Please Sir, May I Have Some More?

Charles Dickens was born February 7, 1812 in Portsea, England. When he was still a youngster, his father suffered financial reverses, and so at twelve years old, Dickens had to leave home and had to work in a factory. A central theme for many of his future novels was the hardship faced by the dispossessed. Dickens was a champion of the common working man, and this increased his popularity immensily. He exposed the lurid conditins of the workhouses, which were little more than prisons for the poor; human dignity was destroyed. He became a journalist, a writer, a publisher, and a writer who perfomed on stage; reading aloud his work. OLIVER TWIST was one of his most successful oral renditions. This put him, and his work, in the public eye. He called his stage appearances his "Reading Tours." In 1837, OLIVER TWIST first appeared as a serial installment in the magazine,"Bentley's Miscellany.". Dickens was the editor of the magazine at the time. He used several illustrators over the years, but George Cruikshank did all the original artwork for OLIVER TWIST. It is mostly his illustrations that got reprinted in later editions of the book. Cruikshank was a hard drinker, and a sometimes actor in Dicken's amateur company. Charles Dickens died of a stroke in 1870 at only 58 years old.

There have been 22 filmed versions of OLIVER TWIST.
In 1909, in the USA, there was a silent short, directed by J. Stuart Blackton; with William Humphreys at Fagin, Edith Storey as Oliver, and Elita Proctor-Otis as Nancy Sykes.

In 1912, in America, there was a full length silent feature of OT. It featured Vinnie Barnes as Oliver, Nat C. Goodwin as Fagin, Lillian Delesque as Rose, and Mortimer Martine as Bill Sykes. Obviously it was not uncommon in those early days for young women to portray boys.

In 1912, in England, a silent feature of OT was produced. It was directed by Thomas Bentley; with Ivy Millais as Oliver, John McMahon as Fagin, Harry Royston as Bill Sykes, and Alma Taylor as Nancy.

In 1916, in the USA, another silent feature of OT was released. It was directed by James Young; with Marie Doro as Oliver, Tully Marshal as Fagin, Hobart Bosworth as Fagin, Elsie Jane Wilson as Nancy, and W.S.Van Dyke as Charles Dickens [who later become a respected film director in Hollywood].

In 1920, in Germany, a silent feature of OT appeared. It was directed by Lupu Pick.

In 1922, in America, Oliver Twist was released. This was a landmark silent feature, directed by Frank Lloyd. It starred Jackie Coogan as Oliver, Lon Chaney as Fagin, George Siegmann as Bill Sykes, and Gladys Brockwell as Nancy.

In 1933, in the USA. Oliver Twist was released. This was the first talkie version of OT. It was directed by William J. Cowen. It starred Dickie Moore as Oliver, Irving Pichel as Fagin, William (stage) Boyd [not Hoppy] as Bill Sykes, and Doris Lloyd as Nancy. In 1948, in England, Oliver Twist (1948) - Criterion Collection was released. It was directed by David Lean. It starred John Howard Davies as Oliver, Alec Guinness as Fagin, Robert Newton as Bill Sykes, Kay Walsh as Nancy, Anthony Newley as the Artful Dodger, and Diana Dors as Charlotte.

In 1955, in Brazil, a version of OT appeared. It starred Adriano Stuart as Oliver, and Jaime Barcellos as Fagin.

In 1960, in Brazil, a mini-series of OLIVER TWIST was released.

In 1962, in England, a mini-series was done for British TV. It featured Bruce Prochnik as Oliver, with Max Adrian as Fagin, Peter Vaughn as Bill Sykes, and Carmel McSharry as Nancy.

Also in 1962, in France, a television version was shown. It was directed by Jean-Paul Carrere, and it featured Marcel Dalio.

In 1975, an animated version of Oliver Twist (Clam) appeared. It is a non-Disney version, and it featured the voices of Davy Jones, Larry Storch, Josh Albee, and Cathleen Cordell.

In 1981, another animated version of Oliver Twist was released. It featured the voice talents of Josh Albee of Oliver, and Les Tremayne as Fagin.

In 1982, on American television, Oliver Twist (1982) appeared. This was a classy version directed by Clive Donner. It starred Richard Charles as Oliver, with George C. Scott as Fagin, Tim Curry as Bill Sykes, Cheri Lungli as Nancy; with Michael Hordern.

In 1985, an English mini-series of Oliver Twist (1985) appeared on television. It was directed by Gareth Davies. It starred Ben Rodska as Oliver, Eric Porter as Fagin, Michael Atwell as Bill Sykes, and Amanda Harris as Nancy.

In 1988, Oliver Twist and 1991 Oliver Twist were released. Both of these efforts were animated features.In 1997, on American television, Oliver Twist appeared. It was directed by Tony Bill. It featured Alex Trench as Oliver, Richard Dreyfuss as Fagin, David O'Hara as Bill Sykes, Elijah Wood as the Artful Dodger, and Antoine Byrne as Nancy.

In 1999, another mini-series of Masterpiece Theater: Oliver Twist (1999) appeared on television. It was directed by Renny Rye, with Sam Smith as Oliver, Robert Lindsay as Fagin, Andy Serkis as Bill Sykes, and Emily Woof as Nancy.

In 2003, yet another animated version of Oliver Twist was released.

The buzz in the industry is that in 2005, director Roman Polanski will release his version of the classic tale.

For those that would prefer to read this classic in print, Amazon has several publications. Included would be Oliver Twist (Dover Thrift Editions) a paperback at 362 pages, and Oliver Twist (Penguin Classics), a paperback at 608 pages, and Oliver Twist (Great Illustrated Classics), one of the great illustrated classics at 240 pages, and finally Oliver Twist: The Official Companion to the Itv Drama Series, a great companion piece by Tom McGregor, a hardback at 160 pages. For those lovers of the musical versions of OT, Amazon can accommodate.

My favorite, released in 1968, is Oliver!, the DVD version, with Mark Lester, Ron Moody, Oliver Reed, Sharri Wallis, Jack Wild, Hugh Griffith, and Harry Secombe. There also is the VHS version, Oliver! (30th Anniversary Edition), and then there is Oliver! (1968 Film Soundtrack), the movie soundtrack.Also available from 1963 is Oliver! (Deluxe Edition) (1963 Original Broadway Cast) [CAST RECORDING], with Lionel Bart, Clive Revill, Georgia Brown, and Bruce Prochnik. And in 1994 there was Oliver!: The 1994 London Palladium Cast Recording, featuring Jenny Galloway, Gregory Bradley, Jonathan Pryce, and Sally Dexter. From 1960 there is Oliver! (1960 Original London Cast), featuring Paul Whitsun-Jones, Ron Moody, Lionel Bart, and Georgia Brown. In 1991, we could find Oliver! (1991 Studio Cast), featuring John Owen Edwards, Lionel Bart, Julien Forsythe, and Josephine Barstow. OLIVER TWIST hits the right emotional chord for the ages, and undoubtedly it will continue to appear in film, book, and music for many more years to come.

Glenn Buttkus 2004