More messianic and religious imagery was used in the film including Luke’s prison number, 37. The very clever film decision of naming the character Luke with his prison number as 37 makes the relation to Luke 1:37, a bible scripture that reads, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
Such small details really make the story and meaning