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Newsies
A week in the life of the exploited, child newspaper sellers in turn-of-the-century New York. When their publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, tries to squeeze a little more profit out of their labours, they organize a strike, only to be confronted with the Pulitzer's hard-ball tactics.
1992 · Directed by Kenny Ortega · 121 min · Drama · History · Screenplay in the scene database · 4 frames
Tagline
A Thousand Voices. A Single Dream.
Plot
In 1899, 17-year-old Jack "Cowboy" Kelly lives with other struggling newspaper hawkers ("newsies") in New York City, selling copies of the New York World on the Manhattan streets ("Carrying the Banner"). When David Jacobs and his younger brother Les join the group, Jack notices David's intelligence and Les' marketable cuteness and egotistically takes them under his wing. Unlike most newsies, the brothers work to financially support their family, as their father Mayer lost his factory job after being injured. Invited to the Jacobs' home for dinner, Jack becomes enamored with their sister Sarah. He later laments his isolation due to lacking his own family and fantasizes about traveling to New Mexico ("Santa Fe").
After New York World publisher Joseph Pulitzer raises the prices required for newsies to buy newspapers from his distribution centers, Jack and David angrily galvanize the other Manhattan newsies to go on strike ("The World Will Know"). While the others notify newsies in New York's other boroughs, Jack and Les confront Pulitzer, who ejects them from his office. Bryan Denton, a reporter for The Sun, takes an interest in the boys' story. Jack and David inform the Brooklyn newsies, whose leader, "Spot" Conlon, reluctantly opposes the strike. David motivates the dejected Manhattan newsies ("Seize the Day"), who consequently ambush the distribution center and destroy the newspapers. Pulitzer's enforcers, brothers Oscar and Morris Delancey, capture disabled newsie "Crutchy", who is placed in an orphanage and juvenile detention center called the Refuge, where the corrupt Warden Snyder neglects the orphans to embezzle money the city provides for their care.
The newsies attempt to deter strikebreakers, but the violent struggle is revealed as a trap set by the Delancey brothers. Before the newsies can be arrested, Spot Conlon arrives with the Brooklyn newsies and the two groups repel the mob. After Denton puts the story on the front page of The Sun, the ecstatic newsies imagine potential fame ("King of New York") before planning a rally. Snyder informs Pulitzer that Jack is an escapee from the Refuge, inspiring Pulitzer to have Jack arrested. During breakfast with Sarah atop the Jacobs' apartment building, Jack explains his desire to flee to Santa Fe, and wonders if she would miss him.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Written by: Noni White, Bob Tzudiker
- Cinematography: Andrew Laszlo
- Edited by: William Reynolds
- Music: J.A.C. Redford
- Production design: William Sandell
- Produced by: Michael Finnell
Cast
- Christian Bale as Jack 'Cowboy' Kelly
- Bill Pullman as Bryan Denton
- Ann-Margret as Medda Larkson
- Robert Duvall as Joseph Pulitzer
- David Moscow as David Jacobs
- Luke Edwards as Les Jacobs
- Max Casella as Racetrack Higgins
- Gabriel Damon as Spot Conlon
- Marty Belafsky as Crutchy
- Aaron Lohr as Mush
Production
- Country: United States of America
- Language: English
- Studios: Walt Disney Pictures, Touchwood Pacific Partners 1
- Budget: $15,000,000
- Box office: $2,819,485
- Themes: new york city, musical, based on true story, teenage girl, teenage boy, juvenile crime, brawl, boy singer, name change, slingshot
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