43 years ago, a cult classic hit theaters, launching the careers of Tom Cruise,Patrick Swayze, and other future ’80s stars.
That movie? Francis Ford Coppola’s epic adaptation of The Outsiders, based on the book of the same name by S.E. Hinton. On this day in 1983, moviegoers were introduced to the Greasers and the Socs in one of the most popular and beloved movies of all time.
Along with Swayze and Cruise, The Outsiders starred Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell,Ralph Macchio,Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane, Leif Garrett, and Darren Dalton. The entire cast was largely unknown at the time.
That didn’t last long, as The Outsiders’success quickly thrust them into fame, taking their careers to new heights.
The Outsiders film is set in Oklahoma in the 1950s, focusing on Ponyboy Curtis (Howell) and his brothers, Sodapop (Lowe) and Daryl (Swayze), along with their Greaser friends. When trouble finds Ponyboy and Johnny (Macchio), their lives are forever changed.
The film goes down in cinema history; however, what was released wasn’t the version that Coppola wanted because so much of the book was removed. Coppola reiterated that during an interview on Lowe’s podcast, Literally with Rob Lowe. The director fought with the studio over the version that was released in 1983 because there was so much more to the movie that didn’t make the cut.
In 2021, The Outsiders: The Complete Novel was released in movie theaters. It’s the version Coppola wanted and falls more in line with the book, including additional scenes from both before and after the original film’s timeline.
Lowe often compares filming the movie to summer camp because the cast, many teens and young adults, stayed in a hotel in Oklahoma at the time. The actor has also referred to The Outsiders as his frat brothers because of the bond that they formed back then.
Howell has previously stated that he is still remembered from the movie, with fans even quoting the infamous “Nothing Gold Can Stay” poem by Robert Frost, which Ponyboy tells Johnny in the movie.
When he appeared on Lowe’s podcast, Macchio admitted that fans still come up to him and say his famous The Outsiders line, “Stay gold, Ponyboy.”
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Decades later, The Outsiders is as popular as ever. Along with new generations finding the movie, The Outsiders: A New Musical is currently on Broadway, based on Hinton’s book, produced by Hollywood legend Angelina Jolie.
This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the Movies section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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