Based on a book that’s over 55 years old, The Outsiders is perhaps the quintessential coming-of-age story. While the novel had a huge impact in the ‘60s, and continues to five decades later, it’s no secret that Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of the beloved story has become something of a cult classic, too. Released in 1983, The Outsiders movie turns 40 this year, proving that some things really can “stay gold,” no matter what Robert Frost thinks. Here’s everything to know about The Outsiders film, from why it sparked controversy to how it has endured.
Author S.E. Hinton was a teenager herself when she penned the book. Though her given name is Susan Eloise Hinton, the author’s publisher suggested she go with a more gender ambiguous pen name so that she wouldn’t be dismissed by male critics. A frustrating reality of the time — especially given Hinton’s incredible talent.
Although the book was published when Hinton was 18 years old, she wrote the bulk of it at 16 — as a junior in high school. Often, writers have a difficult time capturing teens’ voices, either writing them too old or too young. But Hinton was writing about characters around her age, and captures their vibrant voices with such authenticity. That’s no doubt part of the lasting appeal of The Outsiders. In fact, the book was inspired by two rival gangs at Will Rogers High School, which she attended. Desiring to empathize with the Greasers, she wrote from their point of view.
In hindsight, Hinton has been credited with making Young Adult (YA) fiction popular — and taken more seriously. In 1988, the ALA presented Hinton with the Margaret Edwards Award for her contributions to writing for teens. According to Viking Press, the original publisher of The Outsiders, the book sells upwards of 500,000 copies annually, and, since 1967, has sold more than 14 million copies.
Why Is The Outsiders A Controversial Book?
A frequent entry on the American Library Association’s “Most Frequently Challenged Books” list, The Outsiders is also far and away one of the most enduring coming-of-age stories around. First published in 1967, the film’s source material is an impressive 56 years old, and shows no signs of vanishing from pop culture consciousness or school curricula at large.
Still, some schools and libraries have tried to ban The Outsiders due to its depiction of underage drinking and smoking, crass language, violence, and so-called “family dysfunction” — that is, The Outsiders portrays a chosen family, not a nuclear one. Many schools challenge and ban the book from middle-school reading lists because “virtually all the characters [are] from broken homes.” The irony, of course, is that the book is a critique of classism and the strife that emerges between rival gangs due to their varying socioeconomic status.
The Outsiders was controversial upon its publication and, decades later, some parents — a group from Boone, Iowa in 1992, and another from Eleanor, West Virginia in 2001 — object to the book’s violence and obscenities, and even claim that the novel “glamorizes” smoking and lacks adult role models. Still, The Outsiders resonates with teen readers for a reason, suggesting that its story and characters are exactly the kinds of things young adult readers need to see on the page.
The Outsiders Cast: Who Is In The Outsiders Movie?
Best known for directing The Godfather trilogy, director Francis Ford Coppola was inspired to make The Outsiders film after receiving a letter from Fresno, California-based librarian Jo Ellen Misakian. The librarian shared that Hinton’s novel had encouraged so many young adults — and young boys in particular — to become more active readers. The rest, as they say, is history. Against a $10 million budget, The Outsiders grossed more than $33 million and became a beloved cult classic.
Additionally, The Outsiders adaptation is often credited with starting the “Brat Pack” genre of film — think The Breakfast Club (1985), for example. It also introduced viewers to an unbelievable cast of now-household names, like Matt Dillon, who plays Dallas “Dally” Winston, and Diane Lane, who plays Cheri "Cherry" Valance. The star-studded cast also includes C. Thomas Howell as Ponyboy Curtis; Rob Lowe, in his feature film debut, as Sodapop Curtis; Patrick Swayze as Darrel “Darry” Curtis; Ralph Macchio as Johnny Cade; Emilio Estevez as Two-Bit Matthews; and Tom Cruise as Steve Randle.
What Is The Outsiders About?
Based on S.E. Hinton’s own high school experiences, The Outsiders centers on the conflict between rival gangs that are divided by socioeconomic status — the well-off Socs (short for “Socials”) and the working-class Greasers. Teenage Greaser Ponyboy Curtis (Howell), who serves as the novel’s first-person narrator, remains the protagonist of Coppola’s coming-of-age crime drama. Ponyboy’s oldest brother, Darry (Swayze), works two jobs and raises both Ponyboy and their middle brother, Sodapop (Lowe).
