Remember the cave where Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher got lost in the classic Tom Sawyer? In yet another 1960s rendition of the "boys trapped far from home" genre (others included H.R. Pufnstuf, Land of the Lost, and Journey to the Beginning of Time), that cave led to a time-space warp that zapped Tom (Kevin Schultz), Becky Thatcher (LuAnn Haslam), and Huckleberry Finn (Michael Shea) into various worlds based on fiction, legends, and history. After battling or befriending Aztecs, ancient Egyptians, mad scientists, Don Quixote, Indian thuggees, Captain Ahab, a medieval Caliph, cavemen, and wizards, it was another zap and another adventure.
Huck, who was only marginally literate, narrated the story, and made humorous malapropisms and mispronunciations.
The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn aired on Sunday nights in the fall of 1968, where it faced stiff competition from Land of the Giants. Twenty episodes aired before it was cancelled. I saw them as reruns during the summer of 1969. Later they were syndicated in The Banana Splits and Friends.
Tom and Becky are friends only, with no romantic inclinations. But Tom and Huck have ample buddy-bonding, particularly when one or the other requires rescue. And they require rescue a lot.
And though there were few shirtless shots, both of the boys, aged 15, were on display enough to attract the interest of teen magazines -- and of gay kids. Michael Shea, the "hunk," wore a white shirt unbuttoned to his navel and a red vest, and was frequently tied up, so his muscles could strain against the ropes. Kevin Schultz, the "brain," wore a white shirt with a thin red tie and tight slacks.The New Adventures turned out to be the summit of their acting careers. In adulthood, Michael became a police officer. Kevin and his identical twin Keith started a musical group in 1970, chummed around with fellow teen idol Jon Provost (below), and later became professional photographers.
Michael Shea was another one who really got my motor running when I was around 9 or 10.. I loved his "country bumpkin" accent and the tight pants he wore as 'Huckleberry Finn'.. I remember seeing a couple of other things he did around that same time and that was when I realized he wasn't a "country boy" at all (he'd affected the accent for the 'Huck' series) and his hair was actually a dark blonde/light brown (dyed red for the series), but he had such a nice body and sweet demeanor that none of those revelations ever bothered me. He's another one I'd wished had had the opportunity to have done more when he was an adolescent, but alas, it wasn't in the cards.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget that both Schultz twins had previously starred in The Monroes alongside Barbara Hershey.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of this one before but from the clips on you tube I would have loved it. Michael Shea had a natural star quality too bad he did not do any grown up roles
ReplyDeleteI think I saw this on Special Delivery. That was a Nickelodeon show in the 80s that had a lot of Boomer shows.
ReplyDeleteI really crushed on Kevin Schultz (Tom Sawyer). Loved the show. I saw it in reruns on the Banana Splits Show in the 1970's.
ReplyDeleteAh! This series was a pre-teen, closeted boy’s dream! I had the biggest crush on both Michael Shea and Kevin Schultz. And, omg, the episode “The Eye of Dorgah” (sp ?) was amazing: both Tom and Huck captured, face down, bound hand & foot, and struggling to free themselves! How did I survive?
ReplyDeleteBecky did resemble Holly from Land of the Lost a little bit.
ReplyDeleteI loved this show and remember watching it at the age of 14. Even at that age I recognized I had a foot fetish, and the fact that Shea constantly went barefoot through every episode got me all hot and bothered. I hoped to eventually see those feet of his tickled by the bad guys, but unfortunately that fantasy was never realized.
ReplyDeleteI too found both boys extremely attractive as a closeted youth. I particularly liked Kevin Schultz as "Tom". Living in San Diego as a child I often attended the "Mother Goose Parade" in El Cajon. At one of these parade events during the time of the show the three cast members rode in a car in costume and in character as "Huck, Tom and Becky". I thought I might die seeing those boys in person. They were every bit as attractive in person as they were on my TV screen. Fond memories of this show, perhaps my first celebrity crush!!!
ReplyDeleteI watched this show as a kid, when it was in reruns in the '70s. I loved Michael Shea as Huck. As was the case with a prior poster, I already had a budding attraction to bare feet at that early age (exacerbated in part by my own parents forbidding me to go barefoot with my friends . . . but, silly parents, whatever you try to suppress just grows stronger!). Huck's perpetual barefooted state made him very appealing to me, but so did his sandy strawberry red hair, country boy looks, and easygoing style. He resembled how I wanted to be. Tom was a nice guy, but with his solid leather shoes, straight black hair, button-up neat clothes, and seemingly more serious demeanor, he resembled me as I was perpetually limited and imposed upon by my more traditional and formal parents. Becky was the epitome of the sweet girl next door, but I always loved the bro vibes between Huck and Tom.
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