Wild Details From The Set Of 'Cool Hand Luke'

When Cool Hand Luke hit theaters, movie-goers everywhere loved the strong-willed prison inmate character Paul Newman played. Newman already solidified himself as a Hollywood heavy-hitter, and this flick just made his star shine that much brighter. Mega-fans can probably recite the script word for word, but even the biggest Newman-heads don't know everything about the film. Cool Hand Luke had some secrets the crew definitely hoped would never get out.

Behind-The-Scenes Facts

When author Donn Pearce wrote the book Cool Hand Luke, he had no idea the film version would be a box-office smash. Paul Newman played an inmate who rebelled against authority, but the story behind the making of the movie was even better.

Second Choice

In fact, Paul Newman wasn't even the first choice for the lead. Telly Salavas, the man who played Kojak, was first asked, but he was in the middle of filming The Dirty Dozen and couldn't commit.

Banned From The Premiere

The author himself actually had a tiny role in the film. However, he clocked a co-star in the face on the last day of filming and not only was kicked off set but also banned from the premiere!

Too Hot For The Role

Funny enough, the author was an actual ex-inmate who thought Paul Newman looked too handsome for the lead role. A lot of it had to do with one particularly striking aspect.