Ponyboy Curtis went back to the house that made him. Rapper Danny Boy O’Connor once discovered the house where The Outsiders was filmed in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Eventually, he would buy the house, and by 2019, he had created a museum for fans of the S. E. Hinton novel and subsequent movie. One of the first young adult stories of note, The Outsiders became a classic that generations would relate to. The movie itself was released in 1983 and is currently 40 years old, while the book has been around for the last 57 years.
Written by Hinton when she herself was in high school, the story brings us a tale of boys, namely Ponyboy Curtis, who are all part of a gang together. The Greasers and the Socs don’t get along, and when Ponyboy is beaten up by them, it throws his life into disarray. While the novel is a classic, the movie has also brought many fans into the world of Ponyboy, played by C. Thomas Howell, and his fellow Greasers. So, when Howell himself went to O’Connor’s museum, it was an emotional moment, mainly because Ponyboy Curtis was back in his room.
It did also bring with it the knowledge that the museum itself exists! Along with the house comes a restored gas station and a plaque at the Admiral Twin Drive-In where the film was shot. Essentially, if you go to the area where they shot The Outsiders, you can be put back in time to where the Curtis brothers and the rest of the Greasers were in one of our beloved stories. All of this, and the excitement around it, shows the power that The Outsiders has as a story.
We love the Greasers
The list of celebrities who donated to the museum shows just how deep the love for The Outsiders goes. Both Jack White and Billy Idol donated money to get the museum up and running, and the cast often comes back for events. It is just a testament to Hinton’s work and the movie, directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
When I saw C. Thomas Howell appear in The Amazing Spider-Man, I almost cried because that is Ponyboy Curtis. What is so beautiful about his tour of the museum that was posted on TikTok is that it shows how much Howell understands the love we share for not only Ponyboy but the Greasers as a whole. Now, we all just need to plan a trip to Oklahoma to see Ponyboy’s room and celebrate the love we all still share for The Outsiders, including denim outfits, slicked back hair, and writing down all our feelings, of course.
As became the calling card from the beloved story, stay golden and remember that you too can live out your dream of being a Greaser by going to The Outsiders museum and seeing the Curtis family home.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
