Connection with the previous post (BRUBAKER): Stuart Rosenberg directed both films.
Trivia (From IMDB):
In the "road-tarring" sequence, the actors actually blacktopped a mile-long stretch of highway for the county.
Two hundred hard-boiled eggs were provided for one of the film's most famous sequences. Due to clever editing, Paul Newman only ate about eight altogether. The rest were consumed by the cast and crew, which led to extreme cases of flatulence the next day.
The opening scene, in which Luke is cutting off the heads of parking meters, was filmed in Lodi, CA. After the filming, the city did not replace the meters, and for many years afterward you could go there and see a block-long row of metal posts sans meters.
Joy Harmon has said that she almost turned down her now much-celebrated role in the car wash scene, not because of any discomfort over the sexual nature of the scene but because the filmmakers wanted her to smoke marijuana before the shoot began, apparently thinking it would put her in the proper mindset; when she voiced her objections they dropped the request and she did the scene "unstoned".
While passing by the prison camp set, a San Joaquin County building inspector thought it was a recently constructed migrant workers' complex, and posted "condemned" notices on the buildings for not being up to code.
Morgan Woodward, who played Boss Godfrey, a.k.a. "The Man With No Eyes," remained in character during breaks between scenes. He would sit in his chair, still wearing his mirrored sunglasses, and not speak to anyone.
According to Jack Lemmon's son Chris Lemmon in an Icons Radio Interview, Jack was originally selected to play the part of Luke, but after reading the script saw that Paul Newman would be better. So he decided to produce it instead.
Originally, the scene where Luke plays "Plastic Jesus" as an ode to his mother was scheduled for the beginning of the shoot, but after Paul Newman insisted on learning the instrument, Stuart Rosenberg delayed it a few weeks. When they tried it and the playing was unsatisfactory, it was bumped until the next-to-last day of production. Newman and Rosenberg had a shouting match after Newman still couldn't get it down. In what Kennedy remembered as a "tense, electrically charged, quiet" place, Newman tried again. When he finished, Rosenberg called "Print." Newman insisted he could do better. "Nobody could do it better," Rosenberg replied.
Luke's prison number (37) is a reference to the Bible--Luke 1:37. ("For with God nothing shall be impossible.")
One of Paul Newman's instructions to writers Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson was that they did not tailor the script for him. He wanted a part that would really stretch him and not just play to his strengths.
The line "What we've got here is failure to communicate" was voted as the #11 movie quote by the American Film Institute. When Frank Pierson wrote that dialog to be delivered by a an uneducated, redneck prison guard, he worried that people wouldn't find it authentic. So he wrote a biography of the guard, explaining that in order to advance to a higher grade in the system, he had been required to take criminology courses, thus exposing him to the kind of academic vocabulary that would justify him using the "communicate" phrase. But as it turned out, no one questioned the line or needed to read the fictional account.
Luke is seen as sort of a savior by the other convicts, as he gives them hope. After the egg-eating contest he is laid out on the table in a posture resembling the Crucifixion.
The first of four collaborations between director Stuart Rosenberg and Paul Newman.
Although he loved the look of Morgan Woodward as the intimidating Boss Godfrey, director Stuart Rosenberg felt that his voice didn't match up with his appearance. So Woodward had all his dialogue stripped out, helping to establish his character as one of the more memorable ones to appear in the film.
Harry Dean Stanton (who is listed only as "Dean Stanton" in this movie's opening credits) taught Paul Newman how to play "Plastic Jesus".
The scene where Luke is visited by his mother needed to be filmed in one day. Given that the scene was eight dialogue-laden pages long, that was quite a tall order. But because the actors involved--Paul Newman and Jo Van Fleet--were stage-trained professionals, it went off without a hitch.
In later years, composer Lalo Schifrin would often be asked why he used the theme for Eyewitness News (1968) in the film. Schifrin would then rather bemusedly explain that he composed the music for the film and Eyewitness News (1968) adopted it.
