The VERY Messed Up Origins of Sweeney Todd (UNCUT)

[@JonSolo]

Don't deal with your trauma like Sweeney Todd did! Click betterhelp.com/jon for 10% off your first month of therapy with our sponsor BetterHelp. Join over 4 million people who’ve met with a therapist on BetterHelp and started living a healthier, happier life!

[@smb-c3po]

No more corporate sponsorships.

[@arthurmartin4616]

Don't they sell user data?

[@smb-c3po]

@@arthurmartin4616 Greedy content creators don't care, they just want lots of free money.

[@hypnotherapy69]

To me it adds to the story that they are not the best singers but actors, but maby that´s just me.

[@EclipseOverSalem]

How can you still partner with this bs?

[@shawnrosspeters]

Please drop better help. They are an absolute scam at best. It really really makes your channel look bad when we all know you are an awesome creator!

[@simlover00]

3:35 please please please do your amazing research on better help. They are nothing more than a scam site and do not deserve to be talked about. Please don't ever be sponsored by them

[@ahnraemenkhera7451]

WOW! One never knows! Soooo many short-con operators are out there now. I never follow-up on ads anymore without looking up their company’s name first myself! Good to know, though. 🍁🪷🌷🍁

[@rasenshuriken7325]

I'm glad someone else knows about the better help scam.

[@Gancanna]

I know someone in the mental health field and they were surprised to find their information listed on the site when they hadn't signed up/approved of it. Took quite a while to find the proper contact info to get it removed. If they did that to one person, they likely did it to others.

[@samuelmelendez7566]

Glad to see your still uploading videos and caring for your future kid

[@expressiondestination6430]

Bros not gonna read his kid stories, he's just gonna hit play on his channel😂😂

[@janeyrevanescence12]

One little mistake: Penny Dreadfuls weren't like true crime podcasts. They were more akin to horror comics. Yeah, some of them were based on actual crimes that were going on at the time but even those were heavily embellished and details tweaked.

[@ElizabethMcCormick-s2n]

They weren't exactly the most accurate accounts of the actual crimes!

[@janeyrevanescence12]

@@ElizabethMcCormick-s2n that's what I mean.

[@numenlad7903]

So more likey Creepypastas than True Crime Podcasts. Some of them may have been "inspired by actual events" (like most horror movies that claim the same, when the real event was, "Man walks into dark basement, and has a bad feeling." There's "Based on a True Story" and "Inspired by Actual events" and "Ripped from the headlines" ... but 90 of the time it just includes someone who actually lived... Like Sarchie in "Deliver Us From Evil" Real guy, is a police officer, claims to have done battle with demons, but the movie was NOTHING like the book. (and even the truth of much of that is dubious.)

[@janeyrevanescence12]

@@numenlad7903 yep, Creepypastas/NoSleep would be a good way to describe them.

[@janeyrevanescence12]

@@ElizabethMcCormick-s2n that’s what I mean.

[@robintauber9994]

"Try The Priest" is my favorite song in the musical. I really get a kick out of the commentary humor of the word play!

[@robintauber9994]

Dog named "Copper".... By Todd? We just veered off into "The Fox and the Hound" 🤔😂

[@AdamIshak01]

I thought this was an older video since I know Jon covered Sweeney Todd already and he already mentioned about how his schedule is gonna change for good reason, I just finished the Hook episode, but it says “posted 25 minutes ago” so LET’S GO!

[@charlessaints]

i think it's a compilation

[@AdamIshak01]

@@charlessaints it is but it’s better than nothing and some new info sprinkled in there which I don’t mind :)

[@celesserenity4423]

I saw the originals. This a compilation that was needed! Thanks Jon. Very glad you kept your outro. My favorite is still the original penny dreadful without the expansion.

[@rosalindmatteson3697]

I love your videos! I liked the depiction of Sweeney Todd in Terry Pratchett's book Dodger. In it Sweeney is killing because of PTSD. He was a military surgeon/barber and is having flashbacks to all the people he failed to save. He sits their throat to put them out of their misery. He is really a sad figure in the book

[@robintauber9994]

Angela Lansbury is an awesome "Mrs. Lovett"!!!!!

