Holtie and Wazza Journey to Victoria Part 1

A few months ago I rang Peter (Holtie) and suggested we

should make arrangements to go on holidays to Lake Awoonga

to try our hand at barramundi fishing. There is no closed season

for barramundi fishing, like there is in the rest of the state.

Due to unforeseen circumstances we had to put this trip on

hold and we decided instead to drive down south to Victoria

and visit Peter’s sister, Merle and also check out some of the

tourist sites in Victoria. I haven’t been to Victoria for over

30 years although Peter was often down there as a lot of

his relatives live there.

We set off on a Sunday morning and our first overnight stay

was in Dubbo. This was a long journey of 890km (about 550

miles). Leaving Dubbo we travelled 800km (about 498 miles)

to Mildura where we were going to stay for a few days.

Before we arrived at Mildura we called into Parkes some

120km south of Dubbo. It was here we decided to see the

Parkes Radio Telescopic.

Peter walking into the grounds of the Parkes Radio Telescope.

Since its opening in October 1961 the Parkes Radio Telescope

has been an icon of Australian science. Famous for its reception

of the television images of the first Moon walk in 1969, it is

normally used to detect the faint radio emissions from objects in space.

The fictional film 'The Dish' was based on the real role that Parkes

played in receiving the first video footage on the first Moon walk

by the crew of Apollo 11 in 1969. Although designed and operated

as a radio telescope for astronomical observations Parkes has also

been used for tracking and receiving data from many space probes.

It has contributed to other space missions including the Galileo probe to Jupiter and the various Mars missions in early 2004. In January 2005 it was

a key element in a global linkup of 17 radio telescopes observing

the descent of the Huygens probe through the atmosphere of

Titan. With a diameter of 64 metres, Parkes is the largest single

dish telescope in the southern hemisphere dedicated to astronomy.

Its large collecting area makes it a very sensitive instrument

ideally suited to finding pulsars, rapidly spinning neutron stars the

size of a small city. Two-thirds of the 1,800 known pulsars,

including the only binary pulsar system, were found using this telescope.

Photograph by John Sarkissian (CSIRO Parkes Observatory).

Mildura is a regional city in northwestern Victoria, Australia,

and is located in the Sunraysia region, and is on the banks of

the Murray River. The city's population is about 30,500.

Mildura is also known as the centre of Victoria's Food Bowl

and is a major producer of citrus fruits (especially oranges),

and wine. It is also notable for its grape production, supplying

80% of Victoria's grapes. In 1937 it officially became a city.

Apex Caravan Park where we stayed in Mildura.

Explorer Captain Charles Sturt arrived in the area in the 1830's

in the search for an inland sea. He entered the headwaters of a

wide river, which he named the Darling. On a subsequent

expedition he entered a mighty river, which he named the Murray.

In 1830, while navigating the Murray, he came across a river

junction, which he was convinced was the confluence with the

Darling. Settlers and drovers began arriving in the area, bringing

cattle and sheep to graze the natural pastures.

...................................Langree Avenue in Mildura.

In 1886 George Chaffey came to Australia and selected a

derelict sheep station at Mildura as the site for his first irrigation

settlement signing an agreement with the Victorian government

to spend at least £300,000 on permanent improvements at

Mildura in the next twenty years. After much political wrangling,

the settlement of Mildura was established in 1887.

It was named after the Mildura sheep station that provided most

of the land. The name is of Aboriginal origin, and means either

"red sand" or "sore eyes"

Chaffey Bridge in Mildura crossing the Murray River.

The economy of Australia, particularly between 1860 and 1880,

“Rode on the sheep’s back”. The simplest way to transport all that

wool to the ports on the coastline was by river. A thriving industry

of paddle river steamers arose on rivers like the Murray to deliver

this wool to ports, where it would be loaded onto ships bound for

England and Europe.

View of the Apex Caravan Park from the Murray River.

Peter’s ex Julie also lived in Mildura, so we contacted her when

we arrived and that evening we went out for dinner. I have

known both Peter and Julie for over 30 years. Julie now operates

her own quilting business where she creates her own designs.

Julie demonstration how she operates the quilting machine.

