but look forward to this great, unique series of live-action and animation. Huck and friends got themselves into the animated world as they met with strange people in various locations all around the world. Most times, the villain looks like an incarnation of their archenemy, Injun Joe, whom they mention just about every time they see him. But as usual, the kids were smart and resourceful as they got themselves out of danger and moved on to the next adventure as they sought to finally return home to Hannibal, Missouri. Huck was my favorite character and deservedly got the title billing. He wasn't as simple-minded as some would think and was usually the boy of action when action was needed. He was never afraid to get his hands dirty (not to mention his feet since he was barefoot all the time) to help out others. As I said this series was a rare, unique mix of live-action and animation. And even though this originally aired in the late 60's, the special FX were over the top. One episode in particular proved this. It was titled "Strange Experiment", my overall favorite! Here, a mad scientist develops a shrinking machine and demonstrates it on Huck, reducing him to a mere few inches tall. It was way cool seeing a tiny Huck alongside a normal-sized Tom and Becky. And it was kind of amusing seeing him getting a ride inside Tom's hat, and even funnier as Tom, when attempting to restore Huck to normal size accidentally made him even smaller, nearly the size of a flea. This episode even included a few scares as a green-skinned mutant tried to get the kids and they were rescued by a dog who was also a subject of the scientist's shrink ray, but thanks to the kids, the tables were turned. Overall though, this was a very innovative series well ahead of its time.

A Sunday night treat!

[tforbes-2 · 10/10 · 21 May 2018]

I was glued to this show when it aired in 1968-1969, and was so disappointed when it was cancelled. I know some might take issue with the mix of animation and live action, but this was made 50 years ago at this writing, and the technology wasn't there, period. Given that, I thought Hanna-Barbera really did something innovative for prime time television.

And the plots weren't at all bad.

I give special credit to the main cast for making this show really work. All of them, from Kevin Schultz to Ted Cassidy, made this show special. It should have done better, being the lead-in to the Disney anthology series, but all three networks had a very competitive night on Sundays, and I am sure this series didn't come cheap, especially with all that green screen work they had to do, because of the animation. By comparison, an episode of The FBI looks like a real bargain basement in terms of production costs.

That said, however, this was a special show that deserved better, especially given how it pushed the production envelope and given its fine cast!!!

ORIGINAL AND VERY WELL DONE ADVENTURE SERIES

[asalerno10 · 9/10 · 1 October 2022]

The successful and prolific production company Hanna-Barbera cleverly dabbles in a series that combines the three real leads Tom Sawer, Huck Finn and Becky Sacher in a magical cartoon world. The result is really very good, the technical part is not perfect but it is well done, but the highlight of the series are the scripts that immerse the boys in the purest adventure, full of dangerous situations and facing evil characters. The pace of the series is very good and the adventures range from the Kingdom of Lilliput, dark castles and even mythological characters, the result is entertainment from start to finish.

I thought it stunk

[doveshooter · 1/10 · 3 March 2008]

Am I the only one who thought this series really stunk? Cheesy animation, silly plots, even as a 9-year-old, it gave me a queasy feeling. And I loved cartoons, science fiction and both "Tom Sawyer" and "Huckleberry Finn," all of which were elements of the series. But combining a conventional Twain character with far-fetched fantasy plots was a nauseous mix. I think this is a great example of Hanna-Barbera's cartoon heresies that drug animated films to their historical low point. The mixture of animated and live action is a very difficult concept to pull off. "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is a good example of where it worked well. This is an example of where it failed miserably.

The 'Nessy' of Lost imaginative shows

[spiff-12 · 11 July 2004]

There are things that you look back at in your life and you get a warm, fuzzy feeling about. This show inspired the child that I was to go outside and play make-belief with the other children. My imagination ignited by the myriad of possibilities that could exist in this realm. You pick up a stick, and it's a sword. Pick up a garbage can lid and it's a shield. The animation mixed with live action...although probably pretty hokey by today's standards...was a treat in that it linked the limit of realism with the limitlessness of imagination. It's been...25 years since I last seen it...and of all the things in my life to feel warm and fuzzy about of which there are definitely a few...I count how I felt about watching this show to be among them. So, yeah, for nostalgic sake, I would make the decision to watch it in a heart beat if someone digs it up and puts it on the air again.