[@chalinmari]

Gunther is here for his adoring fans ❤

[@ahnraemenkhera7451]

I liked his segment best of all! Sweet fella, & he genuinely seemed “concerned.” 🐾🐾

[@tenimeartstudios]

I'm so sporadic with my viewing, I didn't know you had 3 separate videos, so I was very glad to watch this compilation with fresh eyes! Thank you for editing them together! 😊

[@nyxandnick9339]

Damn it John that opening joke just pulled me right in. 10/10

[@janeyrevanescence12]

Funny you used the clip of HBC complaining about the lack of breathing. There's a story where the late Dame Angela Lansbury (who originated the role of Mrs. Lovett on Broadway and won a Tony for it) confronted Sondheim about "By the Sea" during rehearsals, asking him "How am I supposed to breathe?" He told her "You don't." This makes sense because (as written) Mrs. Lovett is a chatty, gossipy sort of woman who doesn't let others get a word in edgewise.

[@ElizabethMcCormick-s2n]

I guess finding it difficult to play Mrs. Lovett is universal!

[@janeyrevanescence12]

@@ElizabethMcCormick-s2n I've been singing and doing musical theater since I was a preteen. And even I have trouble with Mrs. Lovett. That being said, I would love to play her someday.

[@ElizabethMcCormick-s2n]

@@janeyrevanescence12 Do you know what range Mrs. Lovett is in?

[@janeyrevanescence12]

@@ElizabethMcCormick-s2n IIRC, she's alto-mezzo

[@VictorianDemonica]

I think the best way I see the stage and film versions are depending on how you want to view the story - bombastic and dramatic, or gritty and subdued. I love the film version don’t get me wrong, and I do credit Sondheim for being a huge part of the film and knowing he was adapting the stage into a film. But I think that’s the appeal of Sweeney Todd - you can see multiple variations of the story and they all have merit

[@Athlynne]

Damn, boy, this must have been a TON of work. Nicely done!

[@ScorpionTazzGaming]

Jon please dump better health as a sponcer - they are a scam as most of their "therapist" are not licenced and dont follow hipa standards - it also has been reported that they sale user data. Please do some research on them. I love all your content and have no issue with any of your other sponcers but this one is really not a good sponcer.

[@kiddesigns7581]

I agree with this comment many ads have tried to advertise the app as accessible and cheap however it is 10x more expensive than regular therapy

[@H2OHitman]

@@kiddesigns7581you are paying for the convenience of mobile therapy. Just like how a pack of toilet paper cost more at a gas station than the same size at Walmart, you are paying for convenience

[@H2OHitman]

But I agree with the original comment

[@Darthalas]

Yea they have infected KZbin.... I can't think of very many creators that don't have them and I don't think many of them are aware of who they are.

[@vib.9027]

If you don't like the sponsor, don't use the product. You don't know what opportunities are presented to any given content creator and it is not your job to tell content creators to turn down funding that may impact their livelihood. Use the product or don't, maybe focus on the quality of the content and stay in your lane when it comes to who happens to be funding the content. Anything that requires advertisement indicates a product that cannot be successful on its own merits: think of all the online colleges whose degrees are not taken seriously that are advertised on television versus Ivy League universities who would never need commercials because the quality of education that speaks for itself is what laid the foundation for their reputation. Maybe understand the nature of advertisements and the relationship to the legitimacy of the products being advertised before criticizing a sponsorship. Learn to separate the spiel he is obligated to regurgitate in exchange for funding from a genuine and heartfelt endorsement.

