59 Fun Facts About Newsies

Who plays Jack 'Cowboy' Kelly in the 1992 Disney film?

Christian Bale, 17 during filming, played Jack; he later admitted he was not much of a singer, and the film's failure stung him for years before its cult revival.

Which choreographer made his feature directing debut with the film?

Kenny Ortega, a choreographer on Dirty Dancing, made Newsies his first feature as director, followed a year later by Hocus Pocus, another flop turned cult favourite, and later the High School Musical trilogy.

Who composed the songs for the 1992 film?

Alan Menken composed the score, including 'Seize the Day' and 'King of New York'; his usual lyricist Howard Ashman was too ill with AIDS to collaborate, so a new partner was brought in.

Who wrote the lyrics for the film's songs?

Jack Feldman wrote the lyrics, stepping in for the ailing Howard Ashman; he stayed with the property for two decades and shared the 2012 Tony for Best Original Score with Alan Menken.

Which Oscar-winning actor plays newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer in the film?

Robert Duvall, Oscar winner for Tender Mercies, played Pulitzer with a thick accent and earned a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Supporting Actor for the role.

Which screen legend plays the Bowery performer Medda Larkson?

Ann-Margret played the Bowery's 'Swedish Meadowlark', Medda Larkson, a friend and protector of Jack; she sings two numbers in the film, both dropped when the story moved to the stage.

Which actor plays Bryan Denton, the newspaper reporter who champions the strike?

Bill Pullman played Denton, the Sun reporter who backs the boys and leads them through 'King of New York' after their strike makes the front page.

When the warden testifies against Jack in court, what is revealed to be Jack's real name?

The warden's testimony exposes 'Jack Kelly' as Francis Sullivan, whose mother is dead and whose father is in state prison, puncturing the cowboy persona Jack had built.

Jack dreams of leaving New York for which Western city?

The song about that dream is reprised late in the film after Jack is sentenced to the juvenile detention center.

What is the name of the orphanage and juvenile detention center that Jack once escaped from?

The Refuge is the grim House of Refuge where Jack was once jailed; its warden pockets the money the city pays for the children's care, which the newsies' own paper eventually exposes.

What is the surname of the corrupt warden who runs the juvenile detention center?

Warden Snyder, played by Kevin Tighe, runs the Refuge; Wiesel is Pulitzer's distribution man, Seitz his business manager, and Kloppman keeps the newsboys' lodging house.

Who leads the Brooklyn newsies, and initially refuses to back the Manhattan strike?

Spot Conlon, played by Gabriel Damon, rules the Brooklyn newsies and sits out the first fight; when Brooklyn finally marches in, it turns the tide against the strikebreakers.

Which real-life Governor of New York arrives at the end to shut down the warden and thank Jack?

Governor Theodore Roosevelt arrives to thank Jack, and the carriage ride he offers talks Jack out of leaving for the West; Roosevelt became President two years after the 1899 strike.

Critic Leonard Maltin mocked the film with which nickname?

Maltin dubbed it 'Howard the Paperboy', likening it to the notorious flop Howard the Duck, and faulted its songs and cramped production numbers.

Which song from the film 'won' the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song?

'High Times, Hard Times', Medda's Bowery number, took the Razzie for Worst Original Song; the same season Alan Menken won Oscars for Aladdin, making him the first person to win both awards in one year.

The film's New York street scenes were shot on the backlot of which studio?

Universal Studios' New York Street backlot doubled for 1899 Manhattan; Newsies was the first feature to shoot on the set after it was rebuilt following a 1990 fire.

During production, cast members made a satirical horror short film. What was it called?

Its plot has a disgraced Don Knotts murdering the cast after being rejected for a comeback role.

The newsie Kid Blink is played by an actor sharing his name with which TV creator?

The newsie actor Trey Parker is not the South Park creator Trey Parker; the confusion is common enough that cast lists often add a footnote.

Jack Kelly was inspired by Kid Blink and which other real newsie from the 1899 strike?

A memo from Pulitzer's business manager named him as the boy who actually started the strike in New York City.

What do the newsies call the paper they print on Pulitzer's old press and hand out to child laborers?

