91-607: George Harris Kennedy Jr. (February 18, 1925 – February 28, 2016) was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 film and television productions. He played "Dragline" in Cool Hand Luke (1967), winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role and being nominated for the corresponding Golden Globe . He received a second Golden Globe nomination for portraying Joe Patroni in Airport (1970). Among other films he had
182-478: A 100% rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , and the prison warden's ( Strother Martin ) line in the film beginning with "What we've got here is failure to communicate" was listed at number 11 on the American Film Institute 's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes list. In early 1950s Florida, decorated World War II veteran Lucas "Luke" Jackson drunkenly beheads several parking meters . He
273-610: A New York City radio DJ. Kennedy graduated in 1943 from Chaminade High School in Mineola, Long Island, New York. Kennedy enlisted in the United States Army during World War II in 1943. He served 16 years, reaching the rank of captain. Kennedy served in the infantry under George S. Patton , fought in the Battle of the Bulge , and earned two Bronze Stars . He re-enlisted after the war, and he
364-461: A cruel and insensitive leader, severely punishing Luke for his escapes. The role of Luke's dying mother, Arletta, who visits him in prison, was passed to Jo Van Fleet after it was rejected by Bette Davis . Morgan Woodward was cast as Boss Godfrey, a laconic, cruel and remorseless prison officer Woodward described as a "walking Mephistopheles ". He was dubbed "the man with no eyes" by the inmates for his mirrored sunglasses. The blonde Joy Harmon
455-400: A financial success, it was well received by critics, who praised Aldrich's direction and the performances of its cast. It was nominated for two Academy Awards : Best Supporting Actor for Bannen, and Best Editing for Michael Luciano . Hardy Krüger was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor , and Aldrich was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Drama . The Flight of
546-448: A foreman suffering from mental fatigue; Ratbags Crow, a cocky Scot ; Carlos and his pet monkey; and Gabriele. A sudden sandstorm disables the engines, forcing Towns to crash-land in the Sahara desert. As the aircraft comes to a stop, two workers are killed and Gabriele's leg is severely injured. The radio is unusable, and the survivors are too far off course to be found by searchers. Aboard
637-442: A long stay in the box and is punished by being forced to eat a massive serving of rice, the others help him finish it. For his escape, the guards brutalize Luke to the point of exhaustion, particularly when he is forced to repeatedly dig and refill a grave-sized hole in the prison yard. He eventually breaks down and begs for mercy, losing the respect of his fellow inmates. Luke seems to succumb to cowardice and become an errand boy for
728-409: A merchant seaman who later became a counterfeiter and safe cracker , wrote the novel Cool Hand Luke about his experiences working on a chain gang while serving in a Florida prison. He sold the story to Warner Bros. for $ 80,000 and received another $ 15,000 to write the screenplay. After working in television for over a decade, Rosenberg chose it to make it his directorial debut in cinema. He took
819-490: A mess hall, the warden's quarters, a guard shack and dog kennels. The trees on the set were decorated with spanish moss that the producers took to the area. The construction soon attracted the attention of a county building inspector who confused it with migrant worker housing and ordered it "condemned for code violations". The opening scene where Newman cuts the parking meters was filmed in Lodi, California . The scene in which Luke
910-530: A prison farm in the Deep South , was based on photographs and measurements made by a crew the filmmakers sent to a Road Prison in Gainesville, Florida . Upon its release, Cool Hand Luke received favorable reviews and was a box-office success. It cemented Newman's status as one of the era's top actors, and was called the "touchstone of an era". Newman was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor , Kennedy won
1001-609: A sadistic jail guard in the Kirk Douglas modern western Lonely Are the Brave (1962), a ruthless criminal in the Cary Grant suspense film Charade (1963), and in the Joan Crawford thriller Strait-Jacket (1964). Kennedy was busy in 1965. He appeared with Gregory Peck in the mystery Mirage , with a large cast led by James Stewart in the plane-crash adventure The Flight of
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#17328513733241092-424: A saint who wins over the crowds and is ultimately sacrificed. Luke is portrayed as a "Jesus-like redeemer figure". After winning the egg-eating bet, he lies exhausted on the table in the position of Jesus as depicted in his crucifixion , hands outstretched, feet folded over each other. After learning of his mother's death, Luke sings " Plastic Jesus ". Greg Garrett also compares Luke to Jesus, in that like Jesus, he
