Huckleberry Finn: Overture (for piano) (1939)

In 1939 when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer needed a showcase vehicle for its versatile young star, Mickey Rooney, what better choice than the Mark Twain classic Huckleberry Finn! Richard Thorpe directed a cast that included Rex Ingram, Walter Connolly, and William Frawley.

The Overture was originally arranged by Waxman for a radio broadcast to promote the release of the film. However, the performance never took place. Forty years later, while researching the MGM archives, Christopher Palmer discovered and reconstructed Waxman’s sketches.

The opening and closing sections of the work feature a quasi-banjo hoedown type of theme that immediately evokes the American South, while in its jauntiness paints a portrait of Mark Twain’s famous character. The central episode is a barcarolle that musically portrays Huck and Jim’s meanderings on the Mississippi. After a Grand Pause — a Waxman signature — the jaunty theme returns for a final exuberant summation.