The Outsiders House Museum facts for kids
The Outsiders House Museum
May 31, 2017 |
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| Established | 2017 (House built circa 1920) |
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| Location | 731 Curtis Brothers Lane Tulsa, Oklahoma 74106 USA |
| Founder | Danny O'Connor |
The Outsiders House Museum is a special place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It's a museum all about the famous movie The Outsiders (1983). This movie was based on a popular book from 1967 by S. E. Hinton.
The museum helps keep the house safe. This house was the main place where the Curtis Brothers lived in the movie. A hip-hop artist named Danny Boy O'Connor, who loved The Outsiders, started this museum.
The house was built around 1920 and was a regular home for many years. But in 1982, director Francis Ford Coppola used it for filming The Outsiders. The movie became very popular and is known for its young cast. Many of these young actors later became big stars.
In 2009, Danny Boy O'Connor visited Tulsa. He remembered the movie was filmed there and found the house. He kept visiting it over the years. In 2016, he bought the house. After a lot of work to make it look like it did in the movie, the museum opened on August 9, 2019.
Contents
The Story of The Outsiders House Museum
The House's Early Days
The house is in North Tulsa, at 731 North St. Louis Avenue. It was built around 1920. For many years, it was a private home.
But in 1982, it became a movie set. Director Francis Ford Coppola chose it for the Curtis Brothers' home in The Outsiders movie. The film was based on S. E. Hinton's book.
The movie is famous for its cast of young actors. Many of them became huge stars later. These include C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, and Diane Lane. Even today, the movie has many fans. After filming, the house went back to being a private home.
How the House Was Found Again
In 2009, hip-hop artist Danny Boy O'Connor was on tour. He had a few days off in Tulsa. Danny Boy was a big fan of The Outsiders. He suddenly remembered that Tulsa was where the movie was filmed.
He asked a taxi driver to show him the movie locations. That's how he found the house again. He took a picture and shared it online. The photo became very popular! This led Danny Boy to start a group called The Delta Bravo Urban Exploration Team. They visit and document famous places from movies, TV, and music. The Outsiders House was their first project.
Danny Boy kept visiting the house whenever he was in Tulsa.
Buying and Fixing Up the House
On March 9, 2016, Danny Boy O'Connor bought the house for $15,000. He said it was in bad shape when he first saw it inside. With help from friends and volunteers, they started fixing it up. Their goal was to make it look exactly like it did in the movie.
The Oklahoma Film and Music Office and the City Council also helped. Many local businesses and people volunteered their time. They helped with everything from fixing the foundation to cleaning up the yard. The team worked hard to make sure every detail matched the movie. They even remade the front door and kept some fence damage.
They also raised money online. Famous people like Jack White and Billy Idol donated. Special movie screenings were held to raise funds, and actor C. Thomas Howell attended some of them. On August 5, the street signs near the house were changed to "The Outsiders Way" and "The Curtis Brothers Lane".
In 2018, S. E. Hinton and C. Thomas Howell visited the house. They put their handprints in wet cement. All three, including Danny Boy, received a special key to the city of Tulsa.
Opening the Museum
On August 9, 2019, the museum officially opened with a special ceremony.
That same year, a plaque was put up in an alley nearby. It marks a scene from Rumble Fish (1983). This was another movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola, also based on an S. E. Hinton book and filmed in Tulsa.
Besides C. Thomas Howell, other stars from The Outsiders have visited the museum. These include Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, and Matt Dillon.
In September 2022, a group in Sperry, Oklahoma, fixed up the old DX gas station from the movie. They are working with Danny Boy to bring more Outsiders nostalgia to Sperry.
In October 2022, the museum published a book called The Outsiders ‘Rare and Unseen’. It has 148 photos taken by David Burnett, who was the photographer on the movie set. Danny Boy said these photos show the actors in a more natural way.
On April 14, 2023, a new plaque was put up at the Admiral Twin drive-in. This was part of a celebration for the movie's 40th anniversary. A scene from the movie was filmed at the drive-in.
Museum Design and Collections
The Outsiders House Museum was made by fans, for fans. It uses the whole house to show how it looked in the movie. You can see the front porch, living room, dining room, bathroom, and kitchen.
The museum has many cool items. It has over 500 different versions of The Outsiders book from around the world. You can also see Francis Ford Coppola's director chair. There are clothes worn by the actors and even a 1949 Plymouth Super Deluxe car.
Images for kids
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The Outsiders House Museum
May 31, 2017
