Guide Note

Cool Hand Luke is a 1967 film starring Paul Newman as a prisoner who refuses to conform to the rules and his fellow inmates who look up to him. Based on a novel by Donna Pearce, the movie follows Luke as he tries to stand up to his guards as they try to break his spirit with a series of punishments. The movie was a critical success and earned George Kennedy an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. It also helped establish Paul Newman as a major star.

Fast Facts

1. Release date: November 1, 1967
2. Running time: 126 minutes
3. Starring Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin and Morgan Woodward
4. Directed by Stuart Rosenberg
5. Screenplay adapted from the novel by Donn Pearce
6. Selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 2005

• Paul Newman - Luke
• George Kennedy - Dragline
• J.D. Cannon - Society Red
• Lou Antonio - Koko
• Robert Drivas - Loudmouth Steve
• Strother Martin - Captain
• Jo Van Fleet - Arletta
• Clifton James - Carr

• "What we got here is... failure to communicate" - Captain

• "That ditch is Boss Kean's ditch. And I told him that dirt in it's your dirt. What's your dirt doin' in his ditch?" - Boss Paul

• "My boy says he can eat fifty eggs, he can eat fifty eggs" - Dragline