[@danielmeredith4222]

I live on a street called Sweeney street in western western xo cheers and thankyou so much Jon Solo your the best English teacher and story teller :)

[@muma-kitty1639]

jon im pretty sure your original series of sweeney todd videos is the reason im obsessed with this story now id never been interested in the burton film before but i decided to listen to the original cast album for a laugh and now im hearing the music that nobody hears

[@Wolfcreed117]

🎶These are my friends. See how they glisten. See this one shine.🎶 "At last, my arm is complete again!" Still gives me chills. I love it.❤😁🎃 P.S Hi Gunther. Sweet little puppy.❤🐶17:01

[@richart3717]

I think I loved the 36 page version of the novel as well as the musical both Broadway and film. Honestly I was hoping that you'd do a scary story video as promised last week and my request was the baby sitter and the man upstairs. Nevertheless regardless of what you said, it's unpredictable that you'd recap the sweeny Todd lore and I actually enjoyed it

[@peekaboo21284]

"Penny Dreadful" is also an *AWESOME* Drag name 😂😂😂

[@kaylahines51]

I watch it every Halloween 🎃 🥰 such a good movie but crazy. I love watching your videos it always educates me on something I either didn’t know or that I was already curious about looking into but never got around to. ☺️ Thank you for making videos!

[@JonSolo]

that's an awesome tradition! and hey thank YOU for watching :)

[@kaylahines51]

@@JonSolo thank you and your welcome ☺️

[@sjmhadsock4586]

Ironically he made what is considered by a majority of people the best musical in nightmare before Christmas

[@sjmhadsock4586]

And yes I'm aware that it's mostly Henry Selik

[@tomsenior7405]

"And he screamed to the crowd; "The Pies are Soylent Green!"

[@hiddentruth1982]

Gunther looked at Jon like what da heck was that about lol.

[@stefhonsmith6547]

21:45 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 I like the Film version but the Play Version I would definitely watched as much as the Film version.

[@KB-qk1ic]

When did the dog waiting for his owner become part of the legend. It immediately made me think of Hachiko

[@rozanidesignsmasquerade7050]

Wow❣️ Interesting versions. I’m intrigued by “The String of Pearls”. 👍

[@ahnraemenkhera7451]

Best Jon Solo I can recall seeing! At least in many months. GREAT research & great storytelling, as usual. I’m also a Broadway afficio, since kindergarten! Sweeney Todd was one of Sondheim’s best works-ever. The stage production was Excellent, with Len Cariou & Angela Lansbury! The Greek Chorus added what the film lacked-connection to a specific audience. Interestingly, there was no mention of Sawney Beane, a character of British lore/18th century reality, too. He wasn’t a barber at all, though. He was said to have been the “inspiration” for Sweeney Todd, too. But his story consisted of even more barbaric acts, to wit: Beane was described as the progenitor of a family who lived in caves in a heavily-forested area near London. The family all specialized in highway robberies of stagecoaches passing on the main roads, particularly after nightfall. Instead of being content to rob & flee, however, the family was said to have forced the passengers to disembark, robbed them of all possessions, then killed them. Still worse, they carried the bodies off and back to their caves, where they made meals of them. I’m not sure of what became of their drivers and horses, & carriages, but the stories of disappearances eventually led the law to conduct searches, the first of which were unsuccessful. However, one of the children, oddly-attired in evidently stolen clothing was eventually spotted and then followed, leading the posse of investigators to the chain of caves. It was there discovered by the discarded heaps of bones and cooking utensils what had ultimately become of the missing persons. It was also discovered that Sawney Beane, in “factoid,” had several dozen children living with him and their various mothers, all related to him by some nefarious chain of incestuous relations. They were all rounded-up, taken to The Old Bailey and tried, found guilty, & sentenced to death, down to the youngest toddlers and infants-all deemed too depraved, too incapacitated, too unfit for society to live, given their acclimations. It was said to have been one of the saddest and most tragic mass executions ever witnessed. IF the story is true. It seems to have disappeared from the web. But when the musical play “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” premiered & became a big hit, it was easy to find, along with references to “The String of Pearls,” & other “penny dreadfuls.” 👻🎃💀🗝☠️🎃

[@yensid4294]

