I freakin' love this movie, but I'm still a bit (happily) shocked each and every time I watch it.
Has Newman ever swore as much (and as raw) as he did in this film?? I wonder what made him cross that line - I can't remember him doing it before or since quite this hilariously.
Between that and that womans coat he was wearing throughout this film... man...
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Wait a minute... who am I here?
yeah, agreed. and what makes me love the guy even more, is how much fun he had making it, from what i read. one of his favourites if i remember correctly.
shareI'm sure I read an interview with Newman where he said that once he was done with this film he couldn't cut the swearing out of his own conversation because it had become second nature and that he really had to work hard to change.
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I read that he said his role in Slap Shot was the one that was closest to his own personality, and his favorite.
You have to remember context when you are analyzing 35 year old movies.
Movies liberally using streams of profanity including F-Bombs, up to and including 1977, were virtually non-existent.
But you're right, this was also somewhat out of character for Newman...which is also what made this movie such a cult classic and so beloved all these years later. I think it was his willingness to play this particular role, is what made Newman so great.
And as for the fur-collared leather trench coat, don't forget also coupled with plaid, bell-bottom pants? Pure 70's cheeze...not to mention the hairstyles and pimp-hats worn even by the whiteys, makes the style look severely dated...but again, we're talking 35 years ago. For Gawd's sake, people wore knitted beer can hats during that timeframe, all bets were off when it came to "style".
CLASSIC!
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Newman was a professional. He did what the role required of him.
shareMaybe he just felt like doing something different.
shareMaybe he just felt like doing something different.
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I think that is it.
Newman generally liked to work in "serious dramas," and sometimes did comedies. He got paid well, but often turned out movies that made only modest profits.
But in the 70's, something wild happened: He was in two back-to-back blockbusters -- The Sting(1973) and The Towering Inferno(1974) -- that made him incredibly rich and kept money pouring in for years.
At the same time, Newman found himself looking a bit "old hat" in the age of Pacino, and Nicholson and DeNiro(and even his old partner Redford.)
So he experimented a bit. Two movies for Robert Altman.
And Slap Shot.
The director was George Roy Hill, who had guided Newman to huge grosses with Butch Cassidy and The Sting, so he was in good hands. But both men seemed ready to "let it loose." Paul Newman didn't TALK like that. George Roy Hill didn't direct MOVIES like that.
It wasn't a very big hit but I remember just being knocked outta my seat with all the language and hard knock violence(even as you felt that these guys all kinda loved each other with loyalty and the women were kept at arm's length.)
Interesting: the first choice for Slap Shot was Al Pacino. But he dropped out...and Newman got to be relevant again.
Interesting: After directing Newman and Redford in The Sting, George Roy Hill first made a movie with Redford solo(The Great Waldo Pepper) and then a movie solo with Newman. The Great Waldo Pepper had some tragic edges, but overall played nostalgic and "clean" like The Sting. Redford was noble. But NEWMAN's solo outing was a profane madhouse.
I think Newman was out to prove that he could still go to the wild side.
YOUR NEWMAN KNOWLEDGE IS OUTSTANDING...I VERY MUCH ENJOY READING YOUR POSTS ON MY ALL TIME FAVORITE ACTOR.
shareThere is a six hour documentary on HBO Max that just debuted (July 2022, this is August) about Newman, his marriage to Oscar winner Joanne Woodward, their lives and their movies(together and apart).
This kinda stimulated me to opine on a few of his movies. I can't say that I got this stuff from the new documentary, but I have gotten it over years of reading books and articles about Newman.
He's one of my favorites too. Incredible career: the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and OOs, always a top star.
I'm not sure we will see his like again because he was able to be a big star in a lot of "serious dramas" that didn't have to make big money for him to prosper. Its hard for modern big stars to make movies OTHER than blockbusters(Marvel movies.) Leo and Brad Pitt, maybe.
That said, Newman was in three of the biggest blockbusters of all time: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid(Number One of 1969), The Sting(Number Two of 1973) and The Towering Inferno(Number One of 1974.) Of course he needed Mr. Redford(twice) and Mr. McQueen to help on those three big hits.
Thanks for reading!
MCQUEEN & NEWMAN...THOSE ARE MY TOP TIER GUYS...EVER SINCE MY TEENS...I DEFINITELY WANNA CHECK THAT DOCUMENTARY OUT...THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP.
shareI saw it last night for the first time. I knew nothing about it. It was quiet shocking to see him in a raunchy comedy. I was also surprised by seeing the great late George Roy Hill directed it
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