MovieChat Forums > Cool Hand Luke (1967) Discussion > Strother Martin was great as Captain

Strother Martin was great as Captain

posted 12 years ago by wtl471629
8 replies | jump to latest

I saw this movie when first released and always thought he should have at least got an oscar nomination as best supporting actor. Don't get me wrong George Kennedy was great and deserved his oscar but Stother should have got a nomination. Every one I know that saw this movie has always remembered Strother's Failure to Communicate line long after seeing it even more so than remembering Kennedy or Newman's great performances.

[–] XLCH1000 11 years ago

I agree. There were a lot of good lines.."I can be a nice guy...but I can also be one mean sumbitch.."

He had a good line in another movie he did with Paul Newman. Butch Cassidy...
.."Morons....I've got morons on my crew..No one is going to rob us going DOWN the mountain. We don't have any money going DOWN the mountain. When were on the way back..THEN you can worry."

[–] sonofbeach-sheet 11 years ago

How about his 2 minute role in the beginning of Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke playing Chong's wealthy, hot-headed adopted father telling him to get off his ass and go be a fruit picker to build up his muscles, LOL.

[–] kori1701 11 years ago

Strother ALWAYS steals his scenes!

During his smallish part on Rooster Cogburn, and Duke makes it known that he's "loanin' this here raft off ya," and Strother rushes back starting to protest, Rooster pulls his gun and asks if he's going to get any trouble about it, Strother pulls a full stop, and replies, "not one teeny little bit as long as you got that gun on me!"

I've never been disappointed in anything he's ever done on film, no matter HOW the movie fared at the box office or whether or not the movie was worth 5 stars or 1!

[–] vbel 9 years ago

I wonder if his famous line became folklore as soon as the movie was released or when it played on TV or some time later. Be sure to see him in his Have Gun-Will Travel roles.

[–] balboa76 8 years ago

Strother Martim was awesome in Cool hand Luke, I also love him in Hard Times, Butch Cassidy and Slap Shot.

[–] ScopeWatcher 8 years ago

I wonder if his famous line became folklore as soon as the movie was released or when it played on TV or some time later.

COOL HAND LUKE was an extremely popular movie when it was released. As someone who first saw it (at age 13) on its opening day in November 1967, I can assure you that the "failure to communicate" line started getting quoted quickly and extensively -- by the public as well as in newspaper and magazine references. However, most people were quoting Newman's Luke, rather than Martin's "Cap'n."

ALL Strother Martin fans, though, ought to see his wonderful performance in Sam Peckinpah's THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE (1970) before they check out.

Most great films deserve a more appreciative audience than they get.

[–] Pbaumannjr-775-71695 7 years ago

I agree. I and my buddies were quoting that line right away after we saw the picture

[–] tropicaldiver2001 8 years ago

He had a small role in The Horse Soldiers where John Wayne punches his lights out for being a small time bandit trying to hang the local sheriff in Mississippi.