The following morning we boarded the paddle boat steamer

“Melbourne” where we went on a two hour cruise down the

Murray River. There are a number of weirs and locks on the

Murray and these are used to regulate the flow of the river

and to lower and raise the level of the river to allow the large

number of houseboats and tourist paddle boat steamers that

ply up and down the river. Here we were able to observe the

operation of the locks as we maneuvered through the locks

to get to the lower level of the river.

The Paddle Boat Steamer "Melbourne".

The Murray River is permanently navigable to the top of the

Mildura Weir pool, a distance of 970 kilometres from the mouth.

Eleven weirs with locks, each raising the water level behind it by

an average of 3.1 metres, create a continuous series of stepped pools.

A lock is a rectangular chamber of concrete with gates at each

end. The locks permit boats to move from one level to another.

For a boat to pass downstream through the Lock, the water

inside the chamber must be at the same level as the top weir

pool, to allow the gates to open. The top gates are opened by

hydraulic powered arms to allow the boat to enter. The gates

are closed behind the boat and the water in the lock chamber

is released by opening large hydraulically operated butterfly

valves. Water flows from the lock chamber, via tunnels, to the

weir pool below. As the water level in the chamber drops, the

boat is lowered with it, until equal to the level of the lower weir

pool. The bottom gates are then opened and the boat continues

on its way. The water levels in locks are raised and lowered

entirely by gravity; no pumps are used.

To travel upstream the reverse occurs. After the boat

enters the lock chamber and the gates are closed behind

it, valves are opened above the upstream gates to fill the

chamber, via tunnels from the top weir pool. Water enters

the chamber from the tunnels through ports spaced along

the bottom of each wall. This is to distribute the inflowing

water to minimise turbulence in the lock chamber as it fills.

When the water level in the lock chamber is equal to the

weir pool, the gates can be opened and the boat can proceed.

It takes only 7 minutes to empty or fill the lock chamber but

it normally takes 15 to 20 minutes to pass a boat through the lock.

Should you visit Mildura or any of the towns along the Murray,

a cruise on one of the many paddle boat steamers is well worth

the experience.

In Part 11 we travel onto the historic township of Echuca, which

was established around 1850 and is now a thriving tourist town

and a visit here is essential. We only spent a few hours at Echuca

as we wanted to be in Shepparton that evening. We would be

spending a week visiting Peter’s sister, Merle and also driving

down to the Great Southern Road to view the Twelve Apostles,

an amazing collection of sandstone pillars standing in the Southern Ocean.

Van Johnson "The Boy Next Door"

Yet another actor from “The Golden Age of Hollywood” has

gone to that great studio in the sky.

I’m talking about Van Johnson. I had heard that he had passed

away at the grand old age of 92, so I decided to add yet another

tribute to my blog. One of the first films I saw Van in was

“Till The Clouds Roll By”. The film is a fictionalized biography of

composer Jerome Kern, and is best remembered for its large

cast of well-known musical stars of the day who appear in cameo

roles performing Kern's songs. Van Johnson played a bandleader

in the Elite Club, and I saw this when it was show on TV many

years after its 1946 release.

If you’ve never seen “The Caine Mutiny” I recommend you go

and rent this film as besides starring Humphrey Bogart, Jose

Ferrer and Fred MacMurray, Van almost “steals” the acting honors

from these three stars.

Another great movie is “A Guy Named Joe” and also not to be

missed is “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo”.

Some of my favourite movies was when Van co-starred with

June Allyson. They always appeared to be the perfect couple.

Charles Van Dell Johnson was born in Newport, Rhode Island on

the August 25, 1916 and was an only child. He was of Swedish

stock. He endured a lonely and unhappy childhood as the sole

offspring of an extremely aloof father (who was both a plumber

and real estate agent by trade) and an absentee mother (who

abandoned the family when he was three, the victim of alcoholism).

He was the embodiment of the "boy next door," playing "the

red-haired, freckle-faced soldier, sailor or B-25 bomber pilot who

used to live down the street" in MGM movies during the war years.

At the time of his death in, he was one of the last surviving

matinee idols of Hollywood's "golden age." A heartthrob with

bobbysoxers — he was called "the non-singing Sinatra"

In 1939, director and playwright George Abbott cast Van in

Rodgers and Hart's “Too Many Girls” in the role of a college boy,

and as understudy for all three male leads. After an uncredited

role in the film adaptation of “Too Many Girls”, Abbott hired him

as a chorus boy and Gene Kelly's understudy in Pal Joey, the last

Rodgers and Hart collaboration. That led to screen tests by

Hollywood studios. His test at Columbia Pictures was unsuccessful,

but Warner Brothers put him on contract at $300 a week.

