Trivia

Actor Johnny Whitaker revealed on the television series Oprah: Where Are They Now? (2012), episode: Spice Girl Geri Horner, Vee Jay Ed Lover & Family Affair Star Kathy Garver (2016), that he did not want to make Tom Sawyer, he wanted to go to summer camp instead. But his parents made him make the movie. They reached a compromise that he would shoot the movie for a few weeks and then go to camp. He said after shooting for 8 weeks he was picked up by a helicopter on location, and then flown to his summer camp. He said it was completely humiliating to have the entire cast of young boys see him fly off in this huge helicopter while everyone watched. Indeed the movie turned out to be a big deal; it did a decent box office, got great reviews and was nominated for a couple Oscars, and even spawned a sequel. But Whitaker said he still regrets not being able to spend all summer at camp.

Originally developed at Warner Brothers who ultimately shelved the project. It was later picked up by Reader's Digest in conjunction with United Artists. This was to be the first film production from Reader's Digest in a quest to produce more family-friendly movies.

Actor Johnny Whitaker was a Mormon, which posed a problem for the scene in which Tom and Huck smoke a pipe, since tobacco was forbidden to Mormons. Instead, the pipe Tom and Huck smoke was filled with ground-up cabbage leaves.

Jeff East and Lucille Benson are the only actors who appear in this film and its sequel Huckleberry Finn (1974).

In Susan Compo's biography 'Warren Oates a Wild Life" it's revealed that Warren's singing was not used. Richard Sherman states "Warren did not sing well. It's as simple as that. Got a fellow named Billy Strange, a wonderful country singer, to imitate exactly the way Warren sang it, in the same way, the same style. It was Warren's performance done by a professional singer. That's the reason he was in tune, he held his notes, and he did all the things a non trained singer can't do in a sound track." Oates was not happy.