1183-402: A show business family. His father, George Harris Kennedy, a musician and orchestra leader, died when Kennedy was four years old. He was raised by his mother, Helen A. (née Kieselbach), a ballet dancer. His maternal grandfather was a German immigrant; his other ancestry was Irish and English. Kennedy made his stage debut at age 2 in a touring company of Bringing Up Father , and by age 7, he was
1274-534: A significant role in are Lonely Are the Brave , Charade , Strait-Jacket , McHale's Navy , Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte , Mirage , Shenandoah , The Sons of Katie Elder , The Flight of the Phoenix , In Harm's Way , The Dirty Dozen , The Boston Strangler , Guns of the Magnificent Seven , tick… tick… tick… , Cahill U.S. Marshal , Thunderbolt and Lightfoot , The Good Guys and
1365-643: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , at 6352 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood , California . Kennedy wrote three books. In 1983, he wrote the murder mystery Murder On Location , set on a film shoot. A second novel, Murder on High , was released in 1984. In 2011, he wrote his autobiography, Trust Me . Cool Hand Luke Cool Hand Luke is a 1967 American prison drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg , starring Paul Newman and featuring George Kennedy in an Oscar-winning performance. Newman stars in
1456-519: Is chased by bloodhounds and other exteriors were shot in Jacksonville, Florida , at Callahan Road Prison. Luke was played by a stunt actor, using dogs from the Florida Department of Corrections . Rosenberg wanted the cast to internalize life on a chain gang and banned the presence of wives on set. After Harmon arrived on location, she remained for two days in her hotel room, and was not seen by
1547-526: Is held aloft by a stellar script and one of Paul Newman's most indelible performances." Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 92 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Empire rated it five stars out of five, declaring the movie one of Newman's best performances. Slant rated the film three stars out of four. It described Newman's role as "iconic", also praising its cinematography and sound score. Allmovie praised Newman's performance as "one of
1638-456: Is sentenced to two years on a chain gang in a prison camp run by the Captain, a stern warden, and Walking Boss Godfrey, a quiet rifleman nicknamed "the man with no eyes" because he always wears mirrored sunglasses. There, even minor violations are punished by "a night in the box", a small wooden booth in the prison yard with limited air and space. Luke refuses to observe the established order among
1729-481: Is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it. And I don't like it any more than you men. After writing the line, Pierson worried that the phrase was too complex for the warden. To explain its origin, he created a backstory that was included in the stage directions. Pierson explained that in order to advance in the Florida prison system, officers had to take criminology and penology courses at the state university, showing how
1820-549: The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor , Pearce and Pierson were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay , and Lalo Schifrin was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score . In 2005, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry , considering it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film has
1911-516: The Algodones Dunes , California, and Pilot Knob Mesa , California. The flying sequences were all filmed at Pilot Knob Mesa near Winterhaven , located in California's Imperial Valley , on the western fringes of Yuma, Arizona . In 2005, Hollywood aviation historian Simon Beck identified the aircraft used in the film: The C-82As were from Steward-Davies, Inc., at Long Beach , California, while
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#17328513733242002-490: The "anti-climatic", "unfortunate montages" at the end of the film. The St. Louis Dispatch praised Kennedy's acting as "raw realism in a fine performance" and Rosenberg's work as "above the cut of the ordinary chain-gang motion picture". The review praised the "fluid camera, working in for telling expressions" that made the prisoners "merge as varied and interesting individuals". The Austin American-Statesman called
2093-466: The "strong support of the cast", and praised Kennedy, Martin, Askew and Woodward. Van Fleet's acting was deemed "masterfully played". Rosenberg's direction was called "diverse" in its "exploration of moods". Terry opined that the "believable, tuned-in dialog" by Pierson and Person and Conrad Hall 's "sun-centered photography" created a "great feeling of the southern discomfort". He felt that "the final 10 minutes" that featured Luke's monologue "almost destroy
