FILM · 1999 · USA
The Green Mile
- Directed by
- Frank Darabont
- Runtime
- 189 min
- Studio
- Castle Rock Entertainment, Darkwoods Productions
295 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution.
295 Interesting Facts About The Green Mile
Interesting Facts (24)
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Michael Clarke Duncan was uncomfortable having to hold Tom Hanks's groin for the scene in which John heals Paul's urinary infection. Hanks left the set and came back to shoot the scene; Duncan grabbed Hanks's groin and was shocked to see that he had placed an empty water bottle inside his pants. After that, Duncan felt more at ease in the scene.
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In reality, Michael Clarke Duncan was the same height as his co-star David Morse and a few inches shorter than James Cromwell. Among other things, creative camera angles were used to create the illusion that Duncan's John Coffey towered over the prison staff, even over "Brutal" Howell and Warden Moores. In a scene featuring Paul, Coffey and Brutal in the same shot, Michael Clarke Duncan stood on a plank, David Morse stood on the floor, and Tom Hanks stood in a trench dug into the ground for that very purpose.
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For better or worse, the film leaves the fates of many characters open, setting aside the bleak death circumstances described in the novel. Klaus Detterick (the father of the two murdered girls) dies of a stroke shortly after John's execution, while Dean Stanton is fatally stabbed in the neck by an inmate four months later. Warden Hal Moores died of a stroke in 1941, followed two years later by his widow Melinda, who suffered a heart attack. Klaus's widow Marjorie dies in a car accident in 1951, while Paul's wife Jan dies in a bus accident in 1956 on her way to their grandchildren's graduation; Paul sees John Coffey's ghost watching him from an overpass. Brutus "Brutal" Howell suffers a fatal heart attack 25 years after John's execution, in his fifties, while eating a fish sandwich. Percy Wetmore never regains his sanity and eventually dies in a mental hospital in 1965. Harry Terwilliger succumbs to intestinal cancer in 1982. Mr. Jingles dies of old age in 1996, shortly after meeting Paul's friend Elaine. Elaine dies of a heart attack three months after hearing Paul's story.
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Rodney Barnes was Michael Clarke Duncan's stand-in. According to Barnes, he sneaked onto the set by hiding in a rice wagon. He surprised Frank Darabont and asked for a job. Darabont was impressed by Barnes's effort and hired him. Barnes wanted to work on the film so he could meet his favorite author, Stephen King.
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Production Story (37)
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Just as director Frank Darabont was getting started writing the screenplay, he found out that his cat had developed a tumor. With the cat dying but not being in any pain, he decided to not have it put down. Instead he cared for it at home while adapting "The Green Mile", referring to it as his "co-writer" or "co-pilot", as it spent a lot of time keeping him company at his desk. Darabont said, "It's the whole 'Green Mile' death row experience... The writing of it was very much that. I had this creature I really cared about walking that mile". The cat passed away two months later, just about the same time the script was finished.
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Stephen King's original novel The Green Mile was published in 100-page paperback installments between March and August of 1996. He had begun developing the story while writing Desperation and needed to finish that novel but still wanted to see where his death row story would go. Ralph Vicinanza, a friend of King's who sells foreign publication rights, had recently had a discussion with another friend in England about Charles Dickens, in which he learned that Dickens often published his novels in installments in newspapers and magazines, and it had been suggested that, in the U.S., King could try writing a book that way. Vicinanza was under the impression that no recent novels had been written this way. He was, in fact, mistaken; Tom Wolfe had published his first draft of The Bonfire of the Vanities in installments in Rolling Stone. The Green Mile, as it turned out, was not King's only story published in installments: his Dark Tower series spanned seven full-length books, published over the course of 22 years, from 1982 until 2004.