Inventive series that was prematurely canceled

[Marta · 10 December 2000]

I absolutely loved this series when I was 11; it aired Sunday evenings, and I never missed watching it. I don't think they made more than a dozen or so episodes of it, and I was devastated when it was canceled. It was never given the chance it should have had. Ted Cassidy played Injun Joe, and a more menacing villain it would have been hard to find; he was great in the role. As he chased Tom, Huck and Becky from one animated world to the next, it pulled me farther into their predicament and I couldn't wait for the next episode. They always ended in a cliffhanger.

This is a series that will probably never be shown again, and I wonder if any episodes are even still in existence. It would be nice if TVLand would air them, even just in odd places, so we could at least see them again. It was a novel concept ahead of it's time.

An Innovative Series From Hanna-Barbera

[Sargebri · 8 July 2003]

This was a highly innovative show at the time it was released. This was one of the first shows to mix live action and animation and it will always be one of my favorites. Too bad it is not shown anymore. Someone should write to the Cartoon Network and demand that this be shown. This is definitely a lost classic of animation.

Virtual Sets

[powersroc · 8 September 2009]

This TV show was a fascinating technological achievement for the '60's.The term "Virtual Sets" did not exist then as it does now but that is exactly what was created for Huck Finn,& all on a TV budget & weekly schedule besides! Nowadays virtual sets are done via computer generated imagery(CGI)& the results are phenomenal,but no such technology existed in 1968. Virtual sets could be created at that time by matte paintings(Star Trek)& also by placing live actors against miniature model sets(The Starlost). The other method was to have live actors in an animated environment as was done on Huck Finn. And they did it beautifully with this show. The quality of the animation itself was also very good,similar to Johnny Quest. It's truly an incredible accomplishment in addition to being a fun & entertaining TV show as I was growing up.

Yes, episodes still exist

[h_pm · 12 October 2002]

Cartoon Network apparently has this episode in its extensive Hanna-Barbera library. They just showed an episode of "The New Adventures Of Huck Finn" on their Saturday morning program "Boomerang". The episode was entitled "The Eye Of Doogerah".

Unfortunately, the Boomerang program just shows random episodes of old Saturday morning cartoons, but at least this rather unique (if not odd) program has been preserved for now.

my, what memories

[bdwilner · 2 March 2006]

Yes, I remember this, too. I was only five. I have the vaguest memories: one of our heroes squeezing under a door into a closet, only to find a giant animated slave eating out of a bowl, which he throws at them, narrowly missing. I also vaguely recall some episode where either Huck or Tom is sentenced to death by being hurled off a high tower, and they quickly manufacture a scarecrow and drop it to the ground instead, making off just in time.

No, they certainly don't make television like this any more. I remember the excitement; I remember the contrast of the flesh-and-blood heroes and heroine against the animated villains and scenes; and I remember the aforementioned plot snippets; but everything else is gone, filed somewhere in my brain where I can no longer access it these thirty-seven years later. Too bad.

Before Roger Rabbit...

[Blueghost · 29 October 2012]

...there was Hanna-Barbara and their offerings in the mid 60s, when you could still do traditional cell animation on the cheap, but only just.

This is a brilliant TV show for kids that aired on Saturday and eventually Sunday mornings, as well as sometimes serving as the cap of late morning cartoon offerings after it's initial run in the 60s.

Huck, the inventive hay seed with his ragged pants, straw hat and vest, Tom Sawyer the more citified but still southern boy, and Becky, the caring female of the trio. They travel from one story book to the next, venturing beyond Samuel Clemens initial offerings, and shedding the shackles of literary convention to see the world. Other authors are mixed in with Mark Twain's characters, and give old settings and stories new life with the mish-mashing of characters in settings distinctly apart from their usual experience.

The three young adventurers go from the South Seas, to India, to Europe, to the Arctic and worlds beyond. Contrary to the intention of the producers, I was not induced to read those other works because of this show, but I did find the show entertaining for what it was. I can't say I initially liked it a great deal, but it was engaging. And, after a time, it just became a habit to watch. In this sense, it was a good show. It was different from all the other animated offerings at the time.