I think it's interesting that this story was so popular when London had plenty of ghastly murders & serial killers many of whom were women. Some of the side stories about the asylum & people being forced to work by imprisonment sounds like social commentary. So the story of a murderous barber may have some grounding in reality but the people pies sounds more like an allegory for how tough & desperate the poor could get that they wouldn't even question the meat source or trust the authorities enough to go to the cops or magistrate about suspicious disappearances & bad smells. At least in the musical Sweeney is given a reason why he's killing but the musical leans way more into the corruption of the authorities than the book. The baker is also given the motivation of being in love with Sweeney. It's a good story for such a macabre & tragic subject matter especially in a musical. I liked the movie but the musical performances don't hold a candle to the OG stage play. I did really like Sascha Baron Cohen's performance as Pirelli. That song was one of the more memorable. The film had the right vibe & a good cast even though none of them were trained vocalists.

[@imaginations_animations4928]

Is there going to be a messed-up origins on Beetlejuice? Even though I haven't seen the first one, I watched the new movie with my dad in the theatre near us and I'm now interested. Is Beetlejuice a character made by Tim Burton? Even so, what are his inspirations for the character? Also, I'm still looking forward to the messed-up origins of the Boogeyman. You haven't forgotten, have you?

[@madisonbinkley149]

How does burton hate musicals when nearly all his movies are musicals lmao

[@heatherturner2366]

Besides 'nightmare before Christmas' I don't think he has any

[@ahnraemenkhera7451]

Beetlejuice, Corpse Bride, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory & Batman 1 all qualify as “musicals” in that they had separate “soundtrack” releases and/or had musical numbers featured in the story. Not sure about PeeWee’s Adventure or Ed Wood.

[@heatherturner2366]

@@ahnraemenkhera7451 those aren't considered musicals, most movies have a soundtrack.

[@oscardepaz6805]

37:04 So, what you're saying is that Sweeney Todd was basically a slasher villain like Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers?

[@nitev4407]

I actually just finished your original 3 part release of this a couple days ago...

[@jonathanbarrios2016]

As always a wonderful explanation of a story I have always enjoyed!

[@richewilson6394]

Those people within eight fears of being shaved by somebody else is probably what made Sweeney Todd and all the other stories about barbers as much of a horror thing because it's so close to real life of happening It's not funny.

[@SetsuDragon]

Sorry, I just have to comment on the merch that appeared below this video for me. I saw a nice blue shirt on you, with a calming nice background and a ghostly ships helm on the shirt. It was small enough I couldn't make out the rest of it. I was like "ooooo, this looks pretty and cool, I wonder what it is. /click/ OH GAWD! oh..mygod...uuuummm.....uuhhhh..aaaaaag /shudders/ no! Just no...not for me." Sufficiently creeped me out. Awesome art, and props to the artist for extreme creepy. I couldn't live with that in my wardrobe. X3 Edit: added slashes, because apparently asterisks are for formatting. >.=.

[@kandipiatkowski8589]

Another channel I watch, the Grimmlife Collective went to London recently and did a then and now shots of Fleet Street. The addresses are real, (even if the story is fictional). Very interesting.

[@daniellewillis2767]

I have actually read Prest's collected stories.

[@cherrydunagan9532]

Until the end of this, I didn't realize that it was a complication. Thank you. It is becoming very annoying that the channels I like to watch are nothing but those.

[@mindwipe8788]

Ever since I saw the stage play with George Hearn and Angela Lansbury on DVD in a fit of curiosity from my local library, I found I enjoyed watching it once in a while and that part where Toby ends Todd’s life still shocking a little.

[@gewoonik687]

That look Jon gets from Gunter after telling him he is supposed to take one some cohost responsibility is priceless.😂

[@ElicBehexan]

I've seen the play but not the movie. It does sound like something that could happen in the time period, well, all the mentioned time periods.