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Stephen King serialized "The Green Mile" as a deliberate response to fans who flipped to the end of his books, something his mother used to do. Publishing it in installments meant that fans would have to wait for the last installment to find out the ending. King wrote each one with its own miniature climax, but even he admitted he did not have a clue how the story would end.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
The film flips the action of the first two installments of the novel. The first installment, "The Two Dead Girls," begins with John Coffey arriving on the Mile, but at this point Arlen Bitterbuck has already been executed and Eduard Delacroix already has his mouse. The second installment goes back to before John's arrival and tells of Bitterbuck's fate and the origins of the mouse. Furthermore, the movie omits a fifth death row inmate called Arthur Flanders, a real estate executive nicknamed "The President" who has been convicted of killing his father in an insurance fraud scheme. His sentence is eventually commuted to life imprisonment, but he is murdered 12 years later by an unknown inmate in the prison laundry. Another character left out of the movie is Brad Dolan, a malicious nursing home employee who harasses Paul Edgecombe, and reminds Paul of Percy Wetmore several times. Paul's friend Elaine later threatens Dolan to have him fired if he keeps bullying Paul, using her influence as grandmother of the Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
For better or worse, the fates of several characters are left open in the movie, omitting the bleak circumstances of their deaths described in the novel. Klaus Detterick (father of the two murdered girls) dies of a stroke shortly after John's execution, while Dean Stanton is fatally stabbed in the neck by an inmate, four months later. Warden Hal Moores dies of a stroke in 1941, followed two years later by his widow Melinda, who suffers a heart attack. Klaus' widow Marjorie gets killed during a car accident in 1951, while Paul's wife Jan dies in a bus accident in 1956 while they are on their way to their granddaughter's graduation; Paul sees the ghost of John Coffee watching him from an overpass. Brutus "Brutal" Howell has a fatal heart attack while eating a fish sandwich, 25 years after John's execution when he is in his fifties. Percy Wetmore never regains his sanity, and finally dies in a mental hospital in 1965. Harry Terwilliger succumbs to intestinal cancer in 1982. Mr. Jingles dies of old age in 1996, just after meeting Paul's friend Elaine, who dies from a heart attack three months after hearing Paul's story.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
As included in the novel, a scene with Arlen Bitterbuck saying goodbye to his daughter before his execution was also part of the movie at one point, with Jude Herrera cast as Bitterbuck's daughter. Although the scene was filmed and scored, it was edited out of the final cut due to pace and timing. An early version of it is included in the special edition DVD.
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Stephen King published The Green Mile in serial form as a reaction to readers who skipped to the end of the book, as his mother had done. Publishing the book in installments meant fans had to wait to learn the outcome. King wrote each installment with its own small climax, but admitted he had no idea how the story would end.
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When Frank Darabont began writing the screenplay, he learned that his cat had a tumor. The cat was dying but not suffering, so he decided not to put it to sleep. Instead, he cared for it at home while adapting The Green Mile and called his cat his 'co-writer' or 'co-pilot.' Darabont said, 'It was a complete Green Mile death row experience... That was exactly what the writing process was. This creature I truly cared about was walking that mile.' The cat died two months later, around the time the screenplay was finished.
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As in the novel, a scene in which Arlen Bitterbuck says goodbye to his daughter before his execution was included at one point in the film, with Jude Herrera in the role of Bitterbuck's daughter. Although the scene was shot and scored, it was cut from the final edit due to pacing and timing. An early version appears on the special edition DVD.
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The film changes the order of the novel's first two chapters. The first chapter, 'The Two Dead Girls,' begins with John Coffey's arrival on the Green Mile, but at that point Arlen Bitterbuck has been executed and Eduard Delacroix has his mouse. The second chapter goes back to before John's arrival and tells of Bitterbuck's fate and the mouse's origin. The film also omits a fifth death row inmate named Arthur Flanders, nicknamed 'The President,' a real estate executive convicted of killing his father in an insurance fraud scheme. His sentence is commuted to life in prison, but 12 years later he is killed by an unidentified inmate in the prison laundry. Another character cut from the film is Brad Dolan, a malicious nursing home worker who harasses Paul Edgecombe and reminds Paul several times of Percy Wetmore. Paul's friend Elaine later threatens to have Dolan fired if he continues bullying Paul, using her influence as the grandmother of the Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives.
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Stephen King's original novel The Green Mile was published in 100-page paperback installments between March and August 1996. He had begun developing the story while writing Desperation and needed to finish that novel, but still wanted to see where the death row story would go. King's friend Ralph Vicinanza, who sold his foreign publishing rights, had recently had a discussion with another friend in England about Charles Dickens, in which he learned that Dickens often published his novels in serial form in newspapers and magazines, and it was suggested that King might try writing a book that way in the US. Vicinanza was under the impression that no novel had recently been written that way. In fact, he was wrong; Tom Wolfe had published the first draft of The Bonfire of the Vanities in serial form in Rolling Stone. The Green Mile was not King's only story published in serial form: the Dark Tower series consisted of seven full-length books published over 22 years, from 1982 to 2004.
