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Paul Newman, RIP
Say farewell to the salad dressing mogul, Nation underwriter, and star of such fine films as The Hustler, Hud, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy, The Sting, The Verdict, and this:
In each of those seven movies -- probably my favorites in his filmography -- Paul Newman plays either a rebel loner or a lovable loser. Is that enough to declare him an honorary libertarian?
|9.27.08 @ 3:42PM|#
He's was one of the few people who could be described as a great
actor and a decent human being.
I hope this is true about him: he told a story that when he was
filming "Torn Curtain" with Alfred Hitchcock, he asked the director
"what's my motivation for this scene?" Hitchcock replied "Your
salary."
A penny for anyone who can tell give the name of the bowl game his
character from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" played in.
JMR|9.27.08 @ 3:53PM|#
I'd stick with "a nice guy," since he -- like most of Hollywood -- was a lefty and not a libertarian.
BakedPenguin|9.27.08 @ 3:53PM|#
My personal favorite Newman film is Absense of Malice. Since he gets revenge on a crooked politician and a dirty DA in it, that film should get some libertarian cred, too.
|9.27.08 @ 3:55PM|#
In each of those seven movies -- probably my favorites in
his filmography -- Paul Newman plays either a rebel loner or a
lovable loser. Is that enough to declare him an honorary
libertarian?
Yeah. He made a shitload in a business venture and gave it away.
I'm certain some went to causes I don't like (he was Hollywood
after all) but it was his money.
Rest in peace, Paul. You were a class act.
|9.27.08 @ 4:55PM|#
A Slapshot clip on Hit & Run? If it weren't because of the
sad circumstances, I would be ecstatic. Growing up in the 80s and
90s, my first exposure to Paul Newman was as a kid on hockey road
trips watching SlapShot on the team bus. It was only R rated movie
that the coaches let us watch, and hence the only movie we ever
watched. It was basically us reciting the lines as the movie
played.
I make a point of buying Newman's Own spaghetti sauces, primarily
because they're fantastically good. If some of that money goes to
charity, great, what a bonus.
Nick M|9.27.08 @ 4:55PM|#
David Mamet (who wrote the Verdict) in his last book, called
Paul Newman, "the most beautiful man ever to grace the
screen".
He was one of the greats.
|9.27.08 @ 5:04PM|#
Aside from being one hell of an actor, he was one of the few Hollywood activist types who always came across as sincere and never got tiresome or obnoxious about his politics. As Dennis Miller said, Newman always played it with a truly "cool hand." R.I.P.
bac|9.27.08 @ 5:15PM|#
A penny for anyone who can tell give the name of the bowl
game his character from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" played
in.
"Why don't you go up there and drink with Brick if the conquerin'
hero hasn't passed out already? He may have to pass up the Sugar
Bowl this year, or was it the Rose Bowl he made his famous run
in?"
"It was the punch bowl, honey, the cut-glass punch bowl."
|9.27.08 @ 5:27PM|#
He starred in the film version of Ken Kesey's "Sometimes A Great Notion," one of the most explicitly libertarian movies ever made.
Jesse Walker|9.27.08 @ 5:34PM|#
JohnL: He directed that one, too. I haven't seen it myself, but it's been on my to-watch list for a while. How well do you think it stacks up to the book?
|9.27.08 @ 5:35PM|#
Newman was a total leftist but a decent leftist. He advocated
and didn't tear his oponents down and put his money where his mouth
was. He was everything that current Hollywood leftists
aren't.
Next to Steve McQueen, he was the coolest actor of my lifetime.
|9.27.08 @ 6:01PM|#
Jesse,
Obviously glossed over a lot of the book, but it was still
breathtaking to hear/see those general ideas in a major Hollywood
picture.
|9.27.08 @ 6:10PM|#
Newman opened his Hole In
the Wall Gang Camp in the town I grew up in. It was not
uncommon to see him at the nearby stores and whatnot, or to say
"hi, Paul".
The guy was a damn good actor. Not a favorite of mine but he had my
respect.
|9.27.08 @ 7:43PM|#
Don't forget 'Cars'. Kids' movies that actually teach worthwhile lessons to the kids are all too rare these days, and he did a classy job of it as Doc Hudson.
|9.27.08 @ 9:00PM|#
Newman was the best thing about the Hudsucker Proxy
which was a great film on its own merits.
Ditto what John said too. Rather than preach and condescend to,
Newman actually did what he thought was right and
made money doing it.
