The Hustler (1961)
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, (more)
- Director(s):
- Robert Rossen
- Category:
- Drama
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As The Hustler's "Fast" Eddie Felson, Paul Newman created a classic antihero, charismatic but fundamentally flawed, and nobody's role model. A pool player from Oakland, CA, as good as anyone who ever picked up a cue, Eddie has an Achilles' heel: arrogance. It's not enough for him to win: he must force his opponent to acknowledge his superiority. The movie follows Eddie from his match against billiards champ Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason) as he falls in love with Sarah (Piper Laurie), an alcoholic would-be writer and sometime prostitute, and falls under the spell of Bert Gordon (George C. Scott), a successful gambler who offers to take Eddie under his wing and teach him how to play in the big time. However, when Sarah joins Eddie and Bert on a trip to Louisville for a high-stakes match with a dandy named Findlay (Murray Hamilton), the consequences prove tragic. Along with a classic performance by Newman, The Hustler also features turns by Scott, Laurie, and Gleason, in a rare dramatic role. Cameos from pool champ Willie Mosconi and boxer Jake LaMotta add to the atmosphere of Harry Horner's grubby production design and Eugen Schüfftan's camerawork. Director Robert Rossen, who had been working in films since 1937, was to direct only one more film, Lilith (1964), before his death in 1966. In 1986, Newman returned to the role of "Fast" Eddie in Martin Scorsese's The Color of Money, for which he finally earned an Academy Award as Best Actor. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 135 mins
Complete Cast:
- Paul Newman - "Fast" Eddie Felson
- Piper Laurie - Sarah Packard
- Myron McCormick - Charlie Bums
- Michael Constantine - Big John
- Jake LaMotta - Bartender
- Alexander Rose - Scorekeeper
- Carl York - Young Hustler
- Don Koll - Ticket Clerk
- Clifford A. Pellow - Turk
- Charles McDaniel - Reservation Clerk
- Don de Leo - Another Player
- Vincent Gardenia - Bartender
- Jackie Gleason - Minnesota Fats
- George C. Scott - Bert Gordon
- Murray Hamilton - Findlay
- Stefan Gierasch - Preacher
- Gordon B. Clarke - Cashier-Bennington's
- Carolyn Coates - Waitress
- Sid Raymond - First Man
- Art Smith - Old Man Attendant
- William Adams - Old Doctor
- Charles Andre - Waiter
- Willie Mosconi - Willie
- Director(s):
- Robert Rossen
- Writer(s):
- Robert Rossen, Sidney Carroll
- Producer(s):
- Robert Rossen
- Categories:
- Drama
- Closed Captioning:
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- Subtitles:
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- 1961 - The Hustler - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Foreign Actor
- 1961 - The Hustler - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Film - Any Source
- 1997 - The Hustler - Library of Congress - U.S. National Film Registry
- 1961 - The Hustler - National Board of Review - Best Supporting Actor
- 1961 - The Hustler - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Director