Behind the Scenes (64)
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In reality, Michael Clarke Duncan was of a similar height to his co-star David Morse, and was a couple of inches shorter than James Cromwell. Amongst other things, creative camera angles were used to create the illusion that Duncan, as John Coffey, towered over the prison staff, even "Brutal" Howell and Warden Moores. For one scene where Paul, Coffey and Brutal were in the same shot, Michael Clark Duncan was standing on a plank, David Morse stood on the ground, and Tom Hanks was standing in a trench dug into the ground just for that purpose.
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According to director Frank Darabont, Doug Hutchison (Percy) was given the squeakiest shoes he had ever heard. He thought this was the greatest bit of fate, and a "perfectly wonderful, annoying character trait" that he kept it in the movie. Viewers can hear sometimes how loud his shoes are.
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Rodney Barnes was Michael Clarke Duncan's stand-in. According to Barnes, he sneaked onto the set by hiding in the paddy wagon. He surprised Frank Darabont and asked for a job. Darabont was impressed with Barnes's effort and hired him. Barnes wanted to work on the film so that he could meet his favorite author, Stephen King.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Doug Hutchison (Percy) made a $20 bet with the extras during Del's execution that they couldn't recite his lines. Unknowingly, Tom Hanks wrote Hutchison's lines on big cue cards behind him. Hutchison caught on to the joke when the extras kept laughing. By the end of the day, he owed at least $60 to different people.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Michael Clarke Duncan was uncomfortable with having to grab Tom Hanks's crotch for the scene where John cures Paul's urinary infection. Hanks left the set and came back to do the scene; Duncan grabbed Hanks's crotch and was shocked to discover that he had put an empty water bottle in his pants. After that, Duncan felt more comfortable with the scene.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
According to both Michael Clarke Duncan and director Frank Darabont, Tom Hanks refused to use a stand-in for the "I'm tired, Boss" scene. He was directly off camera during Duncan's close-ups, giving what Darabont calls "an Oscar-winning performance," just so Duncan's performance would be that much better. Michael Clarke Duncan would later credit Hanks for his Oscar nomination for role of John Coffey.
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Michael Clarke Duncan was uncomfortable having to touch Tom Hanks's groin in the scene where John heals Paul's urinary tract infection. Hanks left the set and came back, and they shot the scene; Duncan was shocked and then relieved when he saw that Hanks had placed an empty water bottle in his pants.
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Doug Hutchison (Percy) made a $20 bet with the extras during Del's execution: he claimed they wouldn't be able to memorize their lines. Tom Hanks wrote Hutchison's lines on large prompt cards behind him. When the extras kept laughing, Hutchison realized the joke, and by the end of the day he owed at least $60 to various people.
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Characters & Cast (120)
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According to Stephen King's novel, Percy Wetmore is supposed to be 21 years old. During production, Doug Hutchison was 39. He told director Frank Darabont he was in his early to mid-30s. When he auditioned for The Salton Sea (2002), that film's director told him he was "too young," at which point Hutchison showed his driver's license to prove his age.
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In the novel, Harry Terwilliger is described as being a young bachelor, while Dean Stanton (Paul's 3rd in command) is the man with the family who is always polishing his glasses. In the film, it is the other way round - the physical appearance and the names have been switched (Harry wears glasses, etc). However, both in the movie and in the book, it is the character by the name of Dean who is attacked by Wild Bill.
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Rodney Barnes was Michael Clarke Duncan's stunt double. He sneaked onto the set by hiding in the paddy wagon, surprised Frank Darabont and asked for a job. Darabont was impressed by Barnes's effort and hired him. Barnes wanted to work on the film in order to meet his favorite author, Stephen King.
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According to both Michael Clarke Duncan and director Frank Darabont, Tom Hanks refused to use a stunt double in the 'I'm tired, Boss' scene. He was directly off-camera during Duncan's close-ups and delivered what Darabont called an 'Oscar-winning performance,' which made Duncan's performance better. Michael Clarke Duncan later thanked Hanks for his Oscar nomination for the role of John Coffey.
