#Pulitzer newsies

[make-friends-with-the-rats]

Ever wonder where the inspiration behind the Newsies stage musical's Pulitzer cartoon came from? You're in luck because I've found it!

Left: 1910s USA political cartoon about child labor. Right: Newsies "Pulitzer" cartoon.

Pictured on the left is a political cartoon believed to have been drawn by Herbert Johnson and photographed by our friend Lewis Hine. It's dated to 1912, which is thirteen years after the events of Newsies. The cartoon clearly and simply depicts the hand of the "child labor employer" crushing the child workers and it's resemblance to the cartoon of the Newsies stage musical is unmistakable.

Based on the label on the lower left corner of the cartoon which reads "Courtesy of Life Publishing Company," I have concluded that this cartoon appeared in a 1910s edition of "Life" Magazine that was first published by the Life Publishing Company in 1883 and was the forerunner of the modern LIFE Magazine. [1]

When it was being published at the turn of the century, Life Magazine didn't feature articles but instead offered "sarcastic historic and social commentary, cartoons, art, humorous views on current events and personalities, theater reviews, and more." [1]

It'd also like to note that, while we're talking about political cartoons, The New York World became the first daily newspaper in the United States to include them - but this was in 1884, fifteen years before the strike. [2] This makes the stage musical inaccurate in suggesting that the World had not included daily political cartoons prior to Pulitzer's offer to Jack.

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1- History of the first LIFE Magazine - 2Neat Magazines 2- An Historic Look at Political Cartoons - Nieman Reports

[jack-whatsyourangle]

some proposals for places i would put an f-bomb in newsies if i could only have one:

"What, you mean like a strike?"/"Well, you heard Davey, we're on strike!"/"Fuck"

"I'll learn to make do with the mansion, the oil well, the diamonds, the yacht... with Andy, Eduardo the pontiff and Scott... and Frank... oh, and my fucking bank."

"Oh, c'mon, Katherine! Those boys are counting on you!... Oh, you poor fucking boys."

"And we found our voice!"/"And I lost my fucking shoe!"

"Write it in ink or in blood it's the same either way/They're gonna fucking pay"

literally any of jack's lines in watch what happens (reprise)

"...or cross the Brooklyn Bridge... hell, you can't even get out of your own fucking office."

"He's a fucking sellout!"

"I trust you know my daughter, Katherine."/"What the fuck?"

"My father has eyes on every corner of this fucking city! He doesn't need me spying for him."

"If you weren't going to Santa Fe..."/"Yeah, and if you weren't a fucking heiress."

"NEWSIES! WE FUCKING WON!"

[thegreatbuttoneer]

Jack "Oh no" Kelly

Davey "That's DISGUSTING-" Jacobs

Les "SHE AIN'T GOT NO CLOTHES ON" Jacobs

Katherine "Good for you 😃" Pulitzer/Plumber

Racetrack "Ya erster" Higgins

Crutchie "I gawt poisonality!" Morris

Spot "On the grounds of BROOKLYN. 😏" Conlon

Joe "I don't look as pretty 😔" Pulitzer

[faefox9s-incorrect-quotes]

[lacysum]

yeah okay I'm back and I'm back with Newsies

tumblr sees pulitzer and his fruity ass chair pose first

[wekiaam]

Joseph "I'll be teaching them a real life lesson in economics" Pulitzer

[winteraurora]

Hadestown and Newsies are very interesting revolutionary musicals. Unlike Hamilton or Le mis they are not explicit in their anti-capitalist and anti-government statements. They are subtle. 'Build the wall' and 'bottom line' hold the same meaning in their stories of the capitalist ruler discussing why they do what they do.

Though in 'the bottom line' Pulitzer is more blatant with his cutting of the newsies fees and how this is all for profit, 'build the wall' is more subtle with the explanation of why hades does what he does, as a way to control his citizens, he obviously is useing this explanation as a way to control them. 'We build the wall to keep us free, and the wall keeps out the enemy and the enemy is poverty and our work is never done.'

Both stories also use this familiar tone with the characters. Hades calls his workers 'my children' and Pulitzer says 'I couldn't have given them a better education if they were my own children'

Both stores have good revolution songs with hades town it's 'if its true" "nothing changes" "how long?" And of course "chant (reprise)"

While newsies has "the world will know" and "once and for all"

The fundamental difference between these two musicals is that Orpheus fought back for love, he did all of this for Eurydice for his wife, he went literally to hell and back, he fought through song and through appealing to Hades love for Prosephone.

While Jack fought for freedom through aggression...yes but ultimately he fought to go to Santa Fe which to his is freedom.

And the biggest difference between these two musicals two is the ending. Hadestown is a retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice he will look back we know this. This freedom of leaving hades town comes with a sting attached, with a stipulation of 'is he tricking me? Would he really let me leave?' While Newsies ends with Jack finding his freedom in New York and child labor laws being implemented. (Like in real history)

Sorry I'm not the best at media analysis especially with musicals since to me a lot of it feels like text and not subtext,

[newmsies]

this annoying motherfucker and beautiful lovely daughter can have a complicated relationship where he wants the best for her but his version of the best without leaving room for her to tell him what she wants, sure

[newsies-furry-au]

bottom line

[one-paper-bag]

Pulitzer the type of guy to say “I see you’ve fallen right into my trap”

[ill-say-anything-i-hafta]

Why does katherine allow herself to be used by pulitzer to humiliate Jack? I get that she might still have a relationship with her father even though they disagree about a lot, but she should not be silent in that room. This scene makes me hate her, though I realize it is really just bad writing. The writers are doing their only female character dirty and using her as a dramatic tool, just like Pulitzer is doing.

That said, given the way the play is written, I feel like the actor who plays katherine needs to act way more horrified or embarrassed or mad at Pulitzer in that scene if she ever wants me on her side again.

Lying about your name to distance yourself from your asshole dad? Totally relatable. Watching someone you've been working with be threatened by him and standing by? NO.

[newsiesproduction]

Audition Information: Joseph Pulitzer

Character:

A pompous businessman through and through, owns the World and is concerned solely with the bottom line. Katherine’s no-nonsense father, Pulitzer doesn’t sympathize with the strikers, but he does eventually – and grudgingly – respect Jack.

Lines:

-"Whoever said war is hell wasn't trying to sell newspapers."

-"And which Jack Kelly is this? The charismatic union organizer, or the petty thief and escaped convict?"

-"That's not a bad head you've got on your shoulders."

Sing: 60 seconds of either The Bottom Line or The Bottom Line Reprise!!!

Happy auditioning! >:)

[ill-say-anything-i-hafta]

DO YOU KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE, BOY?

If I could have one thing in life it would be that a former Jack Kelly ages enough to be able to play Pulitzer in a newsies revival

[faefox9s-incorrect-quotes]

[lycheeleeches]

The newsies brain rot is eating me alive. Decided to randomly watch newsies again and it over took me

at some point I’ll finalize some designs for these guys

[wekiaam]

"My thought exactly."

I started using Sketchbook for this instead of IbisPaint and omgggg it's so much fun to work with actually