His all-American good looks and easy demeanor were ill-suited to

the gritty movies Warner made at the time, and the studio

dropped him at the expiration of his six-month contract.

Van with Lucille Ball (on Van's left hand side)

His big break was in “A Guy Named Joe”, with Spencer Tracy

and Irene Dunne, in which he played a young pilot who acquires

a deceased pilot as his guardian angel. Midway through the

movie's production in 1943, he was involved in a car crash that

left him with a metal plate in his forehead. Dunne and Tracy

insisted that Johnson not be removed from the cast despite his

long absence.

..........Irene Dunne, Spencer Tracey and Van Johnson.

With many actors now serving in the military, the accident

proved to be a major career break for Johnson. MGM built up

his image as the all-American boy in war dramas and musicals,

with his most notable starring role as Ted Lawson in “Thirty Seconds

Over Tokyo” which told the story of the Doolittle raid on Tokyo

in April 1942.

On January 25, 1947, Johnson married former stage actress

Eve Abbott. One year later in 1948, they had a daughter,

Schuyler. The Johnsons separated in 1961 and their bitter

divorce was finalized until 1968 due to wrangling over the

financial settlement."She wiped me out in the ugliest divorce

in Hollywood history," Johnson said.

.........................Van with his wife, Eve at happier times.

As a musical comedy performer, Johnson appeared in five films

each with June Allyson and Esther Williams. His films with Allyson

included the musical “Two Girls and a Sailor”, and the mystery

farce “Remains to Be Seen”. June Allyson summed up the actor's

screen appeal this way: "He was very, very down-to-earth," she

told The Times in 2003. "I think he was the man every girl would

like to marry. I just loved working with him. He was delightful,

he was funny, and he was always prepared."

...................The beautiful June Allyson.

With Williams he made the comedy “Easy to Wed” and “Easy to

Love”. He also starred with Judy Garland in “In the Good Old

Summertime”, and teamed with Gene Kelly as the sardonic

second lead of “Brigadoon” (one of my all time favourite musicals).

Gene Kelly and Van Johnson from "Brigadoon"

Brigadoon was directed by Vincente Minelli (one of Judy

Garland’s husband and father of Liza).

Brigadoon is a appealing musical fantasy with that

special Kelly touch. Kelly plays a New Yorker named

Tommy Albright, on a hunting vacation in Scotland with

his hard-drinking pal Jeff (Van Johnson). When the

pair gets lost, they stumble into a village called Brigadoon

that seems to have been trapped in time. And in fact, it has

an enchantment causes the town to appear on the face of

the earth only once every century for a single day.

This presents a problem when Tommy falls for a local girl

named Fiona (Cyd Charisse), raising the prospect of the

ultimate long-distance romance.

Van also appeared with Audie Murphy (WWII Medal of Honor

winner, and the most decorated soldier in U.S. history) biopic,

"To Hell and Back." He played a soldier who's tag line, for

just about everything, was: "It's the dying truth."

Johnson was dropped by MGM in 1954, after appearing in

“The Last Time I Saw Paris” with Elizabeth Taylor. He enjoyed

critical acclaim for his performance as Lt. Steve Maryk in

“The Caine Mutiny”.

During the 1950s, Johnson continued to appear in films,

and he also appeared frequently in television guest

appearances. He also guest-starred on Batman as

"The Minstrel" in two episodes in 1966, Here's Lucy,

Quincy M.E., McMillan & Wife and The Love Boat and in

the mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man for which he was

nominated for an Emmy Award for that role. He turned

down an opportunity to star as Eliot Ness in

“The Untouchables”, which went on to become a successful

TV series with Robert Stack as Elliot Ness.

In the late 50s and early 1960s Van again capitalized on

his musical talents by reinventing himself as a nightclub

performer and musical stage star. He made a wonderful

Harold Hill in several productions of "The Music Man" and

graced a number of musical and light comedy vehicles on

the regional and dinner theater circuits, including "Damn

Yankees," "Guys and Dolls," "Bells Are Ringing,"

"On a Clear Day...," "Forty Carats," "Bye Bye Birdie,"

"There's a Girl in My Soup" and "I Do! I Do!"