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According to Stephen King's novel, Percy Wetmore should be 21 years old. During production, Doug Hutchison was 39, and he told director Frank Darabont he was in his early/mid-thirties. When he auditioned for The Salton Sea (2002), the film's director told him he was 'too young,' so Hutchison showed his driver's license to prove his age.
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Michael Clarke Duncan was uncomfortable having to touch Tom Hanks's groin in the scene where John heals Paul's urinary tract infection. Hanks left the set and came back, and they shot the scene; when Duncan touched Hanks's groin, he was shocked to find that Hanks had placed an empty water bottle in his pants, and afterward he felt more at ease.
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By publishing 'The Green Mile' in serial form, Stephen King gave a deliberate response to fans who skipped to the end of the book, as his mother used to do. Publishing the book in installments meant that fans had to wait for the final chapter to learn the outcome. King wrote each installment with its own small climax, but he admitted that he had not the slightest idea how the story would end.
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When Frank Darabont began writing the screenplay, he learned that his cat had a tumor. The cat was dying but not suffering, and he decided not to put it to sleep. Instead, he cared for it at home while working on the 'Green Mile' adaptation and nicknamed the cat his 'co-writer' or 'co-pilot,' because the cat kept him company at his desk for long stretches. Darabont said, 'It was a complete Green Mile death row experience... Writing was exactly like that. A creature I truly cared about was walking that mile.' The cat died two months later, around the time the screenplay was finished.
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In reality, Michael Clarke Duncan was about the same height as David Morse and a few inches shorter than James Cromwell. Creative camera angles were used to create the illusion that Duncan (John Coffey) was taller than the guards, even 'Brutal' Howell and Warden Moores. For a scene in which Paul, Coffey and Brutal are in the same frame, Michael Clarke Duncan stood on a board while David Morse stood on the floor and Tom Hanks stepped into a trench dug specifically for that purpose.
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Eduard Delacroix's horrific execution scene mirrors the real execution of Jesse Tafero, whose guilt is still questioned. On May 4, 1990, while being executed in the electric chair, 15-centimeter flames shot from his head. State officials claimed the botched execution was caused by the use of a synthetic sponge instead of the natural sponge used in previous executions, calling it 'an unintentional human error.'
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Rodney Barnes was Michael Clarke Duncan's stunt double. Barnes says he sneaked onto the set by hiding in the paddy wagon. He surprised Frank Darabont and asked for a job. Darabont was impressed by Barnes's effort and hired him. Barnes wanted to work on the film to meet his favorite author, Stephen King.
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In the film, the fates of some characters are left open, and the grim death scenes from the novel are omitted. Klaus Detterick (the father of the two murdered girls) dies of a stroke shortly after John's execution; Dean Stanton is stabbed to death by an inmate four months later. Guard Hal Moores dies of a stroke in 1941, and his wife Melinda dies of a heart attack two years later. Klaus's widow Marjorie dies in a traffic accident in 1951, and Paul's wife Jan dies in a bus accident in 1956 while traveling to their grandchildren's graduation; Paul sees John Coffey's ghost while watching from an overpass. Brutus "Brutal" Howell suffers a heart attack in his fifties 25 years after John's execution while eating a fish sandwich. Percy Wetmore never comes to his senses and dies in a mental hospital in 1965. Harry Terwilliger succumbs to intestinal cancer in 1982. Mr. Jingles dies of old age in 1996, shortly after Paul meets his friend Elaine; Elaine dies of a heart attack three months after hearing Paul's story.
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Doug Hutchison (Percy) made a $20 bet with the extras during Del's execution: he claimed they would not be able to memorize their lines. Tom Hanks wrote Hutchison's lines on large cue cards and held them behind him. When the extras kept laughing, Hutchison realized the joke. By the end of the day, he owed at least $60 to various people.
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According to Michael Clarke Duncan and director Frank Darabont, Tom Hanks refused to use a stunt double in the "I'm tired, Boss" scene. Standing just outside the camera during Duncan's close-ups, he gave what Darabont called an "Oscar-worthy performance" so that Duncan's performance would be better. Michael Clarke Duncan later said he owed his Oscar nomination to Tom Hanks.
