The Hustler (1961)
Nominated producer(s): Robert Rossen
Director: Robert Rossen
Starring: Paul Newman, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott, Jackie Gleason, Myron McCormick
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Other Oscar noms/wins:
director, best actor (Paul Newman), best actress (Piper Laurie), supporting actor (Jackie Gleason, George C. Scott), adapted screenplay (Sidney Carroll, Robert Rossen), art direction black-and-white (Harry Horner, Gene Callahan, winner), cinematography black-and-white (Eugen Schufftan, winner)
Paul Newman’s Oscar-winning performance in Scorsese’s The Color of Money (1986) is a sequel to Robert Rossen’s classic in which Newman originated the role of professional pool player Eddie Felson.
Many consider the film to be one of Newman’s finest acting endeavors, as well as his co-star Jackie Gleason’s. But the film’s ruthless approach to its story and characters doesn’t rest upon the question of whether who wins or loses. Rather, it’s all about the fixation on Eddie, and how his choices affect the viewer’s feelings about him.
At the Oscars, the movie was steamrolled by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins’ adaptation of the musical “West Side Story.” “The Hustler” was able to pick up its two wins because it was during a time the Academy was dividing some of the technical races between black-and-white and color pictures.
