Every crime drama film lover has watched Coppola’s cult classic film, The Godfather. But have you seen The Outsiders by Francis Coppola? If not, then you can read this piece and find out where was The Outsiders filmed, along with other interesting details.
The Outsiders is an American crime thriller film which was released in the early ‘80s. This classic film was directed by none other than Francis Coppola, who also co-wrote the screenplay. However, the story of this amazing movie was actually inspired by S.E. Hinton’s crime novel of the same name.
The basic premise of The Outsiders revolves around the members of two rowdy American gangs, the Greasers and Socs. The plot thickens when one of the members of these groups allegedly hacks a man to death in broad daylight.
The commercial performance of The Outsiders was as impressive as Coppola’s other films. However, this crime action film still managed to gross over $33 million at the box office, against the production budget of $10 million. The Outsiders collected 4 prestigious nominations and won the Young Artist Award in 1984.
If you’re all set to find out where was The Outsiders filmed, then without stalling any longer, let’s dive right in.
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Where Was The Outsiders Filmed? Let’s Know This Crime Drama Film Closely!
Francis Ford Coppola wanted to narrate an all-American story through The Outsiders. So, instead of choosing to shoot this crime drama film in and around the city of New York, Coppola took a different option.
Famous blockbuster movies directed by Coppola, which were released prior to The Outsiders, were more or less shot in New York City and Long Island. However, while the director was writing the script for this project, he took the decision to shoot The Outsiders outside of New York City.
So, after Coppola asked Hinton to join this project as a screenwriter, he and the novelist spent most of their time adjusting the premise for the cinema audience. Interestingly enough, the production company backing this project asked the director and the main screenplay writer to refrain from making the premise too elaborate.
Thus, the director and Hinton had to exclude certain elements and subplots from the storyline before drafting the final version. After the script was adjusted to the liking of the producers, Coppola, and his team began looking for suitable filming locations outside of New York and Long Island.
At first, the director and a couple of members of his team visited several locations in Texas and North Carolina. But, when the production members couldn’t find any ideal filming locations in these states, they decided to consider the next best option.
Coppola checked the shooting locations in person and then asked his crew to commence filming in Oklahoma. The principal photography of The Outsiders began in the final week of March 1982 and continued for two months.
During this time, all major outdoor scenes of this film were captured in several locations in Oklahoma. In fact, the interior scenes of The Outsiders were also filmed inside a film studio located in one of the major cities in Oklahoma.
The production members didn’t face any issues while acquiring the filming permit. However, while shooting an iconic scene in this movie, the entire set was burnt to ashes. As per reports, the director instructed the production members to use extra gasoline while capturing the sequence of the “Burning Church.”
Even though this iconic sequence was captured successfully, the production members struggled to control the fire later. Several fire engines rushed to the scene to save the crew and the logistics from getting burnt to a crisp. Coppola faced major backlash from the media and other contemporary directors for this incident.
Before I give you an overview of the film, let’s discuss where were The Outsiders filmed in detail.
Oklahoma | USA
The first phase of the shooting began in the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The opening scene of the movie, where we see Curtis’s brother for the first time, was filmed near St. Louise Avenue. The production members used a medium-sized house located at 731 North St. Louise Avenue, Tulsa, to capture the interior scenes of the Curtis brothers’ home.
The outdoor sequences of the home where the Greasers attacked were also filmed outside of this property. Other important scenes in Tulsa were filmed near Crutchfield Park and South Lewis Avenue.
The iconic scene of the high school was filmed inside Will Rogers High School, located at 3909 East 5th Palace, Tulsa. The production members had to install a special camera inside the premise of the school to capture the famous high school brawl scene in the movie.
The final scene of the movie was shot near a sparsely populated area in Tulsa, located between North Quincy Avenue and East Jasper Street. After these scenes were shot, the production members wrapped the entire filming process of The Outsiders.
And now, let me walk you through the plot of The Outsiders. Meanwhile, you can also read Tokyo Ghoul, The Swarm, and The Lovely Bones.
Plot Of The Outsiders | What’s It About
The basic premise of The Outsiders revolves around the members of Greasers and Socs, two rival gangs in Oklahoma. At the beginning of the film, Darrel Curtis takes on the responsibility to raise his younger siblings after the demise of their parents.
As the story progresses further, the lead actor, along with his two other brothers, gets into a biking gang and eventually starts committing street crimes. Soon enough, these brothers make their own gang and name themselves the “Greasers.” Meanwhile, the rich and criminal-minded teenagers of the Socs gang declare open rivalry against the Curtis brothers and Greasers.
Watch The Outsiders and find out the full story.
Final Words
I hope you were able to follow along. I’ve mentioned all the main filming locations of this movie. If you think we’ve missed anything, let us know in the comments. We’d definitely make the necessary changes.
However, if you wish to read similar blogs like where was The Outsiders filmed, check out other entertaining articles on Viebly.