............A scene from "The Last Time I Saw Paris".

In the 1970s, after twice fighting bouts of skin cancer, he

began a second career in summer stock and dinner theater.

In 1985 he returned to Broadway for the first time since

Pal Joey, was cast in the starring role of the musical “La Cage

aux Folles”. In that same year he appeared in a supporting

role in Woody Allen's “The Purple Rose of Cairo”.

.......................Two photos taken of Van in the late 1980's.

Van Johnson lived in an apartment on Manhattan's east side

until 2001, when he moved to Tappan Zee Manor, an

assisted living facility in Nyack, New York. He died there of

natural causes on December 12th, 2008.

I don’t think that there are too many “old timers” both male

and female who are still with us from “The Golden Years”.

Van Johnson appeared in over 100 movie and TV shows and

fortunately like the other movie stars I have posted about,

his legacy will live on for future generations to watch and

appreciate his many talents, be it in dramas, musicals, war movies.

He was a versatile actor who can sing, dance and act with

the best of them.

Below is a film clip in which Van appeared with Lucille Ball from

the“I Love Lucy” TV show, where you will be able to see his

dancing and singing skills…….enjoy.

What are friends for??

My old mate Peter supplied me with this information,
What are friends for??



I found a local prostitute who charges by the inch.

Obviously, I can't afford her but I thought it would be a
cheap night for you.

Amberley RAAF Air Show 2008

Last Sunday 5th October, I went up to Amberley to see

the RAAF Air Show. I’ve been to the air show twice before,

the last time being many years ago.

Dave, at work asked if I wanted to join him to go and see

the air show. We decided to go on the Sunday. On the

Saturday TV news I saw the huge line up of cars heading to

Amberley. Interviewing some of the visitors I heard that

the 40km trip was taking up to 2 hours. Cripes, I thought

the 8.30am we were going to leave could take us up until

10.30 before we arrived not to mention the time it might

take to park and walk to the viewing area. We were

pleasantly surprised as there was no hold up and we

arrived in just under 35 minutes. Parking was controlled

by volunteer staff and we were soon inside ready to enjoy

the event.

There was a large display of static aircraft which were open

for inspection. The queues to go inside the airplanes and

helicopters were long and parents spent many a time

photographing their children sitting inside the cockpits.

Once the air display commenced the crowds surged

forward to the front fence eager to film the coming show

and what a show it was. The weather was excellent, clear

blue skies, temperatures fairly high and long shirt, hat

and sun screen was definitely a requirement.

The Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley is located

in Queensland, 40km south west of Brisbane, near Ipswich

and is the largest of Australia's Air Force bases. More than

3,500 people work there.

Amberley was originally given its name by a farmer who

arrived from England in the 1850s. The area was purchased

in December 1938 as the site of the first permanent

RAAF station in Queensland.

The Amberley RAAF Air Force Base went into operation

on 17th June 1940 when a Station Headquarters was

set up and No. 24 Squadron established. The squadron

received its first aircraft a De Havilland Moth Minor on

4th July.

.....................De Havilland Moth Minor.

Six days later, four Wirraways and a further two Moth

Minor aircraft were added. Both these types of aircraft

were built in Australia.

Personnel at the base hope their efforts will not be in vain,

as heavy rain washed out the 1996 show and the World

Trade Centre bombing led to the cancellation of the 2001

event. Wing Commander Rod Neilson said the base expected

to attract 50,000 to 60,000 people each day.

The cancellation of the previous two shows “have heightened

the interest in south-east Queensland for the air show”,

particularly as the last major air show was for the Air Force’s

60th anniversary in 1981.

Aircrafts on display and flying in the Air Show.

C-17 Globemaster

Hercules

F/A-18 Hornet

F-111

Hawk

Roulettes Aerobatic Team (PC-9)

Army Helicopters

Squirrel Pairs Display Team

Seahawk

War Birds

The C-17 Globemaster is a heavy airlift aircraft with the

capacity to carry a huge load. It can fly a very long time

without having to refuel, and can take off from and land

on dirt runways. This massive Boeing C-17 is Australia’s

largest strategic airlift freighter and is capable of transporting

a 77,500 kilogram payload.