Ponyboy, a talented writer, is best pals with Johnny (Macchio). One night, the duo offer to walk fellow teens Cherry (Lane) and Marcia (Michelle Meyrink) home. The only perceived problem? Cherry and Marcia are from upper-class families, and their boyfriends, Bob (Leif Garrett) and Randy (Darren Dalton), are Socs. The girls go home with their boyfriends, eager to spare Ponyboy and Johnny from any uncalled-for violence.
Later that night, Ponyboy and Johnny meet up in a park to hang, escape from their difficult home lives, and reminisce about when they were younger. And that’s when the two are attacked by a group of Socs, led by Bob and Randy. Johnny is beaten to a pulp, so the Socs move on to Ponyboy, attempting to drown him in the park’s fountain. To stop the Socs and save Ponyboy’s life, Johnny stabs Bob with a knife, killing him.
Scared and panicked, Ponyboy and Johnny find fellow Greaser Dally (Dillon), who gives them money and a loaded gun so that they can flee Tulsa. The duo hop a train and end up hiding out in an abandoned church. A while later, Dally turns up and says he lied to the police about their whereabouts. Sodapop, who’s given Dally a letter, wants Ponyboy to come home, claiming that Cherry is willing to testify on the Greasers’ behalf. Johnny, on the other hand, wants to turn himself in.
That same day, Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally return from the store to find the church on fire. They rescue the children who are trapped inside, but, in the process, Johnny breaks his back. At the hospital, they’re reunited with their fellow Greasers. Although Ponyboy and Johnny are called heroes on the front page of the paper, this news threatens Ponyboy’s home life as a judge may send him to a boys’ home. Another problem? Bob’s death has sparked a rumble between the rival gangs. Dally, who’s still in the hospital with a severely injured Johnny, tells Ponyboy to “do it for Johnny” and win the fight against the Socs.
Dally ends up joining the rumble, despite his injuries. Afterward, he and Ponyboy drive to the hospital to tell Johnny about the Greasers’ victory over the Socs. It’s then that Johnny delivers one movie’s most memorable line, telling Ponyboy to “stay gold” — moments later, Johnny passes away. Furious over Johnny’s death, Dally recklessly robs a store, but the owner shoots him. When the police arrive on the scene before Darry and the other Greasers, Dally points his empty gun at the police, who shoot and kill him.
In the end, Ponyboy is exonerated for Bob’s death and officially placed in Darry’s custody. Feeling uninspired by his English teacher’s request that he write a personal essay about his experiences, Ponyboy flips through Johnny’s copy of Gone with the Wind — the book the two read while hiding out at the church. Inside, Johnny’s placed a letter, which says sacrificing his life was worth it to save the kids from the fire. In the letter, he tells Ponyboy to “never change” — another way of saying “stay gold.” That letter from Johnny inspires Ponyboy to write a personal essay after all, and he titles it “The Outsiders.”
What Year Is The Outsiders Movie Set?
The Outsiders book is set in 1965 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Although this is never explicitly stated in the novel, Hinton has been very open about her inspirations for The Outsiders, basing it on her own high school experiences in Tulsa around that time. Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film adaptation of The Outsiders is faithful in this way, with the setting and year remaining the same as in the novel.
Stay Gold Meaning In The Outsiders
One of the most famous lines from The Outsiders, both in Hinton’s book and Francis Ford Coppola’s film, is “stay gold.” A reference to a Robert Frost poem, which claims “Nothing gold can stay,” Ponyboy recites the piece to Johnny while they’re hiding out at the church. In short, Frost’s poem claims that all good things must come to an end. Before his death, Johnny tells Ponyboy to “stay gold” — to remain the good person that he is, despite their shared harrowing experiences, and never change.
Where to Stream The Outsiders
Currently, The Outsiders movie is available to stream on HBO Max for subscribers. Those with DirecTV can also stream the film for no additional cost. For viewers with Hulu or Prime Video subscriptions, The Outsiders can be accessed by subscribing to the HBO add-on. Additionally, the movie can be rented for around $3.99 or purchased digitally for around $14.99 from stores and platforms like Google Play, Apple TV, YouTube TV, Fandango’s Vudu, Amazon’s Prime Video, AMC Theaters On Demand, Redbox, DirecTV, and the Microsoft Store.