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Doug Hutchison, who played Percy Wetmore, described as 21 years old in the novel, was 39 during filming. Hutchison, who told director Frank Darabont he was in his early 30s, had to show his driver's license to prove his age when the director said he was "too young" upon his application for The Salton Sea (2002).
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As in the novel, a scene was shot in which Arlen Bitterbuck says goodbye to his daughter before his execution, and Bitterbuck's daughter was played by Jude Herrera. Although the scene was scored, it was cut from the final edit due to pacing and timing; an early version appears on the special edition DVD.
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The film reverses the order of the novel's first two chapters. The first chapter, "The Two Dead Girls," begins with John Coffey's arrival on the Green Mile; at that point Arlen Bitterbuck has been executed and Eduard Delacroix has his mouse. The second chapter goes back to before John's arrival and tells of Bitterbuck's fate and the mouse's origin. The film also skips a fifth death-row inmate named Arthur Flanders, nicknamed "The President"; Flanders is a real estate executive convicted of killing his father for insurance fraud. His sentence is commuted to life in prison, but 12 years later he is killed by an unidentified inmate in the prison laundry. Another character cut from the film is Brad Dolan, the malicious nursing home worker who harasses Paul Edgecombe and resembles Percy Wetmore. Paul's friend Elaine threatens to use her influence as the grandmother of the Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives to have Dolan fired if he continues to harass Paul.
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Stephen King's original novel The Green Mile was published in 100-page paperback installments between March and August 1996. King had begun developing the story while writing Desperation, and although he needed to finish that novel, he wanted to see where the story of the death-row inmates would go. King's friend Ralph Vicinanza, who sold his foreign publication rights, had learned in a conversation with a friend in England about Charles Dickens that Dickens often published his novels in serial form, and it was suggested that King might try writing a book that way in the US. Vicinanza was under the impression that no novel had recently been written that way; in fact, he was mistaken, because Tom Wolfe had serialized the first draft of The Bonfire of the Vanities in Rolling Stone. The Green Mile was not King's only serialized story: the Dark Tower series consisted of seven full-length books published over 22 years, from 1982 to 2004.
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When the prison guards sedate Wharton before taking John out of the prison, two guards are playing cards. As Wharton picks up the glass, an ace of spades and an eight of diamonds are clearly visible. The famous Wild Bill Hickock was shot while holding aces and eights. Later that evening, Wharton is shot.
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The plot unfolds as Paul tells Elaine the story of the Green Mile. In the book, Paul writes his story as a novel. At the end of the film, as Paul leaves the cemetery after Elaine's funeral, a gravestone reading "Greene" is visible behind him, and two gravestones reading "Story" are visible in the foreground and on the right of the screen.
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When Wild Bill spits a chewed-up Moon Pie in Brutus's face, he calls him 'little black Sambo.' This is a reference to Helen Bannerman's 'The Story of Little Black Sambo,' published in 1899 and later adapted into toys, games, animation and restaurants. Over time, 'Sambo' became a derogatory slur against Black people.
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Easter Eggs & References (16)
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When William "Wild Bill" Wharton spits a chewed-up chocolate Moon Pie in Brutus "Brutal" Howell's face, he calls Brutus "little black Sambo." This is a reference to a popular children's storybook written by Helen Bannerman, "The Story of Little Black Sambo," first published in 1899 and later turned into various toys, games, animated cartoons, and even restaurants. The story is about a South Indian boy, Sambo, who has an encounter with four tigers. "Sambo" eventually became a derogatory term for Black people and is now considered a racial slur.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
When the prison guards drug Wharton before taking John out of the prison, two of the guards are playing cards. As Wharton takes the cup, an Ace of spades and an 8 of diamonds are clearly seen. Famously, Wild Bill Hickock was shot in the back while holding a poker hand of aces and eights. Later that evening, Wharton is shot.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
The plot unfolds in the form of Paul telling Elaine the story of the Green Mile. In the book, Paul writes his story down in the form of a novel. At the end of the film, as Paul leaves the cemetery after Elaine's burial, a tombstone can be seen behind him that reads "Greene", and two others, one in the foreground and one to the right of the screen, that read "Story".
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Before Del is executed, Paul offers to keep Mr. Jingles for him, but Del declines because Paul lives out in the woods and "Mr. Jingles, he be scared to live out in the big woods." But Paul does end up with Mr. Jingles, and keeps him in a shed "out in the big woods".
