RIP Paul Newman, 1925-2008

I am secure enough in my manhood to say, without reservation, that Paul Newman was a gorgeous man in every way. Forget James Dean or Brando. Newman had the ultimate anti-hero cool. With his piercing blue-eyed stare, he could have easily rested on his sex symbol good looks and played it safe; but he consistently picked daring roles to play decade after decade. He picked great roles despite his good looks, not because of them. Newman has always been my favorite of the classic Hollywood icons. His greatest films remain incredibly fresh due to his timeless appeal and substantial acting chops.

Newman's best roles were outsiders who were their own worst enemy. He seemed to harness an inner restlessness and anger and projected them onscreen in his best, doomed roles. "Cool Hand Luke," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "Hud" are perfect examples. (You should really watch "Hud" if you've never seen it. Newman's acting is amazing in that film). But his greatest role was that of Fast Eddie Felson in "The Hustler." The brash, young Felson had all of the talent in the world at the pool table. But as George C. Scott's viper of a manager told Eddie, "you can have all of the talent in the world, but you're still a loser because you lack character." The scenes with Fast Eddie facing off against Jackie Gleason's Minnesota Fats are some of the best in movies. A lesser superstar would have balked at playing a loser and tragic figure like Eddie. But his little inner victory at the end of that film, and the price he pays to get there...wow.


ABOVE: Check this scene out. Newman and Gleason. Beautiful. (I apologize for the poor quality of the video, "The Hustler" is available on DVD in a gorgeous remastered version). One of the best exchanges ever: (Felson) "I didn't leave you much..." (Fats) "You left enough." Yes!

Later in his career Newman played more traditional heroes, but they were charming as hell and always had a loneliness and edge to them. Check out flicks like "The Sting" or "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Even in cheesy 70's fare like "The Towering Inferno" or "Slap Shot", Newman's mere presence raised the material a notch higher. In the 80's and 90's he became a respected elder statesmen of Hollywood, but still put in bold performances, like the alcoholic lawyer in "The Verdict" and as the broken man trying to repair his relationship with his family in "Nobody's Fool."



Aside from his acting career, there was so much more to Newman. Newman had one of those rare marriages in Hollywood that lasted. This year marked the 50th anniversary for Newman and actress wife Joanne Woodward. Newman did all that he could to get away from the glitz of celebrity, preferring to spend his free time racing cars over walking the red carpets. In the late 70's he became a professional race car driver, and his team placed 5th in Daytona and 2nd in Le Mans. He started selling his salad dressing recipe as a lark as Newman's Own, a brand that now stocks shelves of grocery stores with salad dressing, spaghetti sauce, popcorn and other foods. From the beginning, Newman gave all profits from the Newman's Own brand to charity. To date, Newman's Own has given over $175 million to different charitable organizations.

I think I'll go pop in my DVD of "The Hustler" now. Or maybe "Hud." No, let's do "Cool Hand Luke"...we lost THE great one this weekend.

RIP Paul Newman.