But Junior Durkin, as he was in TOM SAWYER, is a letter-perfect Huck, with the perfect mix of charm and laissez-faire attitude. 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. Fidelity to the source material is far less important to Hollywood than pacifying a star. The screenwriters' solution was to have Tom tag along with Huck and Jim on their journey. The problem: Tom plays a fairly minor role in the novel, and Coogan was too big a star to play a supporting role.
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.
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