The Newsie Banner, run off on Pulitzer's old press in the World's basement, rallies the city's child laborers and reaches the governor with its exposé of the Refuge.

Who plays Davey, the smart new newsie who becomes Jack's partner?

David Moscow, already known as the young Josh Baskin in the 1988 Tom Hanks film Big, played Davey, whose little brother Les tags along selling papers.

Who plays the cigar-chewing newsie 'Racetrack' Higgins?

Max Casella, then best known as Vinnie Delpino on Doogie Howser, M.D., played Racetrack and also voices the film's opening narration.

Before Broadway, the stage musical premiered in 2011 at which New Jersey theatre?

The Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn hosted the tryout for just three weeks, from September 25 to October 16, 2011, before Disney moved the show to New York.

Which Broadway house was home to the musical from 2012 to 2014?

The Nederlander Theatre on West 41st Street housed Newsies from March 2012; booked as a limited engagement, it went open-ended after ticket sales exploded.

Who wrote the book (script) for the stage musical?

Harvey Fierstein, author of Torch Song Trilogy and the book for Kinky Boots, wrote the Newsies book and earned a 2012 Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical.

Who originated the role of Jack Kelly on Broadway?

Jeremy Jordan created Jack at Paper Mill and on Broadway, earned a Tony nomination, left in September 2012 for NBC's Smash and returned for the 2016 filmed production.

Which newcomer took over as Jack Kelly on Broadway in September 2012?

Corey Cott, fresh out of Carnegie Mellon, took over from Jeremy Jordan in September 2012 and played Jack until the show closed in August 2014.

How many Tony Award nominations did the Broadway production receive?

Newsies earned eight Tony nominations in 2012 and won two, for Best Original Score and Best Choreography, losing Best Musical to Once.

Who won the Tony Award for Best Choreography for the musical's acrobatic dance numbers?

Christopher Gattelli won the 2012 Tony for Best Choreography; The New York Times singled out his full-speed-ahead phalanxes of dancing newsboys.

In the musical, who is reporter Katherine Plumber revealed to be?

Katherine is Pulitzer's daughter, writing under a pen name; the character borrows the name of the publisher's real daughter Katherine Ethel, who died of pneumonia in 1884 at the age of two.

Which real journalist inspired the stage character Katherine Plumber?

Katherine is modelled on Nellie Bly, who made her name at Pulitzer's New York World in 1887 by feigning insanity to report from inside the Blackwell's Island asylum.

Jack's original love interest in the 1992 film was which character?

Sarah Jacobs, Davey's sister, was Jack's love interest in the film, played by Ele Keats; the stage show folded her and reporter Bryan Denton into Katherine Plumber.

How long did the $5 million Broadway production take to recoup its investment?

Disney announced in October 2012 that Newsies had recouped its $5 million capitalization after seven months, the fastest of any Disney musical on Broadway to turn a profit.

How many performances had the Broadway run played when it closed in August 2014?

The run closed on August 24, 2014 after 1,004 regular performances and 32 previews; the final show was an invitation-only performance for fans and alumni.

The 2016 filmed stage version was shot at which Los Angeles-area venue?

It was recorded at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre over three days in September 2016 with the touring company plus original Broadway leads Jeremy Jordan and Kara Lindsay.

The filmed Newsies stage production first streamed on which service before Disney+?

After a Fathom Events cinema run and a May 23, 2017 digital release, the filmed production streamed on Netflix before moving to Disney+ at that service's launch in November 2019.

The 2022 London production was staged in the round at which venue?

The UK premiere opened at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre in November 2022, staged in the round by director-choreographer Matt Cole, and ran until July 2023.

What was distinctive about how the London production cast the Brooklyn newsies?

Many real newsgirls took part in the 1899 strike, a fact the film and original stage productions largely ignored.

Which Jack and Katherine duet replaced 'Then I See You Again' for the Broadway production?

'Something to Believe In', Jack and Katherine's rooftop duet, was written for Broadway to replace 'Then I See You Again', which had been sung at the Paper Mill tryout.

Who originated the role of Crutchie on Broadway?