2184-653: The Bad Guys , Earthquake , The Eiger Sanction , and The Delta Force . Kennedy was the only actor to appear in all four films in the Airport series , reprising the role of Joe Patroni three times. He also played Police Captain Ed Hocken in the Naked Gun series of comedy films, and corrupt oil tycoon Carter McKay on the original Dallas television series. Kennedy was born on February 18, 1925, in New York City, into
2275-491: The Captain and the guards, and his sense of humor and independence prove inspiring to the other prisoners. Luke's struggle for supremacy peaks when he leads a work crew in a seemingly impossible but successful effort to complete a road-paving job in less than a day. The prisoners start to idolize him after he wins a bet that he can eat 50 hard-boiled eggs in an hour. One evening, Luke receives notice that his mother has died. Anticipating that Luke might attempt to escape to attend
2366-448: The Captain's warning speech at the police. Godfrey shoots him in the neck. Dragline carries Luke outside and surrenders, but charges at Godfrey and strangles him until he is subdued by the guards. While Luke is loaded into the Captain's car, Dragline tearfully implores him to live. Despite protests from local police, the Captain decides to take Luke to the distant prison infirmary instead of the local hospital to ensure Luke will not survive
2457-484: The Critics Would Pay To See". Nashville -based Christian alternative rock band Cool Hand Luke is named after the film. Luke Humphries , 2024 PDC world darts champion, also uses "Cool Hand Luke" as his nickname. The Flight of the Phoenix (1965 film) The Flight of the Phoenix is a 1965 American survival drama film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich , based on the 1964 novel of
2548-584: The Korean film Mayumi directed by Shin Sang-ok . Despite featuring Kennedy, it saw no wide release outside of South Korea and was ultimately a box-office failure. On television, Kennedy starred as Carter McKay in the Tv series Dallas (1978–1991), appearing from 1988 to 1991. From the mid- to late-1990s, he promoted "BreathAsure" tablets in radio and television commercials. Around this time, he reprised his role as McKay in
2639-638: The Man and Virus , Kennedy maintained a lifelong affinity for Japan and its culture. Kennedy resided in Eagle, Idaho , at the time of his death. He died on the morning of February 28, 2016, of a heart ailment at an assisted living facility in Middleton, Idaho , 10 days after his 91st birthday. He had a history of heart disease . directed by Richard A. Colla written, directed and produced by Nicholas J. Corea For his contributions to motion pictures, Kennedy received
2730-599: The Man was only released theatrically in Japan and Virus saw a financially unsuccessful truncated cut in the U.S., Kennedy was highly enthusiastic about his involvement. In 1984, Kennedy starred with Bo Derek in the box-office bomb Bolero . His other films during the 1980s included Savage Dawn , The Delta Force and Creepshow 2 . He played Captain Ed Hocken in all three entries of The Naked Gun film trilogy (1988, 1991, 1994) alongside Leslie Nielsen , Priscilla Presley and O. J. Simpson . In 1990, Kennedy appeared in
2821-653: The O-47A came from the Planes of Fame air museum in Chino , California. The R4Q-1 was purchased from Allied Aircraft in Phoenix , Arizona. The aerial camera platform was a B-25J Mitchell , N1042B , which was also used in the 1970 film Catch-22 . Although principal photography was completed August 13, 1965, to complete filming, a North American O-47 A (N4725V) from the Planes of Fame Air Museum
George Kennedy - Misplaced Pages Continue
2912-507: The O-47A, the "cobbled-together" Phoenix and Phoenix P-1. The flying sequences were flown by racing, stunt, and movie pilot, as well as collector of warplanes, Paul Mantz , co-owner of Tallmantz Aviation , filling in for his partner Frank Tallman , who had injured his leg. The morning of July 8, 1965, Mantz was flying the Tallmantz Phoenix P-1 , the machine that was "made of the wreckage", performing touch-and-go landings for
3003-419: The Phoenix , with John Wayne in the war film In Harm's Way , and with Wayne and Dean Martin in the western The Sons of Katie Elder . He played the character Blodgett in a 1966 episode "Return to Lawrence" of the series The Legend of Jesse James . He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Cool Hand Luke (1967) for his performance as Dragline, a chain-gang convict who at first resents
3094-551: The Phoenix was remade in 2004, titled Flight of the Phoenix . Frank Towns is the pilot of a cargo plane flying from Jaghbub to Benghazi in Libya ; Lew Moran is the navigator. Passengers include Capt. Harris and Sgt. Watson of the British Army ; Dr. Renaud, a French physician; Heinrich Dorfmann, a German aeronautical engineer ; and an oil company accountant named Standish. There are also several oil workers, including Trucker Cobb,
3185-508: The biological father to character Victor Newman . In 2005, he made a cameo in the film Don't Come Knocking , playing the director of an ill-fated western. Kennedy made his final film appearance in The Gambler (2014) as Ed, the dying grandfather of Mark Wahlberg 's Jim Bennett. His role lasts for less than two minutes during the film's opening scene, wherein Ed (moments before his death) bequeaths