At Dennis Hopper's invitation, avant-garde filmmaker Bruce Conner shot some footage of the cast clearing brush from the roadside under a blisteringly hot sun. The resulting film, Luke (1967), captured on 8mm and edited entirely in camera, is a haunting slow-motion study of how a film is made, with an electronic score by Patrick Gleeson.
Paul Newman enjoyed making the film, and when he wasn't needed on set, often tooled around the Stockton area either in a blue Mercury convertible or on a motorcycle. "I had great fun with that part," he said. "I liked that man."
A Southern prison camp was built for this movie just north of Stockton, CA. A dozen buildings were constructed, including a barracks, mess hall, warden's quarters, guard shack and dog kennels.
Paul Newman asked to play the leading role after hearing about the project. In order to develop his character, he traveled to West Virginia, where he recorded local accents and surveyed people's behavior.
Truckloads of Spanish moss were shipped from Louisiana to the set in California to hang in the trees around the prison.
Stuart Rosenberg wanted the cast to internalize life on a chain gang and banned the presence of wives on set.
The fight scene between Dragline and Luke took three days to shoot. George Kennedysaid they were both completely worn out from fighting and, in Paul Newman's case, from falling onto hard ground for three full days.
Jack Lemmon was the owner of Jalem Productions, which co-produced many of his films as well as this one.
Stuart Rosenberg viewed the character of Luke as an avatar for Jesus Christ. The film is packed full of Christian imagery as a consequence.
The scene in which Luke is chased by bloodhounds and other exteriors were shot in Jacksonville, FL, at Callahan Road Prison. Luke was played by a stunt actor, using dogs from the Florida Department of Corrections.
Although she played his mother in the film, Jo Van Fleet was only 11 years older than Paul Newman.
For her single day of shooting, Jo Van Fleet sat on a tree stump, 200 yards from everyone else, looking over her lines. Harry Dean Stanton recalled that she asked him to sing to her before her take, and it made her cry.
Bette Davis was first offered the role of Luke's mother, but refused the bit part.
Blonde Joy Harmon was cast for the scene where she teases the prisoners in washing her car after her manager contacted the producers. She auditioned in front of Stuart Rosenberg and Paul Newman wearing a bikini, without speaking.
When Joy Harmon filmed the scene in which the men watch her wash her car, she had no idea how suggestive it was. It never occurred to her until she saw it in the theater. "I just figured it was washing the car. I've always been naive and innocent," she said. "I was acting and not trying to be sexy. Maybe that's why the scene played so well. After seeing it at the premiere, I was a bit embarrassed."
When Stuart Rosenberg shot the convicts in the ditch watching Lucille, he used a stand-in for Joy Harmon: an overcoat-wearing 15-year-old girl. Despite the coat, George Kennedyremembered her teeth were chattering from the cold weather. He also wrote, "Those guys shivering in a ditch did some great acting."
During the Oscar nomination process, George Kennedy was worried about the box-office success of Camelot (1967) and Bonnie and Clyde (1967), so he invested $5,000 in trade advertising to promote himself. Kennedy later stated that thanks to the award his salary was "multiplied by ten the minute [he] won," also adding "the happiest part was that I didn't have to play only villains anymore."
In the 1982 pilot of the sitcom Cheers (1982), the regulars are arguing over what the sweatiest movie ever made was. Ultimately they agree on this film.
Stuart Rosenberg was able to set up the film with the assistance of Felicia Farr and her husband, Jack Lemmon. Lemmon had a deal with Columbia and was anxious to produce a film that he did not star in.
Originally set to be filmed in Florida, at the last minute Warner Brothers vetoed that decision due to budgetary concerns, and insisted that the film be made in California.
Reportedly Telly Savalas was originally considered for the role of either Luke or Dragline. However, he was in Europe filming The Dirty Dozen (1967) and refused to fly back.
The lines "What we've got here is . . . failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it . . . well, he gets it. I don't like it any more than you men" can be heard in the intro of the song "Civil War" by Guns N' Roses. They would use audio of the first line again during the song "Madagascar" on the 2008 album "Chinese Democracy."
According to George Kennedy, after filming the boiled egg scene, Stuart Rosenberg yelled "Cut" and Paul Newman would vomit into a garbage can.
