Dryden Theatre pays tribute to Paul Newman
Film series includes Slap Shot, Cool Hand Luke, and The Hustler
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House will be honoring one of Hollywood’s true legends, Paul Newman (1926-2008), with screenings of his most iconic performances and rarities from his filmography. Newman’s celebrated career garnered him10 Academy Awards® nominations.
The Hustler (March 4),which will start off the series, earned Newman his second Oscar® nomination for his performance as pool shark “Fast” Eddie Felson, and his rendition of the 50-egg-eating title character in Cool Hand Luke (March11) earned him another Oscar® nod in 1967. Time has been kind to George Roy Hill’s Slap Shot (March 6). While it wasn’t a box office success when first released in 1977, the raucous hockey comedy has become a major cult favorite. Screening in a new 35mm print, Newman stars as hilarious, foulmouthed Coach Reggie Dunlop.
WUSA (March 18), a satire about Nixon-era right-wing radio, also features Newman’s wife, Joanne Woodward. This was Newman’s seventh onscreen pairing with his wife and one of four movies done in collaboration with director Stuart Rosenberg. Newman himself directed six feature films; his third effort behind the camera is the 1972 adaptation of Paul Zindel’s Broadway success, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (March 25).
The series also includes the 2007 documentary The Price of Sugar (screening March 21 as part of the Dryden Theatre’s “Human Spirit” series), which “provided the final screen credit for a man who was not only one of the finest movies actors, but also a great humanitarian, activist, and philanthropist,” said Jim Healy, Eastman House’s assistant curator of motion pictures.
The films of Paul Newman:
- 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 4: THE HUSTLER (Robert Rossen, US 1960, 135 min.)
- 8 p.m. Saturday, March 7: SLAP SHOT (George Roy Hill, US 1977, 122 min.)
- 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 11: COOL HAND LUKE (Stuart Rosenberg, US 1967, 126 min.)
- 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 18: WUSA (Stuart Rosenberg, US 1970, 115 min.)
- 7 p.m. Saturday, March 21 (Rochester Premiere) THE PRICE OF SUGAR (Bill Haney, US/Dominican Republic 2007, 90 min.)
- 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 25: THE EFFECT OF GAMMA RAYS ON MAN-INN-THE-MOON MARIGOLDS (Paul Newman, US 1973, 100 min.)
Admission to each film is $7 general admission and $5 students and members. For more information and complete film descriptions visit dryden.eastmanhouse.org.
