Life on the Mississippi (1980)

Most mid19thcentury Mississippi River boys dreamed of occupying that pinnacle of power and glamour the pilot house of a riverboat In a riot of local color this film tells how unlike many Sams dream comes true A callow teenager he talks the tough but consummate Horace Bixby into making him his apprentice on the Paul Jones eventually following him to the much finer Aleck Scott Meanwhile he is already spinning fantastic yarns to everyone from awestruck lads ashore to fellow cub pilots to young lady engers who catch his eye Things temporarily take a turn for the worse when Bixby must attend a meeting and leave Sam to work under Brown a dour tyrant with a grudge against him