Paul Newman @ 100: "Cool Hand Luke"

by Nick Taylor

I'm not sure when I first became aware of Paul Newman. Much like how Nathaniel described in his write-up of The Hustler, he's been a ubiquitous figure without a clear entry point into my consciousness. My big introductions to him as an actor came with the one-two punch of Hud - which Juan Carlos paid great tribute to - and Cool Hand Luke (on referral from Nick Davis's excellent write-up of both films). I also went springboarding from my love of Law & Order reruns straight to The Verdict and was completely awed by the whole film, but that's for later. Newman's career is so impressive that even with so much time to catch up with his filmography, try his sauces, learn more about his activism, and read his incredible biography from last year, I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface of what he contributed to the world.

But today, we're here for one man. A cool man with a cool hand. A man working hard to retain his individuality against folks determined to flatten him into whatever paragon best serves them. Set in the post-war Florida of the early 1950s, our next dive into Paul Newman's decorated career is his rebellious, discontent war veteran in Stuart Rosenberg's Cool Hand Luke...

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TCM Film Festival: Day Two - "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Killers"

Christopher James continues his coverage of the 2023 TCM Film Festival. Check in for daily diary entries.

Day two of TCM includes more of the same. More Burt Lancaster, more sweaty and handsome outlaws and plenty of indelible moments. The sun came out, but the stars of yesteryear shined bright on the silver screen. Wanting to feel old today? As part of the Warner Brothers at 100 series, Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 remake Ocean’s Eleven was screened at the festival, with Soderbergh and George Clooney in attendance. Yes, the 2001 remake played at a classic film festival!

There were plenty of high profile screenings today, plus exhibits that took attendees on a journey through WB’s history, Looney Toons at the Oscars and films banned in the South. Once again, we were able to catch a couple of very different stone cold classics...

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Showbiz History: Paul in prison, Olivia in leather, Dolph in the altogether

To be honest, apart from get out the vote phone calls we have no idea how we're going to concentrate on anything today, election day. GO VOTE! 

But if you're looking to disassociate from the here and now after you've voted or if you aren't a US citizen and don't want to watch us struggle -- and who can blame you after four years of this bullshit? -- here are 7 random things that happened on this day, November 3rd, in showbiz history to distract yourself.

 1930 Lois Smith born in Topeka, Kansas. A very happy 90th birthday to this great character actress who is still churning out fine performances on stage and television and in the movies. She's currently a Tony nominee for a performance in The Inheritance that made me cry my eyes out. Get that Tony, girl...

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Did Paul Newman win for the wrong movie?

by Cláudio Alves

Throughout the history of the Academy Awards, many a winner conquered their statue not because they were the best of the year, but because they had a grand filmography in need of golden recognition. Career Oscars are a bittersweet sort of honor, though. On one hand, it feels just to see living legends rewarded with Hollywood's most coveted trophy. On the other, the win sometimes comes from such a minor work it doesn't feel representative of the artist's true genius. In terms of acting prizes, Paul Newman is one of the most flagrant cases of a winner that was rewarded for his career rather than the merits of one performance. By the time he won a competitive Oscar, he had been nominated seven times already and had even won the first of two Honorary prizes. He might have agreed with those judgments, considering he wasn’t even present to receive the statuette.

At least, that's what most people seem to believe about the great star's Best Actor trophy for 1986's The Color of Money…

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Happy 50th to "Cool Hand Luke"

Paul Newman's fourth Best Actor nominated star vehicle opened on this day in 1967! In its honor an impromptu list...

BEST SCREEN LUKES

1. Cool Hand Luke  (Paul Newman)
2. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) 
3. Luke Pasqualino
4. Luke Cage  (Mike Colter)
5. Luke (Ryan Gosling) from The Place Beyond the Pines 
6. Luke Evans
7. Keye Luke
8. Luke (OT Fagbenie) from "The Handmaid's Tale"
9. Derek Luke
10. Luke Duke (Tom Wopat) from "The Dukes of Hazzard"

(okay, who'd we forget?)