Luke's legendary consumption of 50 eggs was repeated in a Jackass (2000) episode in 2001.
The uncredited role of the Sheriff is played by Rance Howard, father of Ron Howard and Clint Howard.
Morgan Woodward described his character as a "walking Mephistopheles."
Conrad Hall said the studio drove him "insane," and that his filming techniques were repeatedly questioned. Eventually, it was explained to him that he wasn't showcasing Paul Newman's famous blue eyes enough. He had to shoot a scene four times before he was judged to have shot Newman "correctly."
Film debut of Anthony Zerbe.
A version of the song "Plastic Jesus" sung by Luke after learning that his mother died was used by radio personality Don Imus as the theme song to his Dr. Billy Soul Harkus character while broadcasting from New York City in the 1970s.
After Joy Harmon arrived on location, she remained for two days in her hotel room and wasn't seen by the rest of the cast until shooting commenced. Despite director Stuart Rosenberg's intentions, the scene was ultimately filmed separately. He instructed an unaware Harmon of the different movements and expressions he wanted. Originally planned to be shot in half a day, her scene took three. To film the other angle of the scene, featuring the chain gang, Rosenberg substituted a teenage cheerleader, who wore an overcoat.
Paul Newman said to a visitor to the film's set, "There's a good smell about this. We're gonna have a good picture."
Jo Van Fleet and Richard Davalos made their feature film debuts in East of Eden (1955). Davalos beat out Paul Newman for the role of Aron Trask.
The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list.
Aldo Ray auditioned for the role of Dragline that ultimately went to George Kennedy.
Luke is given a full plate of rice for dinner, an amount that would be impossible for him to eat by himself after not eating for four days. The other inmates take spoonfuls of his food so that he doesn't break the rule: "You gotta clean your plate or go back in the box."
Paul Newman's brother was a unit production manager.
After Luke finishes eating the 50 eggs, Dynamite lays his big spoon on the table next to his head, thus quietly knighting the new champion hog-gut.
In a 1989 interview with the "Miami Herald", the author of this movie's source novel, Donn Pearce, said, "I seem to be the only guy in the United States who doesn't like the movie. Everyone had a whack at it. They screwed it up 99 different ways." For one thing, Pearce thought Paul Newman was "too scrawny" and completely wrong for the part.
Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.
Cool Hand Luke's is the name of a chain of steakhouses in California and Idaho with a Western theme ("hungry buckaroo") that has nothing to do with the movie.
Included among the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the 400 movies nominated for the Top 100 Greatest American Movies.
No less than three cast members would later appear in James Bond films: Joe Don Baker (The Living Daylights (1987), GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)), Anthony Zerbe (Licence to Kill (1989)), and Clifton James (Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)).
Film debut of Ralph Waite.
A gun shop in Buckport, ME, is called Cool Hand Luke's Firearms.
Film debut of James Gammon.
Film debut of Robert Drivas.
Two years later three of the cast members went on to star in "Easy Rider": Dennis Hopper, Luke Askew, and Warren Finnerty.
Cameo ―
Donn Pearce: as a convict named Sailor. Pearce wrote the novel on which the movie is based, after spending two years on a chain gang for safecracking.
Spoilers ―
Just before Luke is brought back from one of his escape attempts, Dragline lets one of the inmates (Koko) look at the picture of Luke that he hides in the magazine. As Koko opens the magazine, clearly visible on the opposite page is an article titled "The Illusion That Kills" with an image of a hunter firing a rifle, which is pointed directly at Luke's chest. This is obviously a reference to "The Man With No Eyes".
When the famous line "What we've got here is a failure to communicate" is originally spoken by the Captain (Strother Martin), he omits the "a"; but when Luke (Paul Newman) repeats the line at the end while in the church, he says "a failure to communicate." Thus, the line can be quoted correctly both with and without the "a".
Columbia passed on making the film, having just lost a lot of money on a prison picture called King Rat (1965) that no one went to see. It was also not keen on the fact that the lead character dies at the end.
Image from Google
RATINGS: IMDB ―8.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes ― 100%, ME ― 95%
Dragline: Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Dragline: Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke: Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
George Kennedy as Dragline and Paul Newman as Luke
Trivia (From IMDB):
In the "road-tarring" sequence, the actors actually blacktopped a mile-long stretch of highway for the county.
Two hundred hard-boiled eggs were provided for one of the film's most famous sequences. Due to clever editing, Paul Newman only ate about eight altogether. The rest were consumed by the cast and crew, which led to extreme cases of flatulence the next day.
The opening scene, in which Luke is cutting off the heads of parking meters, was filmed in Lodi, CA. After the filming, the city did not replace the meters, and for many years afterward you could go there and see a block-long row of metal posts sans meters.
Joy Harmon has said that she almost turned down her now much-celebrated role in the car wash scene, not because of any discomfort over the sexual nature of the scene but because the filmmakers wanted her to smoke marijuana before the shoot began, apparently thinking it would put her in the proper mindset; when she voiced her objections they dropped the request and she did the scene "unstoned".
While passing by the prison camp set, a San Joaquin County building inspector thought it was a recently constructed migrant workers' complex, and posted "condemned" notices on the buildings for not being up to code.
Morgan Woodward, who played Boss Godfrey, a.k.a. "The Man With No Eyes," remained in character during breaks between scenes. He would sit in his chair, still wearing his mirrored sunglasses, and not speak to anyone.
According to Jack Lemmon's son Chris Lemmon in an Icons Radio Interview, Jack was originally selected to play the part of Luke, but after reading the script saw that Paul Newman would be better. So he decided to produce it instead.
Originally, the scene where Luke plays "Plastic Jesus" as an ode to his mother was scheduled for the beginning of the shoot, but after Paul Newman insisted on learning the instrument, Stuart Rosenberg delayed it a few weeks. When they tried it and the playing was unsatisfactory, it was bumped until the next-to-last day of production. Newman and Rosenberg had a shouting match after Newman still couldn't get it down. In what Kennedy remembered as a "tense, electrically charged, quiet" place, Newman tried again. When he finished, Rosenberg called "Print." Newman insisted he could do better. "Nobody could do it better," Rosenberg replied.
Luke's prison number (37) is a reference to the Bible--Luke 1:37. ("For with God nothing shall be impossible.")
One of Paul Newman's instructions to writers Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson was that they did not tailor the script for him. He wanted a part that would really stretch him and not just play to his strengths.
The line "What we've got here is failure to communicate" was voted as the #11 movie quote by the American Film Institute. When Frank Pierson wrote that dialog to be delivered by a an uneducated, redneck prison guard, he worried that people wouldn't find it authentic. So he wrote a biography of the guard, explaining that in order to advance to a higher grade in the system, he had been required to take criminology courses, thus exposing him to the kind of academic vocabulary that would justify him using the "communicate" phrase. But as it turned out, no one questioned the line or needed to read the fictional account.
Luke is seen as sort of a savior by the other convicts, as he gives them hope. After the egg-eating contest he is laid out on the table in a posture resembling the Crucifixion.
The first of four collaborations between director Stuart Rosenberg and Paul Newman.
Although he loved the look of Morgan Woodward as the intimidating Boss Godfrey, director Stuart Rosenberg felt that his voice didn't match up with his appearance. So Woodward had all his dialogue stripped out, helping to establish his character as one of the more memorable ones to appear in the film.
Harry Dean Stanton (who is listed only as "Dean Stanton" in this movie's opening credits) taught Paul Newman how to play "Plastic Jesus".
The scene where Luke is visited by his mother needed to be filmed in one day. Given that the scene was eight dialogue-laden pages long, that was quite a tall order. But because the actors involved--Paul Newman and Jo Van Fleet--were stage-trained professionals, it went off without a hitch.
In later years, composer Lalo Schifrin would often be asked why he used the theme for Eyewitness News (1968) in the film. Schifrin would then rather bemusedly explain that he composed the music for the film and Eyewitness News (1968) adopted it.
At Dennis Hopper's invitation, avant-garde filmmaker Bruce Conner shot some footage of the cast clearing brush from the roadside under a blisteringly hot sun. The resulting film, Luke (1967), captured on 8mm and edited entirely in camera, is a haunting slow-motion study of how a film is made, with an electronic score by Patrick Gleeson.
Paul Newman enjoyed making the film, and when he wasn't needed on set, often tooled around the Stockton area either in a blue Mercury convertible or on a motorcycle. "I had great fun with that part," he said. "I liked that man."
A Southern prison camp was built for this movie just north of Stockton, CA. A dozen buildings were constructed, including a barracks, mess hall, warden's quarters, guard shack and dog kennels.
Paul Newman asked to play the leading role after hearing about the project. In order to develop his character, he traveled to West Virginia, where he recorded local accents and surveyed people's behavior.
Truckloads of Spanish moss were shipped from Louisiana to the set in California to hang in the trees around the prison.
Stuart Rosenberg wanted the cast to internalize life on a chain gang and banned the presence of wives on set.
The fight scene between Dragline and Luke took three days to shoot. George Kennedysaid they were both completely worn out from fighting and, in Paul Newman's case, from falling onto hard ground for three full days.
Jack Lemmon was the owner of Jalem Productions, which co-produced many of his films as well as this one.
Stuart Rosenberg viewed the character of Luke as an avatar for Jesus Christ. The film is packed full of Christian imagery as a consequence.
The scene in which Luke is chased by bloodhounds and other exteriors were shot in Jacksonville, FL, at Callahan Road Prison. Luke was played by a stunt actor, using dogs from the Florida Department of Corrections.
Although she played his mother in the film, Jo Van Fleet was only 11 years older than Paul Newman.
For her single day of shooting, Jo Van Fleet sat on a tree stump, 200 yards from everyone else, looking over her lines. Harry Dean Stanton recalled that she asked him to sing to her before her take, and it made her cry.
Bette Davis was first offered the role of Luke's mother, but refused the bit part.
Blonde Joy Harmon was cast for the scene where she teases the prisoners in washing her car after her manager contacted the producers. She auditioned in front of Stuart Rosenberg and Paul Newman wearing a bikini, without speaking.
When Joy Harmon filmed the scene in which the men watch her wash her car, she had no idea how suggestive it was. It never occurred to her until she saw it in the theater. "I just figured it was washing the car. I've always been naive and innocent," she said. "I was acting and not trying to be sexy. Maybe that's why the scene played so well. After seeing it at the premiere, I was a bit embarrassed."
When Stuart Rosenberg shot the convicts in the ditch watching Lucille, he used a stand-in for Joy Harmon: an overcoat-wearing 15-year-old girl. Despite the coat, George Kennedyremembered her teeth were chattering from the cold weather. He also wrote, "Those guys shivering in a ditch did some great acting."
During the Oscar nomination process, George Kennedy was worried about the box-office success of Camelot (1967) and Bonnie and Clyde (1967), so he invested $5,000 in trade advertising to promote himself. Kennedy later stated that thanks to the award his salary was "multiplied by ten the minute [he] won," also adding "the happiest part was that I didn't have to play only villains anymore."
In the 1982 pilot of the sitcom Cheers (1982), the regulars are arguing over what the sweatiest movie ever made was. Ultimately they agree on this film.
Stuart Rosenberg was able to set up the film with the assistance of Felicia Farr and her husband, Jack Lemmon. Lemmon had a deal with Columbia and was anxious to produce a film that he did not star in.
Originally set to be filmed in Florida, at the last minute Warner Brothers vetoed that decision due to budgetary concerns, and insisted that the film be made in California.
Reportedly Telly Savalas was originally considered for the role of either Luke or Dragline. However, he was in Europe filming The Dirty Dozen (1967) and refused to fly back.
The lines "What we've got here is . . . failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it . . . well, he gets it. I don't like it any more than you men" can be heard in the intro of the song "Civil War" by Guns N' Roses. They would use audio of the first line again during the song "Madagascar" on the 2008 album "Chinese Democracy."
According to George Kennedy, after filming the boiled egg scene, Stuart Rosenberg yelled "Cut" and Paul Newman would vomit into a garbage can.
Luke's legendary consumption of 50 eggs was repeated in a Jackass (2000) episode in 2001.
The uncredited role of the Sheriff is played by Rance Howard, father of Ron Howard and Clint Howard.
Morgan Woodward described his character as a "walking Mephistopheles."
Conrad Hall said the studio drove him "insane," and that his filming techniques were repeatedly questioned. Eventually, it was explained to him that he wasn't showcasing Paul Newman's famous blue eyes enough. He had to shoot a scene four times before he was judged to have shot Newman "correctly."
Film debut of Anthony Zerbe.
A version of the song "Plastic Jesus" sung by Luke after learning that his mother died was used by radio personality Don Imus as the theme song to his Dr. Billy Soul Harkus character while broadcasting from New York City in the 1970s.
After Joy Harmon arrived on location, she remained for two days in her hotel room and wasn't seen by the rest of the cast until shooting commenced. Despite director Stuart Rosenberg's intentions, the scene was ultimately filmed separately. He instructed an unaware Harmon of the different movements and expressions he wanted. Originally planned to be shot in half a day, her scene took three. To film the other angle of the scene, featuring the chain gang, Rosenberg substituted a teenage cheerleader, who wore an overcoat.
Paul Newman said to a visitor to the film's set, "There's a good smell about this. We're gonna have a good picture."
Jo Van Fleet and Richard Davalos made their feature film debuts in East of Eden (1955). Davalos beat out Paul Newman for the role of Aron Trask.
The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list.
Aldo Ray auditioned for the role of Dragline that ultimately went to George Kennedy.
Luke is given a full plate of rice for dinner, an amount that would be impossible for him to eat by himself after not eating for four days. The other inmates take spoonfuls of his food so that he doesn't break the rule: "You gotta clean your plate or go back in the box."
Paul Newman's brother was a unit production manager.
After Luke finishes eating the 50 eggs, Dynamite lays his big spoon on the table next to his head, thus quietly knighting the new champion hog-gut.
In a 1989 interview with the "Miami Herald", the author of this movie's source novel, Donn Pearce, said, "I seem to be the only guy in the United States who doesn't like the movie. Everyone had a whack at it. They screwed it up 99 different ways." For one thing, Pearce thought Paul Newman was "too scrawny" and completely wrong for the part.
Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.
Cool Hand Luke's is the name of a chain of steakhouses in California and Idaho with a Western theme ("hungry buckaroo") that has nothing to do with the movie.
Included among the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the 400 movies nominated for the Top 100 Greatest American Movies.
No less than three cast members would later appear in James Bond films: Joe Don Baker (The Living Daylights (1987), GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)), Anthony Zerbe (Licence to Kill (1989)), and Clifton James (Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)).
Film debut of Ralph Waite.
A gun shop in Buckport, ME, is called Cool Hand Luke's Firearms.
Film debut of James Gammon.
Film debut of Robert Drivas.
Two years later three of the cast members went on to star in "Easy Rider": Dennis Hopper, Luke Askew, and Warren Finnerty.
Cameo ―
Donn Pearce: as a convict named Sailor. Pearce wrote the novel on which the movie is based, after spending two years on a chain gang for safecracking.
Spoilers ―
Just before Luke is brought back from one of his escape attempts, Dragline lets one of the inmates (Koko) look at the picture of Luke that he hides in the magazine. As Koko opens the magazine, clearly visible on the opposite page is an article titled "The Illusion That Kills" with an image of a hunter firing a rifle, which is pointed directly at Luke's chest. This is obviously a reference to "The Man With No Eyes".
When the famous line "What we've got here is a failure to communicate" is originally spoken by the Captain (Strother Martin), he omits the "a"; but when Luke (Paul Newman) repeats the line at the end while in the church, he says "a failure to communicate." Thus, the line can be quoted correctly both with and without the "a".
Columbia passed on making the film, having just lost a lot of money on a prison picture called King Rat (1965) that no one went to see. It was also not keen on the fact that the lead character dies at the end.
Image from Google
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