# How long before majority of people forget that Paul Newman was an actor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 22, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234 "2015-09-22T20:56:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/181 "2015-09-25T15:57:57Z")
I think most old actors are only remembered in the public consciousness if they are associated with a specific thing or a shtick. And that only lasts for a while as well. I don’t think Newman has that type of connection, other than the food one. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/182 "2015-09-25T16:01:17Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Surely you didn’t mean to ignore the **Godfather** things? ☹ Or Dog Day Afternoon; or Carlitos Way ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/183 "2015-09-25T16:09:51Z")
Scarface imagery is popular among kids who haven’t even seen Scarface, much less any of those other movies. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/184 "2015-09-25T16:35:42Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > The word “forget” in the OP implies once having known, and then not knowing anymore. As opposed to “How long before majority of people don’t know that Paul Newman was an actor?” > > Not sure if anyone else pointed it out (did try and read the thread, but some of the digressions made me glaze over). > > Also, the Paul Newman-\>food product thing isn’t universal outside the US, so that’s another thing to consider - some places, he has no competing legacy. Any place that has cinema, Newman will have a compelling legacy. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/185 "2015-09-25T16:36:42Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Scarface imagery is popular among kids who haven’t even seen Scarface, much less any of those other movies. The Godfather is also popular with the kids for much the same reason as Scarface. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/186 "2015-09-25T21:43:50Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Any place that has cinema, Newman will have a compelling legacy. You may want to reread what i wrote. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/187 "2015-09-25T21:45:50Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > You mean that car racer guy? Newman would be okay if he were remembered that way. He liked racing better than acting. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/188 "2015-09-25T22:00:21Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Interesting thread-old actors do get forgotten-so unless you are a film buff, the Newman name is probably mostly unknown today. Will the late Paul Walker be remembered 20 years from now? probably not. Did you just compare Paul Newman to Paul Walker??? Paul Newman is one of cinema’s great leading men who starred in some of the greatest movies ever made. He will be remembered alongside John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, Clint Eastwood, and other giants of his era. He was a major star in Hollywood for almost 60 years. Paul Walker was a guy who starred in a few mediocre action movies and some teen movies and had a career that spanned about 15 years… Paul Newman started racing cars professionally at age 48 and won four national SCCA championships and came in second at the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1979. He was on the winning team at Daytona in 1995 when he was 70 years old (!!) Paul Newman was a giant in entertainment whose talents spanned multiple fields. Paul Walker was a nice guy who might have been a big star had he not been killed in a car crash. Walker will be forgotten. Newman won’t. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/189 "2015-09-26T13:35:03Z")
I hate to tell you this, but the only reason Stewart’s legacy as an actor is still alive among the masses is that _It’s A Wonderful Life_ gets played repeatedly every Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/190 "2015-09-26T15:30:59Z")
Why is there the assumption in this thread that Newman’s Own products will go on forever? ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/191 "2015-09-26T15:56:47Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > Why is there the assumption in this thread that Newman’s Own products will go on forever? As the earth takes its final breath, all that will be left are the cockroaches and Newman’s Balsamic Vinaigrette. Just a prediction. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/192 "2015-09-26T16:13:27Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > As the earth takes its final breath, all that will be left are the cockroaches and Newman’s Balsamic Vinaigrette. > > Just a prediction. You forgot the Twinkies. I was wrong, btw. I predicted my wife would also identify Newman as a food product first and an actor second. But when I asked her what came into her mind first when I said “Paul Newman,” she said “actor.” My twenty-something son, on the other hand, who is very up on cultural icons and certainly knows more than I do about “the cinema,” said “Salad dressing. Then ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.’ Oh, and mid-century American constructs of maleness too.” Take it for what it is worth. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/193 "2015-09-26T16:29:25Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > Why is there the assumption in this thread that Newman’s Own products will go on forever? How do you see it falling, in relation to other products? ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/194 "2015-09-26T16:33:01Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > How do you see it falling, in relation to other products? Newer, more appealing products will come along. Some day it will be seen as a late 20th-Century construct of salad dressing or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/195 "2015-09-26T18:18:38Z")
Newman’s Own is a brand, not a fixed set of products. There have been many products added to and dropped from the line already. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/196 "2015-09-26T18:29:27Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > Newer, more appealing products will come along. Some day it will be seen as a late 20th-Century construct of salad dressing or whatever. Well I said before we don’t forget Aunt Jemima, or Uncle Bens. As the next guy said it is a brand and not a product. Plus it’s a non profit venture with a lot of goodwill. They change products and keep ahead of the curve all the time. Lots of things can happen. I just don’t see any reason why it won’t continue. Doesn’t sound like you do either really. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/197 "2015-09-26T20:47:44Z")
“Newman’s Own Flavored Condoms”? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/198 "2015-09-26T22:10:19Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > And Jimmy Dean did something else before he made sausages. Jimmy Dean is the best example I can think of of someone who is better known for an endorsed product than his actual career in entertainment. If Kenny Rogers Roasters had become more successful, he would possibly have become another Colonel Sanders. I don’t know if Paul Newman’s foods are so well-known - to me they are speciality and premium products. Then again, it may reveal something about where I live that Jimmy Dean is a household staple - Newman’s Own is “fancy spaghetti sauce.” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/199 "2015-09-26T22:16:40Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Like, for example, [Rula Lenska!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=12&v=5-SJoIpTPk8) Wot, the hair spray girl? :dubious: 😕 ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234/200 "2015-09-26T22:36:18Z")
> [@syncrolecyne](#): > > Jimmy Dean is the best example I can think of of someone who is better known for an endorsed product than his actual career in entertainment. > > If Kenny Rogers Roasters had become more successful, he would possibly have become another Colonel Sanders. > > I don’t know if Paul Newman’s foods are so well-known - to me they are speciality and premium products. Then again, it may reveal something about where I live that Jimmy Dean is a household staple - Newman’s Own is “fancy spaghetti sauce.” Others can let me know but I feel like where I am there is no end of Newman products. They are in every aisle for many product types, and more varieties than is even needed. Salsa, popcorn, Salad dressing, Lemonade, spaghetti sauce, and so on. They had organics but I think it is being folded into the main brand, because it was so successful basically. They could probably go into any sector they wanted. Anyway my perception is that there is a LOT of shelf space devoted to Newmans. That is why I think it’s not going anywhere soon. but I only live in one city. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-before-majority-of-people-forget-that-paul-newman-was-an-actor/732234.md?page=11)