There’s no description that he wore an eye-patch, despite how he is portrayed in my novel as well as in Newsies. David Simmons was president of the newsboy union at the beginning of the strike, and treasurer in the second half after he was accused of betraying the strike and was forced to step back from his leadership role. He was twenty-one at the time of the strike and had been selling newspapers since the age of eight. He was also a well-known amateur prizefighter at the local athletic clubs. The newsboys’ methods were violent in the early days of the strike. Any man or boy found to be selling the two boycotted papers would be mobbed by a group of strikers, beaten, and his papers destroyed.

• How could a live-action musical featuring dozens of cute young actors singing and doing backflips in period costume not have taken off?
• He’s played by Trey Parker, and we see him with a patch over his eye.
• That’s the end of the coverage from the Washington Times on July 23rd, 1899.
• Moscow appeared in 2017’s “This Is Christmas” and “One Last Night” — but he’s mostly been focusing on behind-the-scenes work, having produced several films throughout the past few years.
• It’s not only an blueprint for political organization, but a story about kids deciding who they want to be and who they want to stand with as they grow up.

There also wasn’t time to refilm certain scenes, which led to a number of continuity errors. Instead, Bale’s character makes the decision to stay in New York off-screen, hops on a horse-drawn carriage, and unceremoniously rides in a circle. Moscow added that they rehearsed six days a week to prepare for filming. During the movie, Pulitzer makes him a scab worker by giving him the opportunity to go to Santa Fe. He later stops being a scab worker and goes back to the strike. Many fans thought Kelly was older than Ziegler when in reality he’s actually eight days younger than her.

Newsies: Based On A True Story

Or, at least, The Sun reported that he was real (newspapers didn’t fact check as much in 1899 as they do now). Yes, it was a great accomplishment to halt the distribution of New York’s most popular papers for two weeks. But the newsboys got very restless as the Newsboy Union’s parodie pub Strike Committee turned down offers from Pulitzer and Hearst throughout the two weeks. These offers included 55 cents a hundred, compared with the demand for 50 cents a hundred the boys were asking for (reduced from the contested 60 cents a hundred – the reason they were striking) . There were newsboy strikes several years before the events of 1899, including those in 1886, 1887, and 1889. The last notable strike that the newsboys held against the World and the Journal was in August 1889.

What Were The Newsies Fighting For?

She is the journalist who helps with the Newsie strike and the love interest for Jack Kelly. Now that we’ve touched on the real-life history, in Part 2 we will take a look at the real life individuals that inspired a few of the main characters in the show. Led by newspaper owners William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, journalism of the 1890s used melodrama, romance, and hyperbole to sell millions of newspapers–a style that became known as yellow journalism. The original production of NEWSIES opened on Broadway in 2012 and was slated to play only 100 performances but went on to play over 1,000 performances before touring and winning two Tony Awards®, including Best Original Score.

How Old Is Katherine Plumber?

It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification. “Newsies” and a filmed version of its Broadway musical adaptation are available to stream on Disney+. Still, only true fans know that Bale sings and dances his heart out while jumping onto a horse in “Santa Fe” — a performance he spent days practicing. And only eagle-eyed fans joke about the modern-day “exit” sign in the background of “High Times, Hard Times.” But just about everyone Insider spoke with agreed — the movie was just ahead of its time.

After the rumors of Kid Blink and David Simmons’ desertion of the strike, combined with their failure to obtain a parade permit, the newsboys’ faith in centralized leadership was diminished. Other newsboys stepped up to lead the strikers, but none of them had the same level of power and influence as Kid Blink once had. That night, Kid Blink was chased through the streets by a group of boys angry about the rumors that he had abandoned the strike. A police officer, seeing the group of running boys, assumed that Kid Blink was the leader and arrested him for disorderly conduct. Kid Blink was given a fine and let go while a group of newsboys outside the court jeered at him. In the days following the rally, the newsboys’ tactics changed to be largely non-violent.

How Much Did Newsboys Get Paid?

Where our story diverges from the history books lies in many of the other characters from the show. Here we’ll take a look at the real people that served as the primary inspiration for the show. In this production, Jo Jo, Tommy Boy, and Splasher are played by female performers. “In 1899, there were mostly young boys but there were also young girls and people of color working as newsies,” says Smith. Newsies was directed and choreographed by Kenny Ortega, who not only dreamed up all the moves made by Baby and Johnny during their Catskills affair in Dirty Dancing, but also helmed all three High School Musical movies.