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Contains a major spoiler — show
In "Doctor Sleep", Stephen King's sequel to "The Shining", when Danny Torrance senses that someone is dying, he experiences it as insects and flies, in the same way that flies come out of John Coffey's mouth when he heals people. In "Doctor Sleep" Danny even speaks Percy's line "Dead man walking."
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Contains a major spoiler — show
The music played over the loudspeakers in the retirement home as Old Paul Edgecomb first walks out of his room is the same as the music the nurses played at medication time in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). The music used is Mantovani's "Charmaine".
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Upon meeting Wild Bill, Percy tells him he's "gonna ride the lightning" in reference to his impending execution via Old Sparky. Ironically, of the four prisoners in the film, Wild Bill is the only prisoner not to meet his end via the chair. Instead he's gunned down by Percy.
Deeper Meaning (26)
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Eduard Delacroix's botched execution scene echoes the real-life execution of the convicted murderer Jesse Tafero, whose guilt remains in question. On May 4, 1990, six-inch flames shot out of his head during his execution in the electric chair. State officials claimed that the botched execution was caused by the inappropriate use of a synthetic sponge rather than a natural one, which had been used in previous executions, an "inadvertent human error."
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Stephen King responded to criticism that saw the film as a racial allegory by saying the only reason he made John Coffey a black man was that, given the time, place and setting of the novel and the crime for which Coffey was convicted, it was the only way to leave no doubt that he would have been sentenced to death.
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Eduard Delacroix's botched execution scene mirrors the real-life execution of convicted killer Jesse Tafero, whose guilt remains in doubt. When he was put to death in the electric chair on May 4, 1990, flames shot about fifteen centimeters from his head. State officials claimed the failed execution resulted from the improper use of a synthetic sponge instead of the natural sponge used in earlier executions, calling it "inadvertent human error."
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Eduard Delacroix's botched execution scene mirrors the real execution of Jesse Tafero, a convict whose guilt is still questioned. During his execution in the electric chair on 4 May 1990, 15-centimetre flames shot from his head. Officials said the use of a synthetic sponge instead of a natural one was an 'unintentional human error'.
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The fates of many characters are left open in the film, and the grim death circumstances of the novel are omitted. Klaus Detterick dies of a stroke shortly after John's execution; Dean Stanton is stabbed by an inmate four months later. Guard Hal Moores dies of a stroke in 1941, and two years later his widow Melinda suffers a heart attack. Klaus's widow Marjorie dies in a car accident in 1951, and Paul's wife Jan dies in a bus accident in 1956; Paul sees John Coffey's ghost while watching from an overpass. Brutus Howell suffers a heart attack 25 years after John's execution. Percy Wetmore never comes to his senses and dies in a mental hospital in 1965. Harry Terwilliger succumbs to intestinal cancer in 1982. Mr. Jingles dies of old age in 1996; Elaine dies of a heart attack three months after hearing Paul's story.
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When the guards drug Wharton before taking John out of the prison, two guards are playing cards. As Wharton picks up the glass, an ace of spades and an eight of diamonds are clearly visible. Famously, Wild Bill Hickock was shot in the back while holding a poker hand of aces and eights. Later that evening, Wharton is shot.
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The plot unfolds as Paul tells Elaine the story of The Green Mile. In the book, Paul writes his story as a novel. At the end of the film, as Paul leaves the cemetery after Elaine's funeral, a gravestone reading 'Greene' is visible behind him, and two gravestones reading 'Story' are visible in the foreground and on the right of the screen.
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In 'Doctor Sleep', the sequel to Stephen King's 'The Shining', when Danny Torrance senses that someone is about to die, he experiences it as bugs and flies, just as flies come out of John Coffey's mouth when he heals people. In 'Doctor Sleep', Danny even says Percy's line, 'Dead man walking.'
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When William 'Wild Bill' Wharton spits his chewed chocolate Moon Pie in Brutus 'Brutal' Howell's face, he calls Brutus 'little black Sambo'. This is a reference to 'The Story of Little Black Sambo', written by Helen Bannerman and first published in 1899. The story is about Sambo, a South Indian boy who encounters 4 tigers. 'Sambo' eventually became a derogatory term for Black people and is considered a racial slur.
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