PAUL NEWMAN DIES AT 83

[biggordie]

Paul Newman, Actor, race-car driver and team owner, and giant among philanthropists, died at 83 today, having lost his fight against cancer.

Newman was an Oscar winner, and the lead in some 50 movies including some classics of the screen, such as The Sting, The Hustler, The Color of Money, Malice, "My boy can eat 50 eggs," Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, The Long, Hot Summer, Somebody Up There Likes Me, and etc, etc.

He appeared in a few westerns - notably Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Left-handed Gun, Hombre and [maybe it fits] Hud.

His Newman's Own was profitable from the get-go, and contributed more than 250 million dollars over the years to charities around the globe.

He was still driving race cars into his early 80s and was the owner of Newman Racing. I think that his son drove for him, but I'm not sure about this.

Anyway, he was one of my favorites, and I'll count myself among those millions of moviegoers who will miss him. I'm sure others on these boards will do likewise.

Gordie

[El Crab]

An incredible actor and just an even more incredible human being. One of my favourites as well.

His Newman's Own products are great, and he never made a dime off of them. The costs are covered and the profits, every penny, are donated to charity.

["Hunk" Papa]

I doubt that anyone would have anything bad to say about Paul Newman. My yardstick for measuring this man is his long term marriage to Joanne Woodward. Whilst the majority of leading stars of both sexes, in the past and today, seemingly flit from one 'love of my life' to the next as soon as they fancy someone new on their latest movie, Paul Newman, once he found Joanne, was with her to the end. Respects to a fine man.

For me, his version of Judge Roy Bean was right on the button, regardless of the quality of the movie as a whole. He caught the facets of the character so well, from mischievous to murderous, but with a surreal edge that it was easy to believe a self-appointed Judge would have.

R.I.P. 'Butch'

[BrokenSword]

Mr. Newman was indeed one of the great gentleman of our era. His passing needs no mourning from us, as his life was full, phenomenally well balanced (by Hollywood standards), and of a meaningfully enduring value to those even yet to be born, through his volumes of achievement in many areas. We only mourn for ourselves and what we have lost.

The director of 'Cat On A Hot Tin Roof' had originally wanted to film the movie in B&W. The studio head told him, "ARE YOU INSANE? After what we've paid for Taylor's violet eyes and Newman's blue eyes, you want BLACK AND WHITE??! His physical appearance, as impressive as it was, amounted to only a small arc on the broad spectrum of the man's totality.

The one, two or three generations that have a Paul Newman walking quietly among them are blessed. Those that may find several like him in their ranks truly have the stars in the heavens shining down upon them with a special affection.

Newman was a giant. He, by personal example, gave us all a higher mark to aim for, never the less, we - as a species - are somehow smaller without him.

M

[clw]

Good words for a great man. I have a personal memory of him. He was a horseshow dad. He was seldom bothered by fans when he came to watch his daughter Clea compete. She rode in the Amateur/Owner Division back in the 80's and one would occasionally seem him around the show grounds with Joanne.

I loved him in Cat the best.

[runaheap]

I was living in Boca Raton Florida in the late 70's, was an Account rep for a computerised income tax processing company. Had an office in Ft Lauderdale. Our company serviced 90% of the "Big 8" accounting firms in the nation. It was during tax season, late march or early april of 78 or 79. I had to deliver some completed returns to Peat Marwick & Mitchell in a large office building off of Los Olas in Lauderdale. When I got there, there was all of these trucks and stuff around the building and I had to go thru security. I'm thinking "what the hell is going on", I have to go to the fifth floor so I get on the elevator. Lo and behold the guy standing next to me is Paul Newman. Shook his hand and had a small conversation with him ( He was making a Movie with Robbie Benson and I can't remember the title) What a nice Man! Only 5'6", never new he was that short.
He was a radioman, gunner on TBM's in the navy during WWII, flew off of CVE Bunker Hill during Okinawa. Just a hell of a guy! Gonna miss him!

[clw]

A Michigan woman and her family were vacationing in a small New England town where Paul Newman and his family often visited.

One Sunday morning, the woman got up early to take a long walk. After a brisk five-mile hike, she decided to treat herself to a double-dip chocolate ice cream cone.

She hopped in the car, drove to the center of the village and went straight to the combination bakery/ice cream parlor.

There was only one other patron in the store: Paul Newman, sitting at the counter having a doughnut and coffee.

The woman's heart skipped a beat as her eyes made contact with those famous baby-blue eyes.

The actor nodded graciously and the star struck woman smiled demurely.

"Pull yourself together!", she chided herself. You're a happily married woman with three children, you're forty-five years old, not a teenager!

The clerk filled her order and she took the double-dip chocolate ice cream cone in one hand and her change in the other. Then she went out the door, avoiding even a glance in Paul Newman's direction.

When she reached her car, she realized that she had a handful of change but her other hand was empty. "Where's my ice cream cone? Did I leave it in the store?"

Back into the shop she went, expecting to see the cone still in the clerk's hand or in a holder on the counter or something! No ice cream cone was in sight.

With that, she happened to look over at Paul Newman. His face broke into his familiar, warm, friendly grin and he said to the woman, "You put it in your purse."

[crzhrs]

HOMBRE!!!

My favorite Newman movie!