People debate the greatest movies over and over. There's Casablanca, It's a Wonderful Life, and then there is my personal favorite, Newsies. This shining star of Disney film embodies every aspect of great filmmaking. There's romance, there's mystery, there's violence, there's history, there's music and for those of us looking at the film a little more light-hearted there's dancing boys! All these things, plus the internet, keep Newsies alive today.
This wondrous film is based on real events. The Newsboy Strike of 1899 was one of the most amazing things American kids have ever accomplished. When Joseph Pulitzer raised the price of newspapers by a tenth of a cent to keep up circulation wars with William Randolph Hearst, the newsies fought back. It was close to impossible for them to pay the previous price and this was pushing it over the edge. After a few violent brawls, the newsboys win! In the movie version, the price is lowered back to where it was, but in the real strike the newsies got something called sell-backs, where they could sell back any papers they didn't sell to the Distribution Office. Another big difference were the two boys in charge. Jack Kelly, played by Christian Bale, and Spot Conlon, played by Gabriel Damon, were the leaders in the film. In reality, Jack Kelly didn't exist and Spot Conlon was a leader of a labor union, not the Brooklyn newsies. Other Manhattan newsies, like Mush, Kid Blink, Racetrack, Itey, Jake, and many others were based on real people.
It's universal appeal is found in its ability to grab it's audience at many levels. If a rousing musical score doesn't interest you, the romantic in you can observe the relationship between Jack and Sarah unfold. For the person with a more aggressive nature, we first witness a battle between fractions involved in the trolley strike. Again, tension flares when Jack is taken prisoner by Pulitzer in an effort to remove the spiritual leader of the newsies. Then there's Denton. Mystery fills the air as we try to decide if he was always on our side.
Along with this amazing movie comes some of the most devoted fans out there. The resources for the film online are phenomenal. The fans can be obsessed with their favorite characters and are frequently compared to the Star Trek trekkies. They are known to say that they live in a "Newsie-verse" where the world revolves around Newsies. There are more websites, or Lodging Houses, than it seems like there are fans since most of them have more than one. Mailing lists are also extremely popular. The NML, Newsie Mailing List, has been around since the movie was made and is still going strong. They can send out over 100 e-mails a day! The last, but probably the most popular Newsie-fan pastime, is fan fictions. Fan fiction is a type of writing where you use the same characters as the movie (or book, TV show, video game, basically anything) and write different stories about them. There are over 1,000 newsie fan fictions on fanfiction.net alone, plus the many numbers posted on websites around the world.
Right here in THS I have many friends who enjoy Newsies almost as much as I do. Just be reading this dissertation I hope you'll give Newsies a try. I think after just one viewing, you'll find yourself whistling "King of New York" as you go about your day. So Mr. Banks, would you like to borrow Newsies on VHS, DVD, or even just the soundtrack. I bet I can make a "Newsie phreak" out of you.