3276-401: The boss of a neighboring county and warden of its prison farm. He wears the trademark shades of Boss Godfrey throughout the episode. The book was adapted into a West End play by Emma Reeves . It opened at London's Aldwych Theatre in 2011 starring Marc Warren , but closed after less than two months, after poor reviews. The show was chosen by The Times both as "Critic's Choice" and "What
3367-418: The box-office success of Camelot and Bonnie and Clyde , Kennedy spent $ 5,000 on trade advertising to promote himself. He later said that thanks to the award, his salary was "multiplied by ten the minute [he] won", adding, "the happiest part was that I didn't have to play only villains anymore". Strother Martin , known for his appearances in westerns, was cast as the Captain, a prison warden depicted as
3458-519: The cameras, when the fuselage buckled during a touchdown. The movie model broke apart and cartwheeled, killing Mantz and seriously injuring stuntman Bobby Rose. The final credit on the screen was, "It should be remembered... that Paul Mantz, a fine man and a brilliant flyer gave his life in the making of this film..." The film opened in select theaters December 15, 1965, with a full release in 1966. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times dismissed it as "grim and implausible", while Variety praised
3549-516: The center fuselage and both inner wing sections of the aircraft. The men will ride atop the wings. Towns and Moran believe that he is either joking or delusional. The argument is complicated by a personality clash between Towns, a proud traditionalist aviator who flew for the Allied Forces during the Second World War , and Dorfmann, a young, arrogant German engineer. Moran struggles to maintain
3640-449: The charm that, say, Al Pacino in Scarecrow effortlessly exhibits when he plays a screw-up who also winds up (briefly) incarcerated." Quirk added that Newman's performance was stronger in the second half: "to be fair to Newman, he was trying his damnedest to play an impossible part, since Luke is a convict's rationalization fantasy and never a real character". Some authors have criticized
3731-468: The chief ruler of the city-state of Ankh-Morpork , "I think what we have here is a failure to communicate." Cool Hand Luke opened on October 31, 1967, at Loew's State Theatre in New York City. The proceeds of the premiere went to charities. The film was a box-office success, grossing $ 16,217,773 in domestic screenings. Variety called Newman's performance "excellent" and the supporting cast "versatile and competent". The New York Times praised
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3822-521: The cinematography, capturing the "punishing heat" of the location, and stated that "the physical presence of Paul Newman is the reason this movie works: The smile, the innocent blue eyes, the lack of strutting", which no other actor could have produced as effectively. Newman's biographer Lawrence J. Quirk considered it one of Newman's weaker performances, writing, "For once, even Newman's famed charisma fails him, for in Cool Hand Luke he completely lacks
3913-486: The convicts", she called van Fleet's role "short but poignant" and Harmon's appearance "a masterpiece of woman's inhumanity to men". According to Adams, the direction by Rosenberg was "sharp, discerning and realistic". For the Chicago Tribune , Clifford Terry wrote that the film "works beautifully", adding that it is "sharp, absorbing, extremely entertaining". Terry remarked on Newman's "usual competent performance" and
4004-411: The crash site alone and barely alive. Sgt. Watson discovers and ignores him, although others find him later. Meanwhile, Dorfmann proposes a radical idea: building a new aircraft from the wreckage. The C-82 has twin booms extending rearwards from each engine and connected by the horizontal stabilizer . Dorfmann wants to attach the outer sections of both wings to the left engine and left boom, discarding
4095-586: The disaster film Earthquake and the Agatha Christie mystery Death on the Nile . He also starred in two television series: Sarge , which aired from 1971 to 1972 and The Blue Knight from 1975 to 1976. Kennedy starred in two Japanese productions, Junya Satō's Proof of the Man in 1977 and Kinji Fukasaku 's Virus in 1980. Both films were produced by Haruki Kadokawa and featured extensive international casts and shooting locations. Although Proof of
4186-496: The end of the film, Luke speaks to God, evoking the conversation between God and Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane , depicted in the Gospel of Luke . After Luke's talk, Dragline functions as a Judas , who delivers Luke to the authorities, trying to convince him to surrender. In the final scene, Dragline eulogizes Luke. He explains that despite Luke's death, his actions succeeded in defeating
