He would continue to work pretty steadily through the 1980s, slowing down a bit from the 1990s onward. His next significant films were opposite Robert Redford in the two classics, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” in 1969, and “The Sting” in 1973. Paul was now a film icon and would forever be remembered for these three films. The second of the three was “Hud”, and the third was “Cool Hand Luke” in 1967. That film was the start of perhaps the most important time in his career, as it was the first of three landmark films which defined his screen persona, cemented his status as a great actor, and gave him his next three Oscar nominations. His biggest breakthrough came with the 1961 classic film “The Hustler”. In 1958 he starred opposite Elizabeth Taylor in the film version of the Tennessee Williams play, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, a film pivotal to Paul’s career as it placed him on the brink of stardom and gave him his first of nine Academy Award nominations. It prompted people to call him the next Marlon Brando. That performance brought him acclaim, as he brought a realness and roughness still somewhat new to the screen. His second film was the 1956 biopic “Somebody Up There Likes Me”, in which he portrayed real life boxer Rocky Graziano. His film debut came in the 1954 sword and sandal epic, “The Silver Chalice”, a film he later called “the worst motion picture produced in the 1950s”. He first appeared on stage and TV, making his Broadway debut in William Inge’s 1953 play “Picnic”, where he was discovered by Hollywood. He ended up in New York in the class of famed teacher Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio where he learned to internalize his characters - a trait that would influence his acting work for the rest of his career. After the war, he went to college and studied acting. After high school he enlisted in the Navy and fought in WWII as a rear gunner. Paul Newman started acting in school productions at the age of seven. To help prepare for the part, he worked on a ranch for a brief time before filming. I can’t picture any other actor in the role. He is so mesmerizing at making this man who lives only for himself a complete and whole person. “Hud” is perhaps the most unsympathetic role of his career, yet because of his likable quality, it’s hard to hate him. When I was in an archeological museum in Italy, I was half joking when I commented that the heads of many of the idealized Roman statues looked just like Paul Newman - and they did! He excelled possibly better than any other actor at playing likable, morally ambiguous characters. He was also known for his beautiful looks and piercing blue eyes. He had a charming cockiness about him, and early in his career became best known for playing rebellious, complex and brooding characters, often with a subtle humor about them. Paul is such a skilled actor that if you watch him closely, you will rarely if ever find a false moment. He was listed among the top ten box office stars fourteen times between 19 (twice being #1). An international legend, icon and charismatic movie star for over fifty years, he gave countless extraordinary performances in many classic films. I’m thrilled to introduce the work of one of my all-time favorite actors, Paul Newman, who stars in the title role as “Hud Bannon”. Martin Ritt died in 1990 at the age of 76. Many consider “Hud” his crowning achievement. He would direct twenty five features, often about social issues, including several classics such as "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold", "Norma Rae", "Sounder", "The Great White Hope", "Pete 'n' Tillie”, “Murphy's Romance”, and "The Front". Ritt worked with Paul Newman twice before “Hud” - in ”The Long, Hot Summer”, and "Paris Blues” (which also starred Poitier ). After the Red Scare, he directed his first feature film “Edge of the City” in 1957 with Sidney Poitier (who you saw in “In the Heat of the Night” ). Come the McCarthy Era he was blacklisted from television and became an acting teacher at the Actors Studio. Ritt acted in and directed plays, and then began directing television in 1950. Martin Ritt began as an actor and joined the Group Theater in New York where he worked with Elia Kazan (who I mention in “A Face in the Crowd” post). His direction earned him his one and only “Best Director” Oscar nomination. With a somewhat streamlined look and feel, director Martin Ritt holds nothing back in immersing the viewer into life in a small Texas town and seducing us to crave more about these characters.
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