Other editions of book The Ransom of Red Chief

Starters are an introductory level to the new Oxford Bookworms Library, suitable for readers in their first or second years of learning English. The Starters series are original stories in a variety of formats: narrative, interactive, and comic strip. They contain glossaries and exercises and are carefully graded in structure and vocabulary. Cassettes are available for some titles.

Play script by Brian Kral. A fresh adaptation of the hilarious O'Henry classic, set in the turn-of-the-century West. Flexible set (space only; the interior of a cave.) Cast of 2 men, 1 boy. Ideal vehicle for touring.This winning story captures all the charm and exaggerated comedy of O'Henry's classic about two bungling kidnappers who fall prey to their young "victim." Armed with the latest inventions of a rapidly-changing America, they attempt to make their fortunes by holding for ransom "a two-legged sky-rocket named Johnny Dorset" -- who insists he's an Indian chief! The outcome is a side-splitting combination of historical fact and entertaining fancy, and has been accorded ovations by every audience who saw the original production by the Rainbow Company of Las Vegas. Since it is pure O'Henry, HIS applause is presumed guaranteed.

First published in The Saturday Evening Post, "The Ransom of Red Chief" is a humorous short story written in 1910 by O. Henry. A pair of con men kidnap and attempt to ransom a prominent Alabama citizen’s son. Immediately they find themselves at the mercy of a particularly spoiled and clever boy who begins driving them mad. The ironic ending remains the story’s most enduring feature.

"The Ransom of Red Chief" may be the most widely read story in grammar, middle, and high school. Young people can relate to 10-year-old Red Chief, his father who makes the kidnappers pay him back in order to take Red Chief off their hands (plus come in darkness so others don’t jail them), and all the antics and excitement of it all. It is not read or heard widely after one leaves high school, which is a shame, because it is such a magical story about expectations being crushed by realities, and the turn of events, which O. Henry was so masterful at achieving, as in "The Gift of the Magi", the other best known O. Henry story, which Simply has also recorded. ,p>The humor here is Southwestern style, with some of the violence similar to that frontier humor immortalized by Mark Twain. O. Henry spent time in Texas on various speculations and, in fact, wound up in a Texas jail for three years before coming to New York and prospering with his unique storytelling ability. The Texas influence is strongly felt here, not just in Southwestern humor, but the sense of space and vistas, with few people populating them. A final thought for the listener: Is there anyone similar to O. Henry in style? We can’t think of anyone, and that is another reason to listen to these stories. We believe most Southwestern humor in short stories is even better heard than read. As with all Simply short stories, you should enjoy the ideas put forth in the introduction and afterword.

O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), an American writer. O. Henry's short stories are loved for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization, and surprise endings.The Ransom of Red Chief is a tale of a kidnapping. A couple of desperados abduct the 10-year-old son of the richest man in a village in the Deep South. But the pair soon discover that they have taken on far more than they had bargained for. The boy's energy, curiosity, creativity, sense of mischief and total lack of respect for his kidnappers soon have him running rings around them. And it turns out the boy is a chip off the old block. His father is by no means a soft touch for a ransom and offers them a deal which they cannot refuse....

Bill Driscoll and Sam (we never learn his last name), a pair of turn-of-the-20th-century con men embark on quite an adventure. The pair need $2,000.00 to pull off a fraudulent town-lot scam in Western Illinois. They decide to kidnap the only son of a prominent Alabama citizen in the small town of Summit. They should've known when they grabbed their target, who was at the time throwing stones at a kitten, that it would be best to leave him alone. Particularly after he beans Bill with a brick. The situation does not improve with time. O Henry, famous for his humor, plays on words, and plot twists makes this a highly amusing short story.