Newsies/Trivia

• The Danza: David Moscow plays... David Jacobs!
• Executive Meddling: Originally it was going to be a straight drama, but somebody at the studio thought it would do better as a musical. Because it's Disney!
  • Indeed, the trope even applies in the movie itself: the Newsies only go on strike because Pulitzer decided to raise the cost of papers for the Newsies without raising the cost for the consumers.
• Hey, It's That Guy!: Jack Kelly is Batman. Joseph Pulitzer is Tom Hagan. And the King of New York later becomes president.
  • You mean, Batman is Jack Kelly. This movie predates Batman Begins by 13 years.
  • Also, Nora Walker (Tommy's mom) is a vaudeville actress.
  • And Racetrack is Doogie Howser's best friend.
  • Mush is one of the Bash Brothers.
  • David is 13-year-old Tom Hanks.
  • Dean Portman was a paperboy before he was a hockey player.
  • At least a few people who were around for the late 80s will probably remember the guy who spun on the fan having simulated sex with Paula Abdul onstage at the MTV VMAs...
• Old Shame: By his own account, Christian Bale (now Batman!) wasn't too happy with the decision to turn Newsies into a musical.
  • He is at least ware of the film's cult audience, stating that "saying something negative about Newsies means there's an awful lot of people you have to answer to." It's something that would garner more just an embarrassed look than actual outrage, but suffice it to say, he's sworn off musicals.