4277-611: The film "absorbing, well-thought-out". The script was deemed "taut and deftly honed, flavored by humor and perceptive accents" and Rosenberg's direction "smoothly flowing as it is brutally realistic and occasionally raw". Newman's performance was hailed as "sureness as style that is totally convincing"; the review concluded that the film "can be appreciated on any level". On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 100% of 57 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Though hampered by Stuart Rosenberg's direction, Cool Hand Luke
4368-404: The film as an "often-fascinating and superlative piece of filmmaking highlighted by standout performances and touches that show producer-director at his best". Robert Aldrich said that the film previewed well, and everyone thought it was going to be a big hit, but "it never took off" commercially. According to Fox records, the film needed to earn $ 10,800,000 in rentals to break even, but suffered
4459-443: The film was a "triumph" for Newman. Champlin deemed the scene featuring van Fleet a "stunning piece of writing and acting". He called the roles of the prison staff "triumphantly hateable" and Kennedy "superb". He called the sequence with Harmon "a scene of cruel sexuality" and Schifrin's music "lonely and hunting". Champlin felt that Newman's end monologue was "stagey, sentimental and redundant". He added that Cool Hand Luke "played at
4550-767: The film was based on Pearce's experience working with a chain gang and added, "if the cruelties depicted are true, the film should encourage reforms". Guarino called Newman's acting "excellent" and "charming and likeable", and wrote that "humor is supplied" by Kennedy. She wrote that Arletta was "played outstandingly" by van Fleet, that Martin was "effective" as the warden and that the rest of the cast "do well in their roles". For The Boston Globe , Marjory Adams noted that Cool Hand Luke "hits hard, spares no punches, deals with rough, sadistic and unhappy men". The review deemed Newman "tremendously effective", and his portrayal "played with perceptiveness, honesty and compassion". Adams pointed out that "Kennedy stands out as unofficial leader of
4641-460: The film's depiction of prison life at the time. In a review called "Sheer Beauty in the Wrong Place", Life , while praising the film's photography, criticized the influence of the visual styles in the depictions of the prison camp. The magazine declared that the landscapes turned it into "a rest camp [in which] the men are getting plenty of sleep, food and healthy outdoor exercise", and that despite
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#17328513733244732-460: The film, remarking Pearce and Pierson's "sharp script", Rosenberg's "ruthlessly realistic and plausible" staging and direction and Newman's "splendid" performance with an "unfaultable" cast that "elevates" it among other prison films. Kennedy's portrayal was considered "powerfully obsessive" and the actors' playing the prison staff, "blood-chilling". The New York Daily News gave Cool Hand Luke three-and-a-half stars. Reviewer Ann Guarino noted that
4823-453: The first time in 1971, remarried in 1973, and divorced a second and final time in 1978. The same year, Kennedy married Joan McCarthy (née Castagna), daughter of John Castagna and former wife of William James McCarthy. They remained married until her death in September 2015. The couple adopted three children, including Shaunna Kennedy, who later developed drug-abuse problems. In 1998, after Shaunna
4914-418: The funeral, the Captain has him locked in the box. After being released, Luke becomes determined to escape. Under cover of a Fourth of July celebration, he makes his initial escape attempt. He is recaptured by local police and returned to the chain gang. The Captain has Luke fitted with leg irons and delivers a warning speech to the inmates. Shortly afterward, Luke escapes a second time. While free, Luke mails
5005-423: The guards, but when an opportunity presents itself, he flees again by stealing a truck, with Dragline joining him. After abandoning the truck, the pair agree to separate. Luke enters a church and talks to God, whom he blames for sabotaging him so he cannot win in life. Police cars appear moments later, and Dragline arrives to tell him that he will not be hurt if he surrenders peacefully. Instead, Luke mockingly repeats
5096-470: The idea to Jalem Productions, owned by Jack Lemmon. Since Pearce had no experience writing screenplays, his draft was reworked by Frank Pierson. Conrad Hall was hired as the cinematographer, while Paul Newman's brother, Arthur, was hired as the unit production manager. Newman's biographer Marie Edelman Borden wrote that the "tough, honest" script drew together threads from earlier movies, especially Hombre , Newman's earlier film of 1967. Rosenberg altered
5187-442: The level of observable reality" and that "the intrusion of cinematic artifice seems wholly wrong". He wrote that the filmmakers "had not reckoned their own strength at making their symbolic points" but that the result was "a picture with riveting impact". Time wrote that "the beauty comes from the careful building of the individuals' characters". Its review said that Rosenberg "tells the story simply and directly", while lamenting