The AP-3C Orion began as a passenger aircraft called the

Electra, which first flew in 1957. It was later converted for

military use in 1962. It is an extremely versatile aircraft

capable of many roles including maritime surveillance,

anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, naval fleet support,

fisheries patrol, and survivor search and supply.

The Orion has a maximum speed of 750 km/h and can stay

in the air for up to 15 hours without refuelling. The power

of each of its four Allison turboprop engines is an enormous

4,600 horsepower. You would need approximately 20

six-cylinder family cars to generate the same amount of

horsepower as a single Orion engine.

Click to play video of The Roulettes Aerobatic Flying Team.

The PC-9 is the high-performance aircraft flown by the Roulettes

aerobatic team that you will see perform at the air show.

The Roulettes fly at speeds of up to 590 km/h and pull up to

6 'G' when performing aerobatic displays.

The Hawk 127 is primarily used for fighter training.

It has up-to-date instrumentation and weapons capability,

and is used to prepare aircrew to make sure they are ready

to fly the F/A-18 Hornet fighter or F-111 strike aircraft.

C-130 Hercules. 2008 is the 50th anniversary of C-130

Hercules operations in Australia and this reliable workhorse

participate on both days of the Air Show.

No 37 Squadron, based at RAAF Base Richmond, operates

Australia’s C130 H and C130J Hercules fleet, providing both

strategic and combat airlift. This aircraft is capable of lifting

20,000 kilograms and is currently deployed in the Middle

East Area of Operations.

The F/A-18 Hornet is a multi-role fighter aircraft that can

reach the amazing speed of 2,200km/h. It is capable of

flying for 2,700km without refuelling, but it can also be refueled,

while still in the air, by a KC-30B tanker aircraft when necessary.

................Rear view of the F-18 Hornet.

The F-111 is a supersonic long-range strike aircraft operated

by Nos. 1 and 6 Squadrons at Amberley. They have a swing-wing

that can be adjusted for different flight speeds, and when the

wings are positioned fully back, the F-111 can fly at more than

twice the speed of sound (the speed of sound is approximately

1,238 kilometres per hour).

Missiles on the F-111..........and the engine of a F-111.

The F-111 is affectionately known as 'the pig', because it can

fly so low using its terrain-following radar that it is said to be like

a pig with its 'nose in the weeds'.

Click to play video of F-111 Dump and Burn.

It often happens when one is taking video in a crowded

situation, somebody moves in from of the camera and this

was no exception as you will see an arm block the view of

the F-111 hurtling into the sky.

The F-111 will retire in 2010, so essentially it's performing its

last RAAF Amberley display.

It is a pretty important milestone as the F-111 has been a

mainstay here for 40 years and part of Australia's air strike

capabilities since the 1970s.

The F-111 will remain in the RAAF's arsenal but will soon be

replaced by twin-seater F-18 Super Hornets, which are

expected to be on display at next year's air show.

The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing, propeller-driven

aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport

in the 1930s and 1940s. Early U.S. airlines like United,

American, TWA and Eastern ordered over 400 DC-3s.

These fleets paved the way for the modern American air

travel industry, quickly replacing trains as the favored means

of long-distance travel across the United States. During World

War II, many civilian DC-3s were drafted for the war effort and

nearly 10,000 military versions of the DC-3 were built.

I’m showing a number of aircraft and helicopters that were on

display even though they were not part of the flying show.

..............F-16............................................................Neptune.

.........Lockheed L1049 Super Constellation.

.













........Puma.................................................................................Tiger.


...............................................Seahawk Helicopter.














.....................Trojan..................................................Tiger Moth.

.....................................Ultralight.

This is the last photo I took as we left a little early before

the end of the show hoping that we would miss the exodus

of vehicles, and this we did.

I didn’t take many photos of planes in the air as I was also

taking video. I took about 25 minutes of video and I’ve

downloaded two small clips which I’m including in this post.

Should you have the opportunity of attending any of the air

shows that are flown in many parts of the world, I recommend

that you spare some time and enjoy the aircraft on the ground

as well as the display in the air.

Paul Newman - Another Cool Dude Gone

The first movie I saw Paul Newman in at the cinema was

“Exodus” way back in 1962. I didn’t see his earlier films

until they appeared on television, these being “The Long,

Hot Summer”; “The Left Handed Gun” and “Cat on a Hot

Tin Roof” (he was brilliant with Elizabeth Taylor).

