really confused please help!!

oops kover meant to be love her....and does anyone know of c thomas howell plays ponyboy in this =]

Lets do it for Johnny,Man. We'll do it for Johnny!!--Dally;;The Outsiders

The S.E. Hinton books "The Outsiders", "That Was Then, This is Now" and "Tex" all compliment each other.

Ponyboy, a character from "The Outsiders" makes a small cameo in novel "That Was Then, This is Now". The character Mark Jennings from "TWT...TiN", is the escaped convict that holds Tex & Mason McCormick at gunpoint in their pick-up truck in "Tex". Ms. Carlson, the english teacher in "Tex" is the same Cathy Carlson from "TWT...TiN".

Ponyboy is NOT in the movie version of "That Was Then, This is Now". Here's why I think that was:

1) "The Outsiders" movie was a period piece. It takes place in the late sixties. The film version of "TWT...TiN" takes place in the mid-eighties, which is when the film was made. However, the Shepard brothers are in both movies. They're recast for "TWT...TiN". So we're dealing with two different timeframes for the movie versions. I suspect it was cheaper to make "TWT...TiN" a present day film versus a period piece.

2) "The Outsiders" movie takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. "TWT...TiN" takes place in Minneapolis & Saint Paul, Minnesota. There's even a Hennipin County sign. However, the "TWT...TiN" book takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I suspect it was cheaper for the filmmakers to shoot the movie in the Twin Cities, so this is a minor change to accommodate the movie's budget.

3) Different studios did the different movies. Different directors, writing staff, producers and such. Anything goes! I suspect that they were not too concerned about maintaining continuity with the books.

4) I don't officially know, but I'll bet C. Thomas Howell was never offered a chance for a cameo. After all, Ponyboy's cameo in the book "TWT...TiN" was very minor and easy to leave out of the film version.

5) Budget. "TWT...TiN" was made on a small budget. To have brought Ponyboy in would have brought up costs. As mentioned, he wasn't essential to the plot, the movies are set in different cities and different decades.

6) Mark Jennings was played by Zeljko Ivanek in "Tex" (1982). He's credited as 'Hitchhiker', but you hear the hitchhiker's name and crimes on television. We know it's Mark. Mark Jennings was played by Emilio Estevez in "That Was Then, This is Now" (1985). Mr. Estevez was also in "Tex" as 'Johnny Collins'.

That's my take with a few facts.


Cheers, ~ MC2
"The reservist formerly known as JO2"

thanks...its more cleared up now

Lets do it for Johnny,Man. We'll do it for Johnny!!--Dally;;The Outsiders

Those are some interesting questions. I just bought this book for one of my kids, and I read it last night for the first time in 20 years. I'll try to answer some of your questions.

"Bryon! she said,tears jumping to her eyes.You know i know how you feel"
yeah...dont get it

Cathy had lost her brother, M&M. He was in the hospital and was not going to be the same. I think she meant she understood what it was like to lose a brother.


"Bryon, you got even with mark for cathy,then you got even with cathy for mark."
i know how he got even with mark,but what did he get even with cathy with??

He got even with Cathy by not loving her anymore. In the last pages, he wonders if he would have drifted apart from Mark if he had never met Cathy. So by not loving her anymore, he was getting back at her for being responsible for his losing Mark. That may also answer your question about why he did not love her anymore.

The one about him being a tough punk but not being dumb always confused me as well. I think maybe he was giving Bryon a clue as to what he was doing? They had once jumped a hippie, but not, Mark was not dumb, he was friends with hippies because selling drugs to them was good business, and they needed money. When they are waiting for the police to arrive, Mark tells Bryon that he kinda figured he knew he was dealing drugs.


It is a great book with lots of unanswered questions. That is what makes Hinton books great, the characters are real people with real problems people can relate to, and it does not get wrapped up in a nice package at the end.

I don't know if this helps but I'm a huge fan of S.E. Hinton, she's my favorite author so I think I may have interpreted her somewhat correctly. I believe the reason Bryon didn't love Kathy anymore was because he blamed her a little bit for what happened to Mark. It was her brother who told him that Mark was dealing the drugs and even though Bryon knew something was going on he didn't think it was that bad. I think Bryon believed that if he had never met Kathy then everything would be okay with him and Mark. I think it would just be hard for him to be with someone who he blamed even if he only blamed her a little bit. I hope that helps you.

Doin' your mom and tryin' to kill your dad. Hmm, there should be a play.~~Angelus

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