Additionally, the show was a half hour long. So it was a long "Serious" cartoon so to speak. Great adventure stories, clever, smart and adventurous characters who knew how to handle trouble and danger, as well as make new friends.

It's an oldie but a goodie. They don't make 'em like this anymore, but I'm sure someone will revisit the concept.

Regrettably there're few episodes available. It would be one of the few Hanna=Barbara cartoons I'd purchase.

If you get a chance, give it a look with your kids and enjoy. :)

New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (when will it be transfered onto DVD?)

[cyr-1 · 16 February 2006]

I watched and loved Huck Finn in it's original premiere(1968)just like you guys.i was also thrilled years later when it appeared on the Banana Splits and friends show in the early 70's.i just bought the entire series on DVD that was transfered from VHS tapes. the picture quality isn't the best but it does contains the full original introduction that was edited out on the Banana Splits and friends show.i also found the show on DVD online in a store called "Worlds Best Comics & Toys".it's the Banana Splits presents The New Adventures of Huck Finn.i can't wait until they restore and remastered the entire series on DVD(without Banana Splits) because even after all these years i still love the show so much.i suppose i can wait since i already have a copy.But believe me, someday i'll find it(factory made) no matter what.And I have a funny feeling i'm right that i'll see it again.

Fun and interesting old time animation series.

[pepsivanilla · 23 July 2005]

"The New Adventures of Huck Finn" and aired in prime time on NBC-TV on Sunday evenings during the 1968-69 TV season starting at 7:00 P.M. as a lead in for the 'Wonderful World of Disney' show.

The series is better remembered by those who are younger (I was born in 1980) as a segment on the syndicated/Cartoon Network series 'The Banana Splits and Friends'.

The Banana Splits originally aired on Saturday Mornings on NBC-TV as an hour long show called 'The Banana Splits Adventure Hour' starting in 1968. Later, in 1973 (and continuing into the 1990's) it was sold to local TV stations as a half-hour series called 'The Banana Splits and Friends'. In was in this later syndicated version that 'The New Adventures of Huck Finn' were added (older Hanna-Barbara series from the 1960's where added to the Banana Splits to make more episodes for repeats).

The 'Huck Finn' segments featured live actors portraying the Mark Twain characters Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher living in an animated world trying to get back home. The three young people were chased into this world by an animated character named Injun Joe. Throughout the run of the series, Huck and friends try to evade Injun Joe while trying to get back to the early 19th Century and their home U.S. state of Missouri.

The series is similar to such Disney movies as 'Pete's Dragon' and 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' by combining live actors with animation. Only in this case the actors where live and everyone and everything around them was animation.

'Cartoon Network' spin off 'Boomerang' airs repeats of the 'Banana Splits and Friends' shows that air the 20 or so episodes of 'The New Adventures of Huck Finn'.

comment on "The New Adventures of Huckelberry Finn"

[timsarris · 1 June 2005]

To whom it may concern,

Thanks for your article. This live-action/cartoon was a lot of fun and ahead of it's time. I agree it's a shame that it didn't find an audience on Saturday morning t.v. because I remember enjoying it very much as a child. However, I was surprised to see it once again after 35 years on Italian television. It's shown weekdays in the middle of the afternoon,just after school has let out. Everything dubbed in Italian of course, but still holds up really well. Who knows,if it stays on long enough this time maybe one day my kids will watch it and I can tell them all about it's origins in America.

Tim Sarris

A unique format great for youngsters...

[cahendrix · 20 June 2004]

I do remember this show coming on around supper time on Sunday nights. It was really unique in it's mix of live action and animation and I thought it was a great format for youngsters (I was nine at the time). It was easy to identify with the "trio" of stars and the animated back-drop enabled them to visit any land or time in history and encounter any type of villain (of course all the villain's looked suspiciously like Injun Joe!)...... One would think that this live action/animation format would have become more popular but I heard that it was quite expensive to create at the time (without computers) and this may have had a lot to do with the show's early demise. When a syndicated half-hour version of the "Banana Splits" aired in the late 70's, it periodically featured episodes of this particular Huck Finn show.