These earlier films cemented Paul Newman’s persona into

my film going memory as I knew that a new Paul Newman

film was worth “keeping an eye out for” and mostly I wasn’t

wrong with my assessment. Naturally there were a few

“bad” films but these were far and few between.

All pictures can be enlarged by clicking on the photo.

Paul Leonard Newman, 83, the Hollywood icon with the

famous blue eyes and killer grin who seduced audiences with

six decades worth of rebels, rascals and moody romancers,

died on September 26, 2008, at his long-time home in

Westport, Connecticut, of complications after a battle with

lung cancer.

An early photo of Paul and in this attire he would of

no doubt won the hearts of many women.

He was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur,

humanitarian and auto racing enthusiast. He won numerous

awards, including an Academy Award, two Golden Globe

Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cannes Film Festival

Award, an Emmy award, and many honorary awards. He also

won several national championships as a driver in Sports Car

Club of America road racing and his race teams won several

championships in open wheel Indy Car racing.

Newman was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio (a suburb of

Cleveland) on 26th January 1925. Newman showed an early

interest in the theater, which his mother encouraged. At the

age of seven, he made his acting debut, playing the court jester

in a school production of Robin Hood.

Newman served in the Navy in World War II in the Pacific theater.

Newman was sent to the Navy V-12 program at Ohio University,

with hope of being accepted for pilot training, but this plan was

foiled when it was discovered he was color blind. He was sent

instead to boot camp and then on to further training as a radioman

and gunner. He qualified as a rear-seat radioman and gunner in

torpedo bombers, in 1944.

After the war, he completed his degree at Kenyon College,

graduating in 1949. Newman later studied acting at Yale University

and under Lee Strasberg at the Actors' Studio in New York City.

His first movie was “The Silver Chalice” (1954), followed by

acclaimed roles in “Somebody Up There Likes Me” (1956),

as boxer Rocky Graziano. This portrayal earned him

comparisons to Marlon Brando, another student of Strasberg.

Paul Newman’s first movie was “The Silver Chalice”. He was

apparently not happy of his performance. When the film was

broadcast on television in 1966, he took out an advertisement

in a Hollywood trade paper apologizing for his performance, and

requesting people not to watch the film. This backfired, and the

broadcast received unusually high ratings. The film is sometimes

referred to as Paul Newman and the Holy Grail. Newman allegedly

called the film "the worst motion picture produced during the 1950s".

This was followed by acclaimed roles in “Somebody Up There

Likes Me” as boxer Rocky Graziano. This portrayal earned him

comparisons to Marlon Brando, another student of Strasberg.

“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (1958), opposite Elizabeth Taylor.

Paul and Elizabeth in

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"

and “The Young Philadelphians”. He also starred in “Exodus”

“The Hustler”, “Hud”, “Harper”, “Hombre”, “Cool Hand Luke”

“The Towering Inferno”, “Slap Shot” and “The Verdict”.

He teamed with fellow actor Robert Redford and director

George Roy Hill for “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”

and “The Sting”. There were many more film, too many to

mention here, as he made over 60 films.

Newman was married twice. His first marriage was to Jackie

Witte and lasted from 1949 to 1958. Together they had a son,

Scott and two daughters, Susan Kendall and Stephanie.

Scott Newman died in November 1978 from an accidental drug

overdose. Newman started the Scott Newman Center for drug

abuse prevention in memory of his son.

Newman married actress Joanne Woodward on January 29, 1958.

They had three daughters: Elinor "Nell" Teresa, Melissa "Lissy"

Stewart, and Claire "Clea" Olivia. Newman sometimes teamed

with his wife and fellow Oscar winner Joanne Woodward. They

wed in 1958, around the time they both appeared in "The Long,

Hot Summer." Newman also directed her in several films, including

"Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie."

The long-lasting marriage of Paul Newman and Joanne

Woodward was one of the most famous marriages in

Hollywood. They celebrated their Golden Anniversary

in January 2008.

Newman's Own is a food company founded by Paul Newman

and his friend, author A. E. Hotchner, in 1982.

How this came about was every Christmas, Paul would sing

carols for his neighbors and give gifts of wine bottles filled

with homemade salad dressing tied with a ribbon.

By mid-January the neighbors evidently started requesting refills.

