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Cool Hand Luke Overview:

Cool Hand Luke (1967) was a Crime - Drama Film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and produced by Gordon Carroll and Carter De Haven Jr..

The film was based on the novel of the same name written by Donn Pearce published in 1965.

SYNOPSIS

"What we have here is a failure to communicate." Newman wakes up on a Southern chain gang after a destructive drunken spree. Stuck in a stink hole of a prison, he refuses to give up his dignity or humor to abusive authorities.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Cool Hand Luke was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2005.

Academy Awards 1967 --- Ceremony Number 40 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorPaul NewmanNominated
Best Supporting ActorGeorge KennedyWon
Best Music - ScoringLalo SchifrinNominated
Best WritingDonn Pearce, Frank R. PiersonNominated
See More Oscar Winners

Cool Hand Luke BlogHub Articles:

Cool Hand Luke (1967, Stuart Rosenberg)

By Andrew Wickliffe on Jul 2, 2020 From The Stop Button

Maybe a third of the way into Cool Hand Luke, the film all of a sudden starts getting really good. It’s when Jo Van Fleet makes her appearance, which provides the film both its single best acting—Newman and Van Fleet are exquisite in the scene—and also director Rosenberg showing he’s actuall... Read full article

Cool Hand Luke (1967)

By Beatrice on Jul 6, 2019 From Flickers in Time

Cool Hand Luke Directed by Stuart Rosenberg Written by Don Pearce and Frank Pierson from Pearce’s novel 1967/USA Jalem Productions Repeat viewing/Amazon Instant One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die The Christ symbolism and anti-establishment message haven’t aged all that well. ... Read full article

Review: Cool Hand Luke (1967)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Apr 15, 2019 From 4 Star Films

While I might not consider it one of the finest films ever produced, Cool Hand Luke features one of the most mythic characters ever conceived for the movies. He’s one of those figures who can seemingly only exist on celluloid. Luke Jackson comes out of a certain turbulent period in American hi... Read full article

Cool Hand Luke: Newman’s Double?

By Judy on Jun 21, 2014 From Cary Grant Won't Eat You

This post is part of Silver Screenings‘ and The Rosebud Cinema’s 1967 in Film Blogathon. Check out the other entries on their sites! It’s not surprising, given the film’s condemnation of authority and celebration of rebellion, that Cool Hand Luke came out in 1967 in the midst of Vie... Read full article

Cool Hand Luke: Newman’s Double?

By Judy on Jun 21, 2014 From Cary Grant Won't Eat You

This post is part of Silver Screenings‘ and The Rosebud Cinema’s 1967 in Film Blogathon. Check out the other entries on their sites! It’s not surprising, given the film’s condemnation of authority and celebration of rebellion, that Cool Hand Luke came out in 1967 in the midst of Vie... Read full article

See More Cool Hand Luke Articles

Cool Hand Luke Quotes:

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.
[Alone in a church, talking to God, as police lights begin flashing]
Luke: Is that your answer, old man? Well, I guess you're a hard case too.
[Dragline has repeatedly knocked Luke down during a boxing match]
Dragline: Stay down. You're beat.
Luke: You're gonna hafta kill me...
[struggles back to his feet]
Luke: Oh come on. Stop beatin' it. Get out there yourself. Stop feedin' off me. Get out of here. I can't breathe. Give me some air.
Captain: What we got here is... failure to communicate.
See More Quotes from Cool Hand Luke
Cool Hand Luke Facts
When the famous line "What we've got here is a failure to communicate" is no originally spoken by the Captain (Strother Martin) he omits the "a"; but when Luke (Paul Newman) repeats the line at the end while in the church, he says "a failure to communicate." Thus, the line can be quoted correctly both with and without the "a".
Truckloads of Spanish moss were shipped from Louisiana to the set in California to hang in the trees around the prison.
First film of James Gammon.
According to Jack Lemmon's son, Chris, in an Icons Radio Interview Lemmon was originally selected to play the part of Luke, but Lemmon, reading the script, saw that Paul Newman would be better. So Lemmon decided to produce it.
The music cue where Luke gets the men to work faster on the road was used later for many years by many ABC television stations as their "Eyewitness News" theme.
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