Cool Hand Luke (1967)

George Kennedy: Dragline

Photos 

Quotes 

• [Luke wins a poker hand on a bluff] 

  Dragline : Nothin'! A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head, he beat you with nothin', just like today when he kept comin' back at me, with nothin'.

  Luke : Yeah, well... sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.

• Dragline : He was smiling... That's right. You know, that, that Luke smile of his. He had it on his face right to the very end. Hell, if they didn't know it 'fore, they could tell right then that they weren't a-gonna beat him. That old Luke smile. Oh, Luke. He was some boy. Cool Hand Luke. Hell, he's a natural-born world-shaker.

• Dragline : Why you got to go and say fifty eggs for? Why not thirty-five or thirty-nine?

  Luke : I thought it was a nice round number.

• The Girl : [Washing her car with the radio on loud to get the prisoners' attention] 

  Dragline : Hey, Lord... whatever I done, don't strike me blind for another couple of minutes.

• Luke : Anybody here? Hey, Old Man. You home tonight? Can You spare a minute. It's about time we had a little talk. I know I'm a pretty evil fellow... killed people in the war and got drunk... and chewed up municipal property and the like. I know I got no call to ask for much... but even so, You've got to admit You ain't dealt me no cards in a long time. It's beginning to look like You got things fixed so I can't never win out. Inside, outside, all of them... rules and regulations and bosses. You made me like I am. Now just where am I supposed to fit in? Old Man, I gotta tell You. I started out pretty strong and fast. But it's beginning to get to me. When does it end? What do You got in mind for me? What do I do now? Right. All right.

  [Gets on knees, closes eyes and begins to pray] 

  Luke : On my knees, asking.

  [Peeks up with one eye, waits. Then opens eyes and crosses arms] 

  Luke : Yeah, that's what I thought. I guess I'm pretty tough to deal with, huh? A hard case.

  [Clicks tongue] 

  Luke : Yeah. I guess I gotta find my own way.

  [Headlights shine through windows, backs up] 

  Dragline : Luke?

  Luke : [Shakes head and smiles]  Is that Your answer, Old Man? I guess You're a hard case, too.

• [Discussing God and the rain] 

  Luke : Let him go. Bam, Bam.

  Dragline : Knock it off, Luke. You can't talk about Him that way.

  Luke : Are you still believin' in that big bearded Boss up there? You think he's watchin' us?

  Dragline : Get in here. Ain't ya scared? Ain't ya scared of dyin'?

  Luke : Dyin'? Boy, he can have this little life any time he wants to. Do ya hear that? Are ya hearin' it? Come on. You're welcome to it, ol' timer. Let me know you're up there. Come on. Love me, hate me, kill me, anything. Just let me know it.

  [He looks around] 

  Luke : I'm just standin' in the rain talkin' to myself.

• Dragline : That's my darling Luke. He grins like a baby but bites like a gator.

• Dragline : [encouraging Luke in the egg-eating]  Just let that li'l ol' belly sag and enjoy yourself!

• Dragline : Where'd the road go?

  Luke : That's it. That's the end of it.

  Convict : Man, there's still daylight.

  Dragline : About two hours left.

  Convict : What do we do now?

  Luke : Nothin'.

  Dragline : Oh Luke, you wild, beautiful thing. You crazy handful of nothin'.

• Dragline : [Dragline attacks Boss Godfrey after Godfrey fatally shoots Luke. The other prison guards subdue him to the ground. Sobbing and sitting against a car Dragline tells Luke...]  You hang on in there Luke. You hang on. There's gonna be some world-shakin' Luke. We gonna send you a postcard.

• Dragline : He's a natural born world-shaker.

• [Discussing a new prisoner who has to spend the night in the box] 

  Dragline : He ain't in the box because of the joke played on him. He back-sassed a free man. They got their rules. We ain't got nothin' to do with that. Would probably have happened to him sooner or later anyway, a complainer like him. He gotta learn the rules the same as anybody else.

  Luke : Yeah, them poor old bosses need all the help they can get.

• [Dragline has repeatedly knocked Luke down during a boxing match] 

  Dragline : Stay down. You're beat.

  Luke : You're gonna hafta kill me...

  [struggles back to his feet] 

• Dragline : Anything so innocent and built like that just gotta be named Lucille.

• Luke : I can eat fifty eggs.

  Dragline : Nobody can eat fifty eggs.

  Society Red : You just said he could eat anything.

  Dragline : Did you ever eat fifty eggs?

  Luke : Nobody ever eat fifty eggs.

  Prisoner : Hey, Babalugats. We got a bet here.

  Dragline : My boy says he can eat fifty eggs, he can eat fifty eggs.

  Loudmouth Steve : Yeah, but in how long?

  Luke : A hour.

  Society Red : Well, I believe I'll take part of that wager.

• [Moving through the crowd, all excited about the record breaking egg eating about to take place] 

  Dragline : Alright, stand back you pedestrians, this ain't no automobile accident.