Andrew Keenan-Bolger created Crutchie, the limping newsie who is Jack's best friend, at Paper Mill and on Broadway, and returned to the role for the 2016 filmed production.

Which character did future star Mike Faist play in the original Broadway cast?

Mike Faist played Morris Delancey, one of the two bullying Delancey brothers, in the original Broadway cast and understudied Jack Kelly before his breakout in Dear Evan Hansen.

Which song opens Act Two of the Broadway musical?

Act Two opens with 'King of New York', the newsies' tap-dancing celebration at Jacobi's deli after Katherine's story puts them on the front page of the Sun.

In the musical's ending, Jack negotiates the price of a hundred papers down to what?

On stage Jack talks Pulitzer down to 55 cents per hundred, a slightly better deal than the real 1899 settlement, which left the raised price in place.

On stage, the film's two songs for Medda were replaced by which single number?

'That's Rich', Medda's brassy vaudeville turn, replaced her two film numbers; much of the film score was reworked for the plot changes, with new songs for Katherine and Pulitzer.

The 1899 strike targeted the newspapers of Joseph Pulitzer and which other publisher?

William Randolph Hearst's Evening Journal and Pulitzer's Evening World were the two papers the newsboys boycotted; their 1898 circulation war had pushed the wholesale price up in the first place.

The publishers raised the price newsboys paid for a bundle of 100 papers from half a dollar to how much?

The wholesale price went from 50¢ to 60¢ per hundred in 1898; the extra dime mattered because the boys sold each paper for a penny, so the margin was tiny.

Which conflict boosted newspaper sales enough for publishers to raise prices on the newsboys?

Circulation soared during the Spanish-American War of 1898; when sales fell, most papers rolled the price back, but the Evening World and Evening Journal did not, which sparked the strike.

What was the most recognizable physical feature of strike leader Kid Blink?

Newspapers described the 18-year-old as an undersized boy with red hair; his other nicknames included Red Blink and Blind Diamond.

What was Kid Blink's real name?

When arrested during the strike he told police his name was Louis Ballat, which was likely a lie or a mishearing.

What prize was Kid Blink given for delivering the best speech at the strike's big July 24 rally?

Kid Blink was presented with a floral horseshoe for the rally's best speech; two days later, after he was seen in a new suit, rumors spread that the publishers had bribed him, and he stepped down.

Where was the strike's city-wide rally held on July 24, 1899?

The rally filled Irving Hall on Irving Place; an estimated five thousand boys from Manhattan and two thousand from Brooklyn attended, and a state senator sponsored the event.

The strike ended on August 1, 1899 with the price unchanged, but publishers agreed to do what?

The publishers agreed to buy back any unsold papers, so boys stuck with extra copies no longer had to hawk them late into the night to avoid taking a loss.

Roughly how long did the real newsboys' strike last?

The strike ran about two weeks, from July 20 to August 2, 1899; short as it was, it cut off circulation for the two papers across New York and many New England cities.

During the strike, the New York World's daily circulation fell from 360,000 to roughly what?

The World's daily sales fell from 360,000 to about 125,000 as the public sided with the boys and stopped buying the boycotted papers even where they were available.

On July 18, 1899, newsboys overturned a Journal delivery wagon in which neighborhood?

The first action came in Long Island City, Queens, where boys tipped over a Journal wagon; the next day the strike was declared in City Hall Park, and Manhattan and Brooklyn joined on July 20.

Union president David Simmons, aged 21, was also well known locally as an amateur what?

He had sold papers since he was a small boy, and his reading of the union's resolutions at the rally reportedly bored the crowd.

Which team of young newsboy heroes did DC Comics introduce in 1942?

The Newsboy Legion, created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, debuted in Star Spangled Comics #7 in 1942 with the Guardian as their protector, and resurfaced in later DC comics.

'Major Butts' Butler was arrested after telling World executives he would not break the strike for less than how much?

He had taken over the Upper Manhattan union after Kid Blink stepped down.

Which solo for Crutchie was added to the musical for the national tour?

'Letter from the Refuge', Crutchie's solo written for the 2014 national tour, replaced a scene from the film in which Jack visits him after Snyder's men take him; it was kept in the licensed version.