I’m not sure how long it took for me to realize that Paul Newman was the “Newman” in “Newman Haas Racing” – much longer for me to realize that he was the “Newman” in “Newman’s Own Salad Dressing”. Paul Newman was the kind of man that made the whole star actor branding process seem so classy – even if his trailblazing antics contributed to J-Lo getting her own fragrance and whatnot.
Now, Brian had been giving me some grief of my choice of favourite Coen Brothers movies, but the reason I love so much is primarily due to Newman’s presence. His later screen persona exuded so much class and the kind of power you’d find in that Grandfather than never has to raise his voice to be heard.
To call him prolific would be to tax the word to its very limit, but his career spans so many years and more films than I could fit in my collection. Although while we’re on the subject, Newman’s got a few spots on my shelves, including , The Sting, and Road To Perdition. There are almost enough on-screen appearances on his resume as there were candles on his last birthday cake.
What’s the silver lining in this then? That his body of work is so expansive and so rich in quality, that you couldn’t possibly watch them all in the course of your regular movie watching habits. So the best known and best loved parts of Paul can continue to live on for far longer than we’ll even able to enjoy them.
So get yer butts to the store and get yer mitts on some Newman classics. Try these out:
- Hud
- Cool Hand Luke
- The Hustler
- Hombre
- The Towering Inferno
- Cars
