Mark Twain

Originally Aired: January 30, 1939 Cavalcade of America #150, "Mark Twain," chronicles the formative years of Samuel Clemens and his profound connection to the Mississippi River. Growing up in Hannibal, Missouri, young Sam dreams of becoming a riverboat pilot despite his mother's objections. His wish comes true when Captain Bigsby takes him on as a cub pilot, and Sam masters every depth, bluff, and bend of the great river. He brings his younger brother Henry onto the river with him, but tragedy strikes when Henry's steamboat suffers a boiler explosion. In a Memphis hospital, Sam keeps vigil as Henry succumbs to his injuries, sustained while heroically helping passengers instead of swimming to safety as Sam had taught him. The Civil War ends the steamboat era, and Sam reinvents himself as a miner, prospector, and newspaper reporter out West, adopting the pen name Mark Twain. His humorous writing gains popularity and leads to the lecture platform. During a visit to the Langdon family home in Elmira, New York, Sam finds himself falling for daughter Livy, but worries that his rough Western background and lack of polish make him unworthy of her refined world.