Just some random fun facts about the Outsiders I accidentally found. Enjoy.
Did you know...
THE BOOK
-Ponyboy was named after a 1909 song called "My Pony Boy" by Bobby Heath and Charlie O'Donnell. Or a popular juice concentrate from the 1950's called Pony Boy. *Shrugs*
-Cherry's last name, Valance, actually refers to a valence electron. When she is introduced, her loyalties lie with the Socs (even though she's mad at Bob and Randy) but then she acts as a "spy" for the greasers after Pony and Johnny's return to Windrixville. How this pertains to a valence electron is with its nature: valence electrons switch sides.
-When Johnny left a note in the dust to Ponyboy at the church, he ended it with the initials, J.C. It was an allusion to the Christ-like figure he would portray later in the book.
-The way Ponyboy describes eyes in the book shows how he feels about their owners. For example, he says Darry's eyes are cold, showing his discomfort towards him.
-Ponyboy appears in Hinton's book "That Was Then, This Was Now." (If you've read it, you know what I meant by the Ribbon in the last chapter.)
-Hinton’s first royalty check for The Outsiders was about ten dollars.
-The book was actually banned in many schools and libraries because it encouraged violence, intoxication, and rebellious nature...#thug-lyfe
THE MOVIE
-In the movie, when Dallas was flirting with Cherry and fell over in his chair at the drive-in - that was unscripted - the director just told them to keep rolling.
-The movie they were watching at the drive-in was Beach Blanket Bingo. Hot title, right?
- When Ponyboy and Johnny go to the bar to see Dally, the song playing on the jukebox is called 'Jack Daniel's If You Please' by David Allan Coe. This song was written and released in 1978, but the movie takes place in 1965.
-When the movie was being filmed, Rob Lowe (Sodapop) asked Hinton what originally happened to Soda, since he hadn't read the book. She told him he died in Vietnam. For a short time, it was said that he actually believed her.
-The director, Francis Coppola, actually wanted Matt Dillon to spend a night in jail to be able to understand his character better.
-During filming, the actors playing the Socs were given leather-bound scripts and were put up in luxury accommodations, while the actors portraying the greasers were given battered paperback scripts and had to stay in the basement of the hotel. Coppola wanted to create tension between the groups so they could more easily perform their rolls as opposing sides.
-While the cast was staying in the hotel, they pulled pranks on the staff. Later, when Tom Cruise (Steve) met someone who said they had worked at the hotel at the time, he instantly said, "I'm sorry."
-While Diane Lane (Cherry) was talking to Ponyboy before the rumble in the movie, she said he had kept making funny faces while the camera was panned only on her, trying to break her concentration. When this was later mentioned, Tom Howell (Ponyboy) said that Coppola had made him do it.
-S.E. Hinton was in the Outsiders movie, playing the nurse Dallas spoke to.
-The hat that Two-Bit finds in Johnny's yard belonged to a crew member behind the camera who lost the hat when a large fan accidentally blew it off his head.
-The girl who asked Dally for spare change was the director's granddaughter.
-Ralph Macchio (Johnny) was 21 in the movie. I didn't believe this and researched it. It's true!
-To create the sense of 'family' between Patrick Swayze (Darry), Rob Lowe (Soda), and Tom Howell (Pony), the director had them all living in the house together that they used to film in.
-Nicholas Cage auditioned for the role of Dallas. Obviously, he didn't get the part.
-The first punch in the rumble scene was actually unscripted, and it was supposed to be thrown at Darry - Tom Howell (Ponyboy) acutally spit blood because a tooth had come loose. The actor who hit him later apologized for acting on impulse.
So thanks for reading, just figured I'd share some of this stuff with you, all of it is pretty crazy and cool. So comment/vote/follow, and we shall meet again, Moonshine! -Hazel
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The Outsiders: Book Two
RandomRoses are Red. Violets are Red. Lavender and lemons and oranges are Red. Fury is Red. Cunning is Red. Deceitful and determined and dauntless is Red. But afraid is Red. Lost is Red. Missing and wishing and hoping is Red. ~ Red is a closed book, one...