That experience planted the seed of a small salad-dressing

enterprise, and Newman recruited a friend, writer A.E. Hotchner,

to join the entrepreneurial adventure. Various challenges

cropped up, including finding a local bottler willing to take a

bet on the unlikely pair.The two persisted and were gaining

momentum until they hit a roadblock over what should be on

the label. Newman refused to put his face on the label, but

his associates were adamant, insisting that was the only way

the bottles would sell. Newman relented under one condition:

All profits after taxes would go to charity. The compromise

created one of the most aggressively socially responsible

companies in the country.

Mr. Newman explained, "When the face came on the bottle,

I knew that the profits would have to go to charity. To make

money off that would be so tacky. From this came the

concept of circular exploitation. I allow my celebrity status

to be exploited in order to sell stuff from which I then in

turn channel the proceeds into good causes, hence the

slogan of our company: 'Shameless exploitation for the

common good.'"

The brand started with salad dressing, and has expanded

to include pasta sauce, lemonade, popcorn, and salsa, and

wine among other things.

Newman declared that all profits and royalties to be donated

to charity. As of May 2007 the donations have exceeded

US$250 million (of which over AUST$12 million has also been

donated to Australian charities) and these donations has

contributed to more than 1,000 charitable causes globally.

Newman was an avid auto racing enthusiast, and first became interested in motorsports while training for and

filming “Winning”. Newman's first professional event was

in 1972, in Thompson, Connecticut, and he was a common

competitor in Sports Car Club of America events for the

rest of the decade, eventually winning several championships.

He later drove in the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans in Dick

Barbour's Porsche 935 and finished the race in second place.

Nominations that Paul Newman received.

Nominated for Actor 1958 : CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

Nominated for Actor 1961 : THE HUSTLER

Nominated for Actor 1963 : HUD

Nominated for Actor 1967 : COOL HAND LUKE

Nominated for Best Picture 1968 : RACHEL, RACHEL, Producer

Nominated for Actor 1981 : ABSENCE OF MALICE

Nominated for Actor 1982 : THE VERDICT

Actor 1986 : THE COLOR OF MONEY (Academy Award)

Paul Newman and Melvyn Douglas in a scene from "Hud"

Hud: He's devastating as a selfish, sexy, callous, and cruel

modern cowboy watching his youth and capacity for human

decency disappear in the dust of a present-day Texas ranch.

After audiences watched him shatter the lives of both his

aging father, Melvyn Douglas and the only woman he ever

cared about, Patricia Neal (a very underrated actress who

played one of the best roles of her career).

........................The Beautiful Patricia Neal.

Both her and Melvyn Douglas won an academy award.

Paul Newman was nominated but lost out to

Sidney Poitier for “Lilies of the Field.”

SLAPSHOT: One of Newman's favorites, George Roy Hill's

genially foulmouthed, cynical recession-era comedy about

a sinking minor-league hockey team whose members decide

to fight dirty when they learn they're about to be disbanded

drew some criticism at the time for its nonstop cursing and

jockey attitude toward violence on the ice.

In “Cool Hand Luke” George Kennedy as Dragline in one of his

finest achievement received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Paul Newman was nominated for an Academy Awards as Best

Actor but lost out to Rod Steiger for “In the Heat of the Night”.

It is also fascinating to find so many familiar faces among the

inmates - actors such as Dennis Hopper, Harry Dean Stanton,

Joe Don Baker, Ralph Waite, Wayne Rogers and Anthony Zerbe.

Who can not remember this scene from “Cool Hand Luke”

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.

Paul Newman with Susan Sarandon from "Twilight"

TWILIGHT: Rumors that Newman was soon to retire began

with the release of this quiet, autumnal detective drama —

a sort of valedictory sequel to “Harper” and “The Drowning

Pool” in every detail but the name of the gumshoe he plays.

In this Paul is surrounded by one of his best casts (including

Gene Hackman, Susan Sarandon, James Garner,

Reese Witherspoon, and Stockard Channing).

Jackie Gleason and Paul Newman from "The Hustler"

THE COLOR OF MONEY: Fast Eddie Felson returns, 25 years

older and, perhaps, wiser. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio:

''If you're too old to cut the mustard, you can still lick the

jar, right?'' Newman, smiling calmly: ''Nobody ever asked me

for a refund, honey.'' Martin Scorsese's polished sequel to

“The Hustler”.

