The Paul Newman Collection

(Harper / The Drowning Pool / The Left-Handed Gun / The Mackintosh Man / Pocket Money / Somebody Up There Likes Me / The Young Philadelphians)

Reviews by Gary Geyer

Paul Newman has always worked under an acting handicap-he’s just too damn good looking. Fortunately, he didn’t let that stand in his way.

This seven film collection (all released on DVD for the first time) doesn’t include any of his 4 star classics (like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Hud, The Hustler, The Verdict, Cool Hand Luke, The Sting, to name a few) but it does include some fine examples of Paul’s acting ability in some pretty good, if not great, films.

Harper is Ross MacDonald’s detective Lew Archer and is a fairly good mystery film. Newman plays the cool (what else?) Lew Harper. He is looking for a missing millionaire and finds a lot more.

The Drowning Pool is the sequel to Harper but unfortunately, not quite as good. Paul, as Harper, gets involved in a blackmailing scheme in Louisiana. The film is slow moving but If you liked ‘Harper,’ you’ll probably like ‘The Drowning Pool,’ only a little bit less. Look for a very young Melanie Griffith, as a featured character,

Somebody Up there Likes Me is the story of middleweight boxer Rocky Graziano. It chronicles his life from a young law-breaking street fighter to his success as a rough and tumble prize fighter. Paul got the roll as Rocky when James Dean, who was scheduled to star, unexpectedly was killed in a car accident. This was a break-through film for Paul. His performance was very well received and paved the way for future dramatic roles. Pier Angeli co-stars as Rocky’s wife.

The Mackintosh Man was directed by John Huston in an Alfred Hitchcock kind of way. It takes place during the cold war. Paul is a supposedly convicted criminal who, along with a spy, escapes from prison. The film gets a little complicated from here on but holds your interest and is quite good nevertheless.

The Left-Handed Gun is a Billy the Kid western. The film is very sympathetic towards Billy, portraying him as a good guy seeking justice when his friend and mentor is murdered by villainous lawmen. As westerns go, it’s pretty good and in my opinion, somewhat under-rated.

Pocket Money is another offbeat western-comedy set in modern times. It stars Lee Marvin, along with Paul as two cowboys who get swindled in a cattle smuggling scheme by mean ol’ Strother (What we have here is failure to communicate!) Martin.

There is not too much action — the film is really a character study of two, not-too-bright guys. Watching Newman and Marvin work together is really the best part of this movie.
The Young Philadelphians is one of those soap operas that Hollywood is famous for. Paul is a young talented lawyer who grew up on the poor side of town. His attempts to make it socially on the rich side of town are the juiciest parts. If that’s not enough, there are courtroom dramas and jilted romances-all the stuff you’ll love. <<

Gary Geyer is Editor-in-Chief of LetLifeIn.com (Editor@LetLifeIn.com) as well as editor of the People & Entertainment section and the Fun Stuff section. Reach him at Gary@LetLifeIn.com