[@jazminlara7742]

Love this channel

[@etfrancis5886]

This is the best one YET

[@photobombr]

Loving these shirts 🙌🏾

[@hollymichelle3705]

I was sold once I saw the video was 56 minutes long ! 😌

[@eriettam2970]

I really wish we had a String of pearls movie adaptation. On that note something I've been thinking about since the last time you covered Sweeny Todd. What if instead of a barber-baker duo they were two different cases one with a barber and one with a baker at different time periods and they simply got combined for dramatic effect

[@meetaverma8372]

I just noticed your shirts, and I must say, they're very beautiful

[@godsaidno]

Nice breakdown and your choice of shirts is prime. I had never heard of the Sweeney Todd story before seeing Tim Burtons adaptation way back. I'm not a musical fan but I actually really liked the film and did my own deep dive into the inspiration for it since it tickled my twisted true crime fascination. I read that the the original tale might have been inspired by events that happened in England around 1600. I think it had something to do with a starving man cannibalizing his nieghbor or something. Anyway, its a great (though extremely morbid) piece of work that probably is not that far off from reality considering the psychopaths that have done even worse things which have been documented and reported through the history of true crime.

[@mohammadbashammakh]

I have seen multiple versions of Sweeney Todd , from movies to variants of the musical, and even a graphic novel

[@amm830]

14:41 hahaha Peter Pettigrew

[@ahnraemenkhera7451]

I thought he said “Pedigree.” But I wondered myself when Beadle Bamford Timothy Spalls’ character became “Peter Pedigree.”

[@SetsuDragon]

I forget the timestamp, but I just got the song that I was reminded of by a tune torwards the beginning/middle of this video, and that song is Creepin' Towards the door by Griffinilla. And said song is so fitting.

[@marko_g_korenski]

Gunther s look at 17:08 HAHAHAHA pure treasure! Love to that sweet lil puggy! 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

[@TristanMA]

For a more heroic Halloween, try the messed up origins and Mythology behind Stravinsky's Firebird.

[@AmaraRose66]

Johnny Depp had sang plenty before Sweeney Todd, he did Cry- baby YEEEEARRRRSSSSS

[@FunkyShmunguss]

Mr.Solo please please cover Judge Holden from the "Blood meridian" book you won't regret it

[@kandipiatkowski8589]

I consider Burton's movie an unofficial Harry Potter reunion. At least 5 of the actors are in both movies.

[@qrufus]

The story could've been (ironically) a compilation of elements from other stories. Some elements came from the story in France. Some probably came from criminal accounts.

[@davidfitzpatrick6535]

17:04 YAY! GUNTHER CAMEO!

[@cmariedesign]

Have you seen Ray Winstone’s version? Excellent, and my favorite.

[@TrafalgarD.Shambles]

Omg I just realized that this uploaded 14 hours ago. I was just searching "Sweeney Todd Facts" just now

[@katiaazizi]

This is the first I heard of Sweeney Todd so this was great to hear about. I did see a tiktok of Sweeney Todd that I had no idea that was him.

[@daniellecommons9257]

This video is just in time for dinner ❤

[@GingerSnape46]

Oh this movie! Oh this book! Oh this play! I love it! I love it! I love it so much I Mrs. Lovett!!

[@Smiththeinspiringanimator]

Awesome!👏

[@AshParth560]

I remember seeing both the movie and in one of my school's theater play when an old friend was in it. All i can say is Sweeny Todd's story was interesting.

[@SwampNymph522]

I couldn’t help but turn my head when watching the gory parts of Tim Burton’s take on the story.

[@glitterBombBaby]

Since there is really no substantial proof, I'm inclined to believe that Sweeny Todd was not based on true events. The author may have drawn inspiration by some events of the time, but the demon barber of Fleet Street, in my opinion, is myth and legend. I'm going to have to read the book now. I adore the play and love the movie but would love to read the origins!

[@smokeymchaggis73]

I watched till i saw a better help ad. Then i typed this and left.

[@wikkidperson]

Plot summary needs to stay in present tense (verbs ending mostly in “s”) without random slips into past tense (verbs ending mostly in “d”).