5278-472: The men; they consider abandoning the new plane's construction. Dorfmann, caught exceeding his water ration, justifies it, saying that he has been the only one working continuously. He promises to not do it again, but demands everyone work equally hard from then on. Standish christens the nearly completed aircraft " Phoenix ", after the mythical bird that is reborn from its own ashes. When a band of Arabs camp nearby, Harris and Renaud leave to make contact, while
5369-562: The most indelible anti-authoritarian heroes in movie history". Roger Ebert included the film in his review collection The Great Movies , rating it four stars out of four. He called it a "great" film and also an anti-establishment one during the Vietnam War. He believed the film was a product of its time and that no major film company would be interested in producing a film of such "physical punishment, psychological cruelty, hopelessness and equal parts of sadism and masochism" today. He praised
5460-432: The new prisoner in camp played by Paul Newman , then comes to idolize the rebellious Luke. Kennedy followed with films such as The Dirty Dozen , Bandolero! , and The Boston Strangler . In 1970, he appeared in the disaster film Airport , in which he played one of its main characters, airline troubleshooter Joe Patroni. He reprised this role in Airport 1975 , Airport '77 and The Concorde ... Airport '79 ,
5551-587: The only cast member to appear in each film of the series. The Airport franchise helped inspire the Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker satire Airplane! , in which the filmmakers hoped to cast Kennedy as the bumbling plane dispatcher. The role went to Lloyd Bridges because Kennedy "couldn't kill off his Airport cash-cow", Jerry Zucker said in 2010. Kennedy co-starred with Clint Eastwood in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot and The Eiger Sanction , and with ensemble casts in
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#17328513733245642-421: The others (and the aircraft) remain hidden. The two men are found murdered the next day. Additionally, Towns and Moran are stunned to learn that Dorfmann designs model airplanes rather than full-sized aircraft. Dorfmann defends himself, claiming the aerodynamic principles are the same, and many model planes require more exacting designs than full-size aircraft. With no other choice, Towns and Moran forge ahead with
5733-484: The parking meters, the word "Violation" appears. Stop signs are also seen. Instances include the road-paving scene and the last scene, where the road meets at a cross section. Traffic lights turn from green to red in the background at the time Luke is arrested, while at the end, when he is fatally wounded, a green light in the background turns red. What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week, which
5824-408: The peace. Towns initially resists Dorfmann's plan, and is further incensed when he learns that it anticipates Gabriele's expected death before the plane is ready to fly. But Renaud sways his opinion, saying activity and hope will help sustain the men's morale. Dorfmann supervises the reconstruction, while Towns remains skeptical. During the work, the fatally-injured Gabriele dies by suicide, depressing
5915-431: The plan without telling the others about Dorfmann. Phoenix is completed but untested. Only seven starter cartridges are available to ignite the engine. The first four startup attempts are unsuccessful. Over Dorfmann's vehement objections, Towns fires the fifth cartridge with the ignition off to clear the engine's cylinders. The next startup attempt is successful. The men pull Phoenix to a nearby hilltop, and climb onto
6006-478: The plane is a large quantity of pitted dates , but only enough water for 10 to 15 days if rationed. Captain Harris sets out to try finding an oasis. When Sgt. Watson feigns an injury to stay behind, Carlos volunteers, leaving his pet monkey with Bellamy. Harris and Towns refuse to allow the mentally-unstable Cobb to go along, but Cobb defiantly follows anyway and dies of exposure in the desert. Days later, Harris returns to
6097-552: The preceding 110", with the "unlikely" monologue and the "artsy camera shot" of the breaking of the "hating overseer's sunglasses" contributing to the scene's "awkward artificiality". But "everything else works", Terry wrote. For the Los Angeles Times , reviewer Charles Champlin called the film "remarkably interesting and impressive". He wrote that Cool Hand Luke "has its flaws" that "mar an otherwise special achievement", but that "it still remains an achievement". He felt that
6188-510: The presence of the guards, it showed that there were "worse ways to pay one's debt with society". Ron Clooney also remarked that prisons "were not hotels and certainly not the stuff of Cool Hand Luke movies". In 2003, AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains rated Luke the 30th-greatest hero in American cinema, and three years later, AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies rated Cool Hand Luke number 71. In 2006, Luke
