I'm usually not too emotional when movie stars like Paul Newman pass away, but he was different. At least to me anyway. My grandmother is one of the most interesting people I know. She's a walking encyclopedia of Texas history, and specifically the Panhandle. Her grandfather originally moved to the area in the 1880's and lived in a dugout in the Palo Duro Canyon, while working on the JA Ranch. She doesn't forgot a detail of the stories and tales that have been passed on to her over the years. Indian scares, Lobo wolf hunts, bad winters, bear in the bar at Claude, Colonel Goodnight, chasing Quanah Parker, etc. Armstrong is really one of the historically underrated counties in the state, but I'm biased. However, the coolest story she ever told me was how she got her social security card. You see, Hud was filmed in Claude, TX and instead of bringing in actors from California, they hired locals who auditioned as extras. You can see the back of her head on the bus scene. But, anyway, to get paid she was now required to be in possession of a social security number.
For some reason, that simple fact magnetized me to almost every Newman movie and he typically delivered even with a shitty script in some cases. And to this day, I still watch Hud, Cool Hand Luke, and Color of Money any time I catch them on the tube. I think these are three movies that capture Newman's range better than any others. If you haven't seen them, take that pinko commie card out of your wallet, burn it, and replace it with a Blockbuster card. Sometimes nothin's a real cool hand.