Johnny Tremain is apprenticed to a silversmith, Mr. Lapham. One day, wealthy Jonathan Lyte asks Mr. Lapham to make a sugar basin to match his grand silverware set. Lapham refuses because he believes he is too old for such jobs. Tremain believes he is skilled enough to do the job, and accepts. After trying several times but failing, he asks fellow silversmith, Paul Revere, for help designing a new handle. Revere tells him to make the handle deeper and larger. Eager to try the new design, Johnny breaks the Sabbath and accidentally burns his hand. The damage is so severe that he will never have full use of the hand again, and cannot continue as a silversmith apprentice. No one will hire him with only one usable hand. The Sons of Liberty recruited him as a messenger, to secretly inform members of the times and locations of meetings.
Johnny tells Priscilla Lapham, Mr. Lapham's granddaughter, that he is secretly related to Mr. Lyte. He shows her a christening cup bearing the Lyte family crest as evidence. Desperate for money, he approaches Lyte and shows him the christening cup. Lyte assumes that Johnny stole the cup, and files charges against him. Josiah Quincy defends Johnny in court. Introducing Priscilla as a witness, Quincy proves Johnny's innocence.
Walt Disney's daughter Sharon Mae Disney also had a small uncredited role as Dorcas, a young friend of Johnny and Priscilla (who in the novel was one of Priscilla's sisters).
Music
The musical score for Johnny Tremain was composed by George Bruns with lyrics by Tom Blackburn. The film is notable for the song "Liberty Tree", which was later included on the 1964 Disneyland Records album entitled Happy Birthday and Songs for Every Holiday.
Release
The film's theatrical release was accompanied by two Disney short subjects: the live-action nature story The Wetback Hound, and the cartoon special The Story of Anyburg U.S.A..
The film opened in London but was not successful and Disney initially decided not to release the film in Europe.[4]
Portions of Johnny Tremain were released individually in 1968 for educational purposes. Two distinct sequences of the film were re-issued under the titles The Boston Tea Party and The Shot Heard 'Round the World.[5] Both were originally combined and shown on Disney's anthology TV series in 1958 as part of the episode The Liberty Story.[6]
Legacy
Around the time of the film's production, Walt Disney intended to build Liberty Street in Disneyland as an annex to Main Street USA. The project never materialized. After Walt's death, the concept was revived and turned into the much more expansive Liberty Square in Walt Disney World, which opened as a part of the park's grand opening on October 1, 1971.[7] A Southern live oak tree found growing on the Walt Disney World property (originally six miles from the Magic Kingdom) was transplanted by Disney engineers and now serves as the square's Liberty Tree. Adorning it are 13 lanterns, representing the original 13 American colonies.[8]