If there's anything more libertarian than that, I'd like to hear
it.
|9.27.08 @ 9:54PM|#
bac:
"It was the Cotton Bowl, Sister Woman."
You get the penny for quoting that line, too.
Lefiti|9.27.08 @ 11:26PM|#
A truly great man and an enemy of market fundamentalism.
Newman's work in the movie business and his great philanthropic
success using his name and likeness on food products are both well
known. Less publicized was his long-standing involvement with
Democratic political causes, from his strong support for 1968
presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy (which earned him a spot on
President Richard Nixon's infamous "enemies list") to his early
activism in the civil rights movement.
Newman and Woodward gave nearly $500,000 to federal candidates and
committees, according to Federal Election Commission and IRS
records.
Their beneficiaries were almost entirely Democrats, many on the
left end of the party's spectrum, from well-established liberal
icons like Paul Simon, Paul Wellstone, Paul Tsongas and Gary Hart
to entertainment industry-linked longshots, such as writer Gore
Vidal, who got $2,000 from the couple for his 1982 Senate run,
actor Ralph Waite (John Walton Sr. from CBS's The Waltons), who got
$3,000 for his two failed congressional runs, and George Clooney's
father, Nick, who got $2,000 for his 2004 congressional bid.
Newman and Woodward gave more than $200,000 to the national
Democratic party committees and $14,000 more to the state
Democratic parties in New York and North Carolina.
The couple heavily funded Democratic candidates from around New
York City and Connecticut, where they maintained homes.
|9.28.08 @ 7:12AM|#
I'll take 'Absence of Malice' over 'The Verdict'. He made Cruise
look good in 'The Color of Money'.
A couple of others worth mentioning, 'The Long Hot Summer', 'The
Young Philadelphians', and 'The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean'.
The latter from which I've taken the following advice "A man has
two loves: an unattainable goddess...and a mortal woman. And he
loves the mortal woman twice as much for having worshipped the
goddess"
|9.28.08 @ 9:55AM|#
"the life and times of judge roy bean"directed by john huston
and written by john milius is really underrated and features a very
strange paul newman performance.
also love "hud", the fast eddie felson movies "hustler" and "color
of money", "the verdict", "harry and son" and others.
|9.28.08 @ 11:21AM|#
A class act indeed.
A genuine goody twoshoes, faithful to his wife (how quaint) and
devoted to his family and a dogooder he managed to pull it off with
any of the obnoxious public smarmy selfrighteousness of the
breed.
How well do you think it stacks up to the book?
I found the film excellent. Like so many others, the book is on my
"to-read" list.
Newman was the kind of liberal that confuses most libertarians. He
had a genuine belief that the programs promised by the
beneficiaries of his contributions would enhance the lives of
individuals and leave them with a huge measure of personal liberty.
It's a worthy goal but sadly it rarely seems to turn out that
way.
|9.28.08 @ 11:43AM|#
Blockquotes or italics and links (or addresses) are the moral thing
to do on the tubes. When called out on it, rather than a humble mea
culpa, Leftiti responds with
Way to stay classy Leftiti. You have once again confirmed my
opinion of you.
h-dawg|9.28.08 @ 3:32PM|#
Hudsucker Proxy, one of the most underrated movies of all time, was a Newman romp. Memorable guy, though, in all his flicks. Not just because he looked like my dad.
|9.28.08 @ 10:17PM|#
He'll always be Butch Cassidy to me: "I've got vision, but the
rest of the world's wearing bifocals."
His life goes to show that ones character is usually more important
than ones politics. RIP.
Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L|9.28.08 @ 11:38PM|#
Lefiti? Bah! (waves hand dismissively) The new
Edward.
and apparently, the old
Edward as well.
|9.29.08 @ 9:33AM|#
Now, don't be too hard on this'hea Lefiti boy. Obviously, what we have heah, is a failure to commun'cate
|9.29.08 @ 11:50AM|#
He was smiling... That's right. You know, that, that Luke smile of his. He had it on his face right to the very end. Hell, if they didn't know it 'fore, they could tell right then that they weren't a-gonna beat him. That old Luke smile. Oh, Luke. He was some boy. Cool Hand Luke. Hell, he's a natural-born world-shaker.
|9.29.08 @ 1:37PM|#
"faithful to his wife (how quaint)"
I love how believe believe such things about strangers
unquestioningly because they read it a few times...
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