On November 30 in 1835, Samuel Clemens was born in Florida, Missouri. Clemens, of course, later adopted the pseudonym “Mark Twain” from a term used during his riverboat days and went on to become one of America’s greatest authors.
Twain’s novels — including Tom Sawyer, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, and the beloved and controversial Adventures of Huckleberry Finn — are classics that capture a certain time period as well as a timeless American spirit. It is no surprise that there are several film versions of Twain’s books, and there even is a Texas high school named after the author of books about kids skipping school.
Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer on Film
But I am not sure there is a great film version of one of the novels that fully captures what Twain did with his books. Of course, films often fail in fully capturing a novel, but the films may still be successful in their own rights.
The film versions of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer are often ordinary children’s movies, even though the former novel was much more than a children’s book. Below is a scene with Frodo. . . er, a young Elijah Wood, in a Walt Disney film, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1993).
A Connecticut Yankee
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court has inspired various versions on the big and small screen. There is even one with Bugs Bunny.
One of the most successful film versions of a Twain novel is 1949’s musical A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, starring Bing Crosby, Rhonda Fleming, and William Bendix.
Hal Holbrook as Twain
But the performance that may best capture Mark Twain is Hal Holbrook’s one-man show, Mark Twain Tonight. The show appeared on CBS in 1967 and won Holbrook an Emmy.
In Holbrook’s spot-on believable performance, he captures the humor and dark satire present in much of Twain’s works. This excerpt below includes dialogue taken from Twain’s controversial 1903 essay, “The Damned Human Race.”
The Real Mark Twain on Video
We always need a Mark Twain, and American writers, commentators, and comedians continue to be influenced by the writer. In 2011, he was honored with a postage stamp. And in 2010 he had a best-seller with Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1
For a video of the real Mark Twain, check out the video below of the only known video of the man, shot by Thomas Edison.
So on this birthday of America’s great humorist, take some comfort in that Samuel Clemons is still with us, whether it be with the movies, his writing, or his inspiration. The recent parodies of The Pepper Spray Cop, for example, seem to capture our national Twain-ian humor. As Mark Twain once explained, “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.”
What is your favorite Mark Twain book or film? Leave your two cents in the comments.
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