Paramount Pictures previously released other silent films based on Mark Twain’s novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884): Tom Sawyer (1917, see entry); Huck and Tom; or, the Further Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1918, see entry); and Huckleberry Finn (1920, see entry). This sound remake of Tom Sawyer was followed by a remake of Huckleberry Finn (1931, see entry), in which many of the cast members reprised their roles including Jackie Coogan, Junior Durkin, and Mitzi Green.
       This film marked the first “talking picture” for Jackie Coogan, the sixteen-year-old Hollywood veteran whose last release was the 1927 silent, Buttons (see entry). Several news items, including the 19 Jul 1930 Hollywood Filmograph, referred to Tom Sawyer as Coogan’s “comeback.” Production was delayed by six months to allow the young actor to finish his sophomore year of high school, according to a Nov 1930 Motion Picture Classic article, which listed Coogan’s weekly salary as $7,500. Rehearsals were underway as of late Jul 1930, according to the 31 Jul 1930 Exhibitors Daily Review and Motion Pictures Today, and filming commenced by Aug 1930. That month’s issue of International Photographer indicated that production took place on the Paramount studio lot in Hollywood, CA. An article in the Dec 1930 New Movie Magazine suggested that location filming also occurred in or around Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park in Sacramento, CA.
       On 30 Sep 1930, Film Daily announced that editing was underway. The 17 Oct 1930 Exhibitors Daily Review and Motion Pictures Today later stated that “photographing and other work” were nearing completion. A scheduled release date of 15 Nov 1930 was listed in the 28 Sep 1930 Film Daily, which identified Tom Sawyer as the first feature-length release in Paramount’s “campaign to get the kids back in the theater.” A review of the film in the 6 Dec 1930 Harrison’s Reports reiterated that point, noting that children had been “driven away [from movie theaters] more or less since the adoption of sound.” Theatrical release was set to be supported by a promotional tie-in with the clothing company, Tom Sawyer Wash Wear for Real Boys, as stated in a 20 Oct 1930 Film Daily item that likened the deal to Paramount’s previous tie-in with Peter Pan Kid Klothes for its 1924 release of Peter Pan (see entry).
       Prior to the general release date of 15 Nov 1930, early openings were scheduled to take place on 10 Nov 1930 in Charlotte, NC, and 12 Nov 1930 in Fort Worth, TX, according to contemporary advertisements in the Charlotte News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram. When it opened wide, the picture enjoyed critical and commercial success. The 23 Nov 1930 Film Daily review claimed the film “holds like a spell from beginning to end,” and soon after, the 2 Dec 1930 Exhibitors Daily Review and Motion Pictures Today reported that it was breaking box-office records throughout the U.S. Months into the release, the Apr 1931 Silver Screen credited Coogan with making “such a hit” that Paramount rewarded him with a multiple-picture deal.
       Co-screenwriter Sam Mintz was credited as the dialogue writer in a 24 Aug 1930 Film Daily item. Guy Oliver was named as a cast member in the7 Aug 1930 Exhibitors Daily Review and Motion Pictures Today; he was later listed (in the role of “Mr. Deming”) among the cast in a 27 Dec 1930 Motion Picture Daily review of the film.
       A length of ten reels was cited in the Nov 1930 National Board of Review Magazine, although the film was copyrighted at a length of 7,648 feet. For information on other filmed versions of Mark Twain's novel, please see the entry for the 1938 David O. Selznick production of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, directed by Norman Taurog and starring Tommy Kelly and Jackie Moran.