6279-434: The prison a magazine that includes a photograph of himself with two beautiful women. He is soon recaptured, beaten, returned to the prison camp, and fitted with two sets of leg irons. The Captain warns Luke that he will be killed if he ever attempts to escape again. Luke becomes annoyed by the other prisoners fawning over the magazine photo and says he faked it. At first, the other prisoners are angry, but when Luke returns after
6370-513: The prisoners and quickly runs afoul of their leader, Dragline. When the two have a boxing match, Luke is severely outmatched but refuses to acquiesce. Eventually, Dragline stops the fight, but Luke's tenacity earns the prisoners' respect and draws the guards' attention. He later wins a poker game by bluffing with a hand worth nothing, and Dragline christens him "Cool Hand Luke". After a visit from his sick mother, Arletta, Luke becomes more optimistic about his situation. He repeatedly shows defiance to
6461-485: The responsibilities of patriarch to a heartbroken Jim. Kennedy was married four times, to three women. In the 1940s, he married Dorothy Gillooly, who had served in the Women's Army Corps. They were divorced in the 1950s; Dorothy returned to her hometown Buffalo, New York. In 1959, Kennedy married Norma Wurman, also known as Revel Wurman. The couple had two children, son Christopher and daughter Karianna. Kennedy and Norma divorced
6552-456: The rest of the cast until shooting commenced. Despite Rosenberg's intentions, the scene was ultimately filmed separately. Rosenberg instructed an unaware Harmon of the different movements and expressions he wanted. Originally planned to be shot in half a day, Harmon's scene took three. For the part of the scene featuring the chain gang, Rosenberg substituted a teenage cheerleader, who wore an overcoat. The Academy Award-nominated original score
6643-454: The same name by English author Elleston Trevor . The story follows a small group of men struggling to survive their aircraft's emergency landing in the Sahara . It stars an ensemble cast , with James Stewart , Richard Attenborough , Peter Finch , Hardy Kruger , Ernest Borgnine , Ian Bannen , Ronald Fraser , Christian Marquand , Dan Duryea and George Kennedy . Although the film was not
6734-415: The script's original ending, adding "an upbeat ending that would reprise Luke's (and Newman's) trademark smile." Paul Newman 's character, Luke, is a decorated war veteran who is sentenced to serve two years in a Florida rural prison. He constantly defies the prison authorities, becoming a leader among the prisoners, as well as escaping multiple times. While the script was being developed, the leading role
6825-399: The strict owner of a language camp for children, parodying his Cool Hand Luke role. He paraphrased his line from the movie as, "What we have here is failure to communicate BILINGUALLY!" In Terry Pratchett 's fantasy humor novel The Truth , hired thug Mr Pin says to Charlie, a kidnapped (and not very bright) shopkeeper he is somewhat unsuccessfully training to impersonate Lord Vetinari ,
6916-401: The system. The closing shot shows inmates working on crossroads from far above, such that the intersection is in the shape of the cross. Superimposed on this is the repaired photo Luke sent during his second escape, the creases of which also form a cross. Different traffic signs are used throughout the film, complementing the characters' actions. At the beginning, while Luke cuts the heads off
7007-549: The television films Dallas: J.R. Returns and Dallas: War of the Ewings . In the late 1970s, Kennedy also appeared as a celebrity guest on the game show Match Game . In 1998, he voiced Brick Bazooka for the film Small Soldiers . He then made several independent films, before making a 2003 comeback to television in The Young and the Restless , playing the character Albert Miller,
7098-512: The title role as Luke, a prisoner in a Florida prison camp who refuses to submit to the system. Set in the early 1950s, it is based on Donn Pearce 's 1965 novel Cool Hand Luke . Roger Ebert called Cool Hand Luke an anti-establishment film shot during emerging popular opposition to the Vietnam War . Filming took place within California's San Joaquin River Delta region; the set, imitating
7189-408: The trip. As the car drives away, a semi-conscious Luke weakly smiles while the tires crush Godfrey's sunglasses. (It is implied that Luke soon dies of his injuries.) Some time later, the prison crew works near a rural intersection close to where Luke was shot, with Dragline now wearing leg irons and a new Walking Boss supervising. Dragline and the other prisoners fondly reminisce about Luke. Pearce,
7280-412: The warden might know such words. Strother Martin later clarified that he felt the line was the kind that his character would very likely have heard or read from some "pointy-headed intellectuals" who had begun to infiltrate his character's world under the general rubric of a new, enlightened approach to incarceration. Some authors believe that the quotation was a metaphor for the ongoing Vietnam War, which