[@LaineyBug2020]

I have an intersection where I live that I call our Little Fleet Street. On one corner is an old fashioned Deli and grocer. Next to them, no lie, is a coroner. Across the street from those two? A barbershop💈. It's too perfect.

[@RichardSeebald]

String of pearls is the most FUCKED UP story I ever read about Sweeney Todd!

[@magicpyroninja]

37:29 So is One of the oldest examples of people taking a popular franchise and stretching it out until they can no longer make money out of it

[@MoteofLobross]

Len Carou/Angela Lansbury version FTW.

[@magicpyroninja]

If this did come about as a legend or a myth with no true basis in reality It does still kind of make sense every time you go to visit that type of a barber. You're putting your life in his hands. He could slit your throat at any moment if you wanted to. You're making yourself completely vulnerable. Makes sense that there would be stories about when someone took advantage of that There aren't many, if any situations where you're putting your life in someone's hands for something simple, like a shave or a haircut these days

[@magicpyroninja]

Turns out most people don't feel bad if bad things happen to bad people

[@avoinwonderland]

This and Edward scissordhand are in my top 5 movies i love the campiness and musicals mixed with the horror and slasher

[@emperortrevornorton3119]

Depp is one of the few actors my wife and I agree on because we watched one of his movies the first night we were together Gilbert Grape before we started dating

[@richewilson6394]

I think those people that are fascinated by Jack the ripper or the people that love Sweeney Todd because they can at least have a face they can put with the serial killer and have some kind of a background that makes sense to them.

[@vanity7venus7]

How have I never noticed some of the blatant similarities between Edward and Sweeny despite their distinctive demeanors respectively?

[@kandipiatkowski8589]

You mention if one of us had a dog named Copper. I may not have a dog, but I do have a cat named Toby. He's not named after anyone I know of (real or fictional) as I didn't name him. I let him keep his name when I adopted him.

[@ticcitoby1936]

Tim Burton's version has to be my favorite in my opinion its the best

[@izablota]

There is a Brazilian couple that did something similar.

[@magicpyroninja]

If it's something that helps you go for it, but there's not a single chance in hell that I would ever trust an online therapist for all you know is a hundred different sources watching your conversation, learning everything about you so they could turn you into a better customer

[@Sharayacaine]

Um what?…Johnny Depp started his career as a musician and had been in several amateur bands before he became an actor.

[@joshuacritchfield3564]

The Armie Hammer story is not true. It was a rumor started by an ex-girlfriend who felt abused and was lashing back at him.

[@Stukupgorgeous1]

Love your shirt😎🤭

[@jessehenson8923]

I always thought it was inspired by a Germanic folk/faerie tale about a butcher who turned his murder victims into sausages.

[@cyberfell_draws]

I had a dog named Copper?! And he's on FIRE?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! 😢

[@dancingdingo]

There's an excellent one that isn't a musical starring Ray Winstone made about 20 years ago. I think it was made by the BBC. Check it out

[@jws1948ja]

I haven't seen you in a while.

[@MrDam3dam3]

Where did you get that shirt from Jon?

[@hiddentruth1982]

Now I know why I have never heard of it. It's a musical and they aren't what I watch.

[@elsiemccomb3751]

Not Gunther being a better story teller than you😂😊

[@chrisdunker54]

I've only seen the Tim Burton movie and I really liked it. However, I do not suffer the need that the stories I enjoy be historical fact so I am not drawn to the real serial killer motif. Real, fake, it's still an interesting story that you pointed out the major instances of interest. Him murdering his wife in his killing spree, how close many of the characters came to being murdered as well and the final revenge make this a tale worth telling. Now, I don't have any meat pies, but how about a treat of different sort? After all that exhaustive research you could probably use a good horror story unlike anything you've ever read before that makes no claims of being historically accurate? Well, I have plenty to choose from and as an added bonus I'd love to hear the different connections you could arrive at.

[@SwampNymph522]

When I was first exposed to this story I was told that Sweeney Todd was a British equivalent of the boogeyman.

[@dwightnorton3398]

Interesting lore