Newsies
Synopsis of Movie
“Headlines don’t sell papes. Newsies sell papes.”
They tried. They really did. Maybe the world just wasn’t ready for Newsies. Disney stacked the deck as much as they could: director Kenny Ortega, who choreographed the smash hit Dirty Dancing; The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast composer Alan Menken; Robert Duvall, Ann-Margret and a cast of fresh-faced lads ready to hoof it up on the city streets a la West Side Story. All the ingredients were there for a good old-fashioned musical, but something didn’t click with the moviegoing public.
They even had the “based on a true story” angle. The movie follows the historically-semi-accurate trials of a ragtag bunch of “New Yawk” street urchins who hawk papers for publishing magnates Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. When the tyrants raise the prices the newsies must pay for their papers, cutting into their already-miniscule profits, the boys decide to strike back.
Juvenile Hall escapee Jack Kelly assumes the leadership of the motley crew, which includes kids with names like Crutchy, Boots, Mush and Snitch. Befriended by dance hall performer Medda Larkson and reporter Bryan Denton, the newsies unionize to fight the powers-that-be through song, dance and stick-togetherness.
Maybe the time for musicals had passed, or maybe the story of paperboys in 1899 just wasn’t hip enough for 1990’s audiences. Whatever the reason, Newsies was gone from theaters before the ink dried. The film won its share of very loyal fans (many of the “Gee, those boys are cute” variety); it just didn’t earn any money. And somewhere in their graves, Pulitzer and Hearst cracked a pair of cruel smiles.
Movie Release History
1992 - NewsiesMovie Sub Categories
live-actiondrama
musical
disney
Movie Studio
DisneyCast
Jack Kelly Christian BaleFrancis Sullivan Christian Bale
David Jacobs David Moscow
Les Jacobs Luke Edwards
Racetrack Max Casella
Crutchy Marty Belafsky
Boots Arvie Lowe Jr.
Mush Aaron Lohr
Kid Blink Trey Parker
Spot Conlon Gabriel Damon
Snitch Dee Caspary
Jake Joseph Conrad
Itey Dominic Maldonado
Snipeshooter Matthew Fields
Specs Mark David
Dutchy Ivan Dudynsky
Snoddy Robert Feeney
Skittery Michael A. Goorjian
Bumlets Dominic Lucero
Pie Eater David Sidoni
Swifty Kevin Stea
Bryan Denton Bill Pullman
Medda Larkson Ann-Margret
Sarah Jacobs Ele Keats
Mayer Jacobs Jeffrey DeMunn
Esther Jacobs Deborra-Lee Furness
Kloppman Marc Lawrence
Ten-Pin Kevin Michaels
Nun Sylvia Short
Nun Melody Santangello
Nun Lois Young
Patrick's Mother Jo Ann Harris
Toby the Candy Butcher Gregg Kent-Smith
Theodore Roosevelt David James Alexander
Joseph Pulitzer Robert Duvall
Weasel Michael Lerner
Snyder Kevin Tighe
Seit . Charles Cioffi
Oscar Delancey Shon Greenblatt
Morris Delancey David Sheinkopf
Jonathan Mark Lowenthal
Judge "Movealong" Monahan William Boyett
Mayor Van Wyck Ryan MacDonald
Chief of Police Devery Frank Girardeau
Captain McSwain Shay Duffin
Bailiff Terry Kohl
Bunsen Tom Finnegan
Gammon I.M. Hobson
Policeman Frank Novak
Medda's Helper Louise Bale
O'Rourke Lonnie Burr
Short Round Harrison Cheung
Tumble Boy Jimmy Grant
Newsie Jean-Paul Hellendall
Fireman Frank Slaten