# Paul Newman **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 23, 2008, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537 "2008-04-23T13:17:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/1 "2008-04-23T13:17:29Z")
Name your Top 4 and your Bottom 4 Newman movies. Top Cool Hand Luke The Hustler The Sting Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Bottom Rally Round the Flag, Boys From The Terrace Paris Blues The Silver Chalice The boy turned 83 in January. He was already 32 when I first noticed him in _The Long Hot Summer_. I’ve seen at least half his movies and have enjoyed more than half of those. I guess I’d rank him in my Top 20 actors of all time. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/2 "2008-04-23T13:36:24Z")
I’m not sure that I’ve seen 8 Paul Newman movies, but number 1 is The Hustler (in my top ten films) and number 2 is The Sting. Worst by default is The Color of Money, for which he won the Oscar for playing Fast Eddie Felson that he should have won for the original performance. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/3 "2008-04-23T13:39:23Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] I’m not sure that I’ve seen 8 Paul Newman movies, but number 1 is The Hustler (in my top ten films) and number 2 is The Sting. Worst by default is The Color of Money, for which he won the Oscar for playing Fast Eddie Felson that he should have won for the original performance. [/QUOTE] So true. To have missed the Oscar for at least five better movies than the Fast Eddie Redux just shows how lame the Oscar is to start with. We need a thread to select the deserving Oscar winners of the past 20 years to replace the losers who won them. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/4 "2008-04-23T13:40:49Z")
Off the very top of my head - My top is “The Verdict”. Absolutely. He was fantastic in that. I used to like "Butch Cassidy but tried to rewatch recently and just couldn’t get through it. I didn’t think the movie aged well at all, but Newman was good, of course. Same for “Hombre”. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/5 "2008-04-23T13:58:00Z")
Hud Cool Hand Luke The Hustler Hombre or Cat on a Hot Tin Roof The Towering Inferno When Time Ran Out Slapshot Harry and Son ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/6 "2008-04-23T14:06:43Z")
This is for Newman’s performance not the film over all (for instance, the film _The Sting_ was better than _Harper_, but I felt Newman was better in Harper). Top: _Harper Hombre Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Somebody Up There Likes Me The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean_ (If televison were allowed I would put, _Bang the Drum Slowly_ - that was incredible) Bottom: _Cat on a Hot Tin Room_ (I just felt he was too melodramatic) \*Lady L (\*nice cast, but nobody, including Newman clicked) \*Rally Round the Flag Boys \*(everybody’s timing was off) \*Torn Curtain \*(Newman missed the character or something) \*Silver Chalice \*(painful) ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/7 "2008-04-23T14:07:47Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] Hud Cool Hand Luke The Hustler Hombre or Cat on a Hot Tin Roof The Towering Inferno When Time Ran Out **Slapshot** Harry and Son [/QUOTE] **Slapshot**! The hell you say! That was a work of art. I’ve missed pretty much all the movies so far listed as his bad ones. My top four are probably: The Hustler Butch Cassidy… Cool Hand Luke The Sting Anybody else here ever see _The Rack_, in which he plays a Korean War vet on trial for treason after breaking under pressure while in a POW camp? Not a great movie, but there are some scenes between Newman and his dad that are just wonderful. It must have been one of his first five or so movies, and he’s really good in it (Disclaimer: I haven’t seen the movie in about 10 years, so I might be, as they say, misremembering.) ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/8 "2008-04-23T14:27:59Z")
Sorry about putting five instead of four. I just misread it or something. And I agree with **Bayard’s** opinion on _Slapshot_ (although I think he says it somewhat tongue in cheek). It gave you a side of Newman you rarely get, it gave you an interesting look at a tougher side of sport that you seldom, if ever, get and it combined humor and pathos well. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/9 "2008-04-23T14:32:40Z")
Have any of you seen _Twilight_? Hackman, Sarandon, Garner, Witherspoon, Channing, Schreiber. Newman is a “retired” detective. Good noir I hadn’t seen before last month or so when it was on TCM or Retro or one of those. Other notable (not my Top 4) Newman goodies: Absence of Malice Hud The Outrage (remake of Rashomon – weak overall, but Newman was fun; Shatner in a minor role as a priest!) ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/10 "2008-04-23T14:33:35Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] We need a thread to select the deserving Oscar winners of the past 20 years to replace the losers who won them. [/QUOTE] There have been many such threads, along with annual “who should have been nominated/won this year.” This thread is reminding me of other Newman movies that I’ve seen. The Verdict, Harry and Son, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Butch Cassidy…now y’all are gonna make me have to do more work. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/11 "2008-04-23T14:53:42Z")
What we have here…is a failure to communicate! Great movie. Careful…one of them might have a rifle. (I heard that they cast Paul and Robert in each others role to start, but wisely switched them during shooting) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/12 "2008-04-23T15:01:20Z")
Favorite Newman moments: Kicking the guy in the nuts — Butch & Sundance Burping at Robert Shaw — The Sting The finger to nose thing — The Sting Ohhhhhhhh Shiiiiiiiit — Butch & Sundance I’m physic – Harper At least you got the color right – Long Hot Summer ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/13 "2008-04-23T15:03:52Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] Other notable (not my Top 4) Newman goodies: [/QUOTE] That’s where I’d stick Harper. I thought he played the part very well, it’s just the movie itself was almost more of a “made for TV” style. Another he nailed was Sometimes A Great Notion but it probably won’t make a lot of top fours. Heh, **Bayard** , it’d probably had fared better with me were I raised around ‘hockey culture.’ My loss. ---
**Author:** ![AlmondJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@AlmondJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlmondJoy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/14 "2008-04-23T15:08:11Z")
Favorites- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof The Hustler Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Slap Shot I don’t think I have seen any of his less favorable films… well maybe most people don’t like Slap Shot but I think it’s funny ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/15 "2008-04-23T15:36:01Z")
Another thing I don’t remember hearing before Newman: “Yeah, well…” No telling how many times that line has been used. One of his catchphrases as far as I can tell. Can you think of a role of his where he was more the convincing bad guy/villain than in _Road To Perdition_? Many times he was a bandit or outlaw or on the other side of the law, but I mean really _bad_ guy. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/16 "2008-04-23T17:32:01Z")
I’m a littel surprised that \*Nobody’s Fool \* hasn’t been mentioned. Maybe my favorite of his movies, and a case where the film was possibly better than the book. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/17 "2008-04-23T17:46:33Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] Can you think of a role of his where he was more the convincing bad guy/villain than in _Road To Perdition_? Many times he was a bandit or outlaw or on the other side of the law, but I mean really _bad_ guy. [/QUOTE] _The Hudsucker Proxy_ ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/18 "2008-04-23T17:57:38Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] _The Hudsucker Proxy_ [/QUOTE] Thanks. I sort of remembered that but it’s been a long while since I saw it and when I saw it coming on last week or so after watching the first few minutes of it I couldn’t stand to wade through it again. One of the Coen’s efforts that left me cold. Same with _Barton Fink_. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/19 "2008-04-23T17:59:01Z")
Whoa, wait a minute…you mean that salad dressing guy was in movies? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537/20 "2008-04-23T18:00:53Z")
[QUOTE=bouv] Whoa, wait a minute…you mean that salad dressing guy was in movies? 😛 [/QUOTE] Yep. And the popcorn guy, too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-newman/446537.md?page=2)