Tom Cruise and Paul Newman from "The Color of Money"

THE VERDICT: Newman's indelible portrait of a used-up,

worn-out alcoholic Boston lawyer grabbing at one last chance

to save his soul in a long-shot malpractice case against an

archdiocese hospital may be the greatest performance of his

later career; it's certainly his most fearless. Looking desperate

and ashen, his voice a gravelly wreck, his neck bent in defeat,

Newman's Frank Galvin seems to be the sad punch line to all

the outsiders that the actor had played 20 years earlier.

There is no need to mention anything about “Butch Cassidy

and The Sundance Kid” The photos say it all.

Katherine Ross, Robert Redford
and Paul Newman from "Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"

The end of the film was the frozen still of Butch and

Sundance as they emerged from the building where they

had been held up. The pair discuss where they will be going

next, realizing that their time is up (Butch suggests Australia,

where at least they speak English). They dash out of the

house in a futile attempt to get to their horses. The image

freezes and slowly turns to a sepia tone while a voice is

heard ordering, "Fire” followed by the sound of hundreds of

rifles being fired in three consecutive volleys.

For those who enjoyed seeing the “Raindrops Keep Fallin’

On My Head” film clip then just click on this video below and

you will be able to see the entire sequence with Paul,

Katherine and the bicycle ride.

THE STING is a caper film set in September 1936 and revolving

around a complicated plot by two professional drifters Paul

Newman and Robert Redford to con a mob boss Robert Shaw.

Robert Shaw, Robert Redford and Paul Newman from 'The Sting"

(Here’s another fine actor who left the world of film long before

his time – just a little bit of info on Robert Shaw who died of a

heart attack in Ireland while filming “Avalanche Express”, on

August 28, 1978. He was driving home with his wife, Virginia,

and his youngest son, Thomas, after golfing with friends during

a break in filming. After feeling chest pains, he stopped the car

and told Virginia he would get out and walk them off. After

taking four or five steps he collapsed by the side of the road

and was pronounced dead by the paramedic team which arrived

fifteen minutes later – he was only 51 years old).

The film was a major box office success in 1973, taking in more

than US$160 million. The film won seven Academy Awards,

including Best Picture and Best Director.

The drifters, then dressed
up for the Sting

ROAD TO PERDITION: The role of John Rooney, a

Depression-era Chicago organized-crime boss composed

of equal portions of Irish charm and menace, was,

Newman said at the time, ''a marvelous part...of a size that

was appropriate for a gentleman of my age.''

He's not on screen for long, under Sam Mende's skilled

direction the Newman reveals a few new tricks, most

prominently a mesmerizing, frigid stillness he brings to

the moments in which Rooney weighs his remaining

humanity against his vast capacity for evil without ever

tipping his hand to the audience. He's particularly riveting

in the scenes he shares with Tom Hanks, as the enforcer

who's almost like a son to him, and Daniel Craig, as the

vicious brute he actually fathered. This was Newman's

last big-screen appearance, and the occasion for his ninth

Oscar nomination for acting.

Paul Newman and Tom Hanks from "Road to Perdition"

CARS: As he passed his 80th birthday, Newman spoke

longingly of taking one last acting job — perhaps something

that would pair him with Robert Redford again. But this lively,

funny voiceover performance in the Pixar smash turned out

to be his final role — an appropriate swan song since it allowed

the actor and one of his great passions, automobiles, to merge

into one. He provided the voice of Doc Hudson, a retired race car

in Disney/Pixar's 2006 film "Cars." In May 2007, Newman

announced his retirement, citing a loss of confidence and

invention that prevented him from working ''at the level I would

want to...so that's pretty much a closed book for me.''

He went out on top: Cars was the highest-grossing film of his

career (which is a bit weird that this is an animated film in which

Paul doesn't appear as only his voice is heard).

And a final word: "There is a point where feelings go beyond

words. I have lost a real friend. My life - and this country -

is better for his being in it," said actor Robert Redford,

Newman's friend and co-star in "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting."

Paul Newman has aged gracefully, still with those piercing,

sparkling blue eyes. After 50 years in the film industry and

with 60 films “under his belt” his legacy will live on for

generations to come to watch, enjoy and marvel at his

acting skill. He made it look so easy. Although he had

retired from acting, he will still be missed by family and

the film going audience alike.

Cool Hand Luke and Paul Newman were both cool dudes.