7371-423: The wings. When Towns guns the engine, Phoenix slides down the hill and over a lake bed before taking off. After a successful landing at an oasis with a manned oil rig, the men celebrate, and Towns and Dorfmann are reconciled. Principal photography started April 26, 1965, at the 20th Century-Fox Studios and 20th Century-Fox Ranch, California. Other filming locations, simulating the desert, were Buttercup Valley in
7462-464: The world, mostly those owned and operated by ABC in the United States. Although the music was written for the film, it became more familiar for its association with TV news, in part because its staccato melody resembles the sound of a telegraph. Pierson included in his draft explicit religious symbolism. The film contains several elements based on Christian themes, including the concept of Luke as
7553-456: Was by Lalo Schifrin , who wrote tunes with a background in popular music and jazz. Some tracks include guitars, banjos and harmonicas; others include trumpets, violins, flutes and piano. An edited version of the musical cue from the Tar Sequence (where the inmates are energetically paving the road) has been used for years as the theme music for local television stations' news programs around
7644-778: Was cast for the scene where she teases the prisoners by washing her car after her manager, Leon Lance, contacted the producers. She auditioned in front of Rosenberg and Newman wearing a bikini, without speaking. Filming began on October 3, 1966, on the San Joaquin River Delta . The set, imitating a southern prison farm, was built in Stockton, California . The filmmakers sent a crew to Tavares Road Prison in Tavares, Florida , where Pearce had served his time, to take photographs and measurements. The structures built in Stockton included barracks,
7735-477: Was declared unfit to raise her daughter Taylor, Kennedy and Joan also adopted this grandchild. Kennedy was friends with James Stewart , and he provided the voiceover in a mini-tribute to Stewart on TCM. Kennedy was an aviator who enjoyed flying and owned a Cessna 210 and Beechcraft Bonanza . Following his experiences working for the Far East Network during WWII and professional involvement with Proof of
7826-612: Was discharged in the late 1950s due to a back injury. His first notable screen role was a military policeman on the TV sitcom The Phil Silvers Show , where he also served as a technical adviser to ensure accuracy for the show's military base setting. Kennedy later described the Silvers show as "a great training ground". His film career began in 1961 in The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come . He appeared in several Hollywood movies, including as
7917-421: Was initially considered for Jack Lemmon or Telly Savalas . Newman asked to play the leading role after hearing about the project. To develop his character, he traveled to West Virginia , where he recorded local accents and surveyed people's behavior. George Kennedy turned in an Academy Award-winning performance as Dragline, who fights Luke and comes to respect him. During the nomination process, worried about
8008-468: Was modified and used as a flying Phoenix stand-in. With the canopy removed, a set of skids attached to the main landing gear , and a ventral fin added to the tail, it essentially sufficed as a visual lookalike. Filming using the O-47A was completed in November 1965. It appears in the final flying scenes, painted to look like the earlier Phoenix P-1. The final production used a mix of footage that included
8099-406: Was not physically threatening to society because of his actions, and like Jesus' crucifixion, his punishment was "out of all proportion". Luke challenges God during the rainstorm on the road, telling him to do anything to him. Later, while he is digging and filling trenches and confronted by the guards, Tramp ( Harry Dean Stanton ) performs the spiritual " No Grave Gonna Keep my Body Down ". Toward
8190-469: Was ranked 53rd in Empire magazine's "The 100 Greatest Movie Characters". The film solidified Newman's status as a box-office star, while the film is considered a touchstone of the era. The film was an inductee of the 2005 National Film Registry list. An episode of the television show The Dukes of Hazzard titled "Cool Hands Luke and Bo" was shown with Morgan Woodward playing "Colonel Cassius Claiborne"
8281-581: Was taking place during the filming; others have applied it to corporations and even teenagers. The quotation was listed at number 11 on the American Film Institute 's list of the 100 most memorable movie lines . A sample of the line is included in the Guns N' Roses songs " Civil War " and " Madagascar ". Zero Mostel paraphrases the line in The Great Bank Robbery (1969). When Strother Martin hosted Saturday Night Live on April 19, 1980, he played
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