# Goodbye, Butch. (Paul Newman died.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 27, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468 "2008-09-27T13:58:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/61 "2008-09-28T03:16:40Z")
[QUOTE=Ignatz;10250123I remember most the opening scene in \*\*Cool Hand Luke \*\*with him beheading the parking meters. Then the eating of 54 hardboiled eggs in the prison camp. And the finale when he echoed the famous Strother Martin line, “What we got here is…failure to communicate.”[/QUOTE] Nitpick: It was 50 eggs. We just watched the film. Presumably because it was 50 prisoners, but he never really says why he picked 50 as the number of eggs. Ebert has a couple of good pieces on Newman [here](http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080927/PEOPLE/809279997) and [here](http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19950101/PEOPLE/11010316/1023). ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/62 "2008-09-28T03:44:20Z")
I always thought of Paul Newman as “local boy made good,” since he was from the next 'burb over from here. It’s amazing to have a Hollywood superstar who has been so universally loved and respected. I have never, ever, heard a bad thing said about him. And that amazing marriage . . . isn’t it wonderful how many photos are of the two of them together, not like other famous couples! He will be so damn missed. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/63 "2008-09-28T05:13:02Z")
I was never a fan but for those who are, the best way to pay your respects is to buy Paul Newman’s very own [popcorn](http://63.131.143.186/) and settle in for a Paul Newman film. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/64 "2008-09-28T05:44:07Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Nitpick: It was 50 eggs. We just watched the film. Presumably because it was 50 prisoners, but he never really says why he picked 50 as the number of eggs. Sure he does. Dragline: Why you got to go and say fifty eggs for? Why not thirty-five or thirty-nine? Luke: I thought it was a nice round number. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/65 "2008-09-28T05:47:07Z")
It was his daughter Nell who got him to start a line of organic foods (and help push the concept into the mainstream). Paul didn’t think much of organic grown food, so Nell fixed him an elaborate meal, and afterwards, he declared it to be one of the best he’d ever eaten (given that the man had probably dined in some of the finest restaurants, that’s saying something), Nell then told him that everything he’d eaten was organic. Newman right then declared that he’d start a line of organic foods (and this is why his daughter appears on the labels with him). Why the _hell_ can’t we have more actors like him, and fewer like Tom Cruise? ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/66 "2008-09-28T05:51:13Z")
One of the great legends of the screen. He’ll be missed. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/67 "2008-09-28T06:09:43Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Sure he does. > > Dragline: Why you got to go and say fifty eggs for? Why not thirty-five or thirty-nine? > Luke: I thought it was a nice round number. I didn’t take that to be very specific. Forty is also a nice round number; I didn’t think he answered why specifically 50. And speaking of Cool Hand Luke, I wondered about why he was decapitating parking meters. At the time, he did not seem to care about robbing them. Later, in his final conversation with his mother, Luke mentions something about he’d been “settling old scores,” leading me to believe he had a beef with the city government. ---
**Author:** ![meenie7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@meenie7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meenie7)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/68 "2008-09-28T07:18:43Z")
So sad ☹ He sometimes raced cars at Lime Rock Park, which is only about 30 minutes from my house. He’d just get out there and do his thing with all the other people…it was really cool, especially because a lot of the celebs who have houses in Connecticut (reportedly) walk around like they’re a big fat deal, so it set him apart. I hope that if I had that amount of money and fame, I would be half as generous and humble as he seemed, by all accounts, to be. RIP, Mr. Newman. You’ll be missed. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/69 "2008-09-28T08:30:03Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Newman was a fine example of how a person can get everything in life everyone wants–fame, fortune & family–and still be a _mensch_. He was either an anachronism, or he was the exception that proves the rule. (Maybe a little of both.) If Newman were coming up today, no one would think he had much star quality, and he certainly wouldn’t be a role model for masculinity. That says more about us and our times, though, than about him. It takes a lot more to be “real” today. For one thing, you have to have an ironclad line of bullshit, and believe in it. You will be missed, Paul. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/70 "2008-09-28T12:01:33Z")
I’ll miss him although I didn’t know him. I’m really sad. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/71 "2008-09-28T14:32:33Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > It was his daughter Nell who got him to start a line of organic foods (and help push the concept into the mainstream). Paul didn’t think much of organic grown food, so Nell fixed him an elaborate meal, and afterwards, he declared it to be one of the best he’d ever eaten (given that the man had probably dined in some of the finest restaurants, that’s saying something), Nell then told him that everything he’d eaten was organic. Newman right then declared that he’d start a line of organic foods (and this is why his daughter appears on the labels with him). Cool story. I can’t eat anything from Newman’s Own because they’re full of too much sugar and too many carbs, but I would if I could. I wish they’d come out with a line of products for diabetics. Speaking of Nell, I was always a bit sad that she chose not to continue acting. I thought she was wonderful in **[The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068528/)** (she’s billed as “Nell Potts”). She only ever appeared in two movies, that one as the daughter of her real-life mother, Joanne Woodward, and in **[Rachel, Rachel](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063483/)** playing her mother, Joanne Woodward’s, character as a child. Both movies were directed by her father, Paul Newman. I guess she decided she had the closed, comforting experience of working closely with her parents, and that was enough for her. Speaking of Paul as a director, I think both of those films are fantastic, and wish he had directed more often. But, I say that as someone who’s never seen his other movies [Sometimes a Great Notion](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067774/), or [Harry & Son](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087386/), so shame on me. I need to correct that. I just know I love the two with Joanne and Nell. I just went to Nell’s IMDB page to make sure that I remembered correctly, that those two were the only films she’d done. I was correct, but in reading her trivia page at IMDB, I just got this surprise: > [@](#): > > Was cast in the role of Addie Pray in [Paper Moon](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070510/) (1973), with her real father, Paul Newman, cast as her on-screen father, but both dropped out of the cast when a new director was chosen for the project. I never knew that! I adore **Paper Moon** and think Tatum and Ryan O’Neal were perfect. Now I’m trying to picture Nell and Paul in the roles! Interesting! ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/72 "2008-09-28T15:02:46Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Why the _hell_ can’t we have more actors like him, and fewer like Tom Cruise? I was trying to figure it out, and I think it’s because Paul Newman had nothing to prove to himself. I think a lot of starlets with their entourages and paparazzi-seeking antics are very insecure, and need to prove to themselves that they’re a star. Paul knew he was beyond a star, he was an icon, he had a wife he adored, hobbies that he enjoyed, causes that he believed in, roles he relished, and the rest, as far as he was concerned, was just noise. Once you get to a certain level, there’s nothing to prove. He’d already done it decades ago. And I think very few Hollywood actors will ever get there (although I think Tom Hanks and maybe Michael Douglas are on their way.) ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/73 "2008-09-28T15:07:20Z")
Paul Newman was my neighbor when I lived in Westport, CT, and my mother saw him on a regular basis when she worked at Westport’s YMCA, where he went to play badminton. He was very involved in the town and area, having his businesses and charities based there too, so I’m actually a lot more familiar with his work outside of Hollywood, which is what makes it especially sad. The town was suffering along with him over the last year or so. More so than any other actor who comes to mind, he played a HUGE part in giving back to the community, and set an example which I hope more people of the next generation can follow. I mean, honestly, who is gonna be the next Paul Newman? His company also makes the best tasting brands of salad dressing, popcorn and salsa (especially the medium spicy pineapple!) ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/74 "2008-09-28T15:16:25Z")
Missed the edit window - also, MY one and only encounter with Mr Newman was when I was in 8th grade and got news that HE personally answers his door on Halloween for trick or treaters, and carried a large assortment of king-sized candy bars for us. So that there was enough to get me to appreciate him. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468/75 "2008-09-28T19:55:49Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > I mean, honestly, who is gonna be the next Paul Newman? There never will be one, but if pressed for an answer, I’d say Brad Pitt has a shot, if we’re adding up iconic movies past and future, status as a delighted family man (you can tell he loves being a father), the potential for a (_fingers TIGHTLY crossed_) long, stable and happy marriage, philanthropic sensibilities, liberal politics, nice-guy persona, sense of humor, and good looks. We’ll check back in 20-30 years and see. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-butch-paul-newman-died/465468.md?page=3)