You probably think I am a great detective...

Paul Mirengoff posted a brief comment about Paul Newman on www.powerlineblog.com. Mirengoff noted, and I agree, that Newman was one of very few actors whose mere appearance in a film was enough to make him want to see it.

He went on to say that in the film Cool Hand Luke, "the Newman character, a prisoner, bets his fellow convicts that he can eat 50 eggs, and proceeds to eat them. This led to egg-eating contests in frat houses all over America. The winner of Dartmouth's contest issued a challenge to Newman. The actor was gracious enough to respond. He said: "You probably think I can shoot pool too."

The mark of a great motion picture actor/actress has always been to make the audience feel that the role they play is real. The mark of a truly great actor is to understand yourself that it is only an acting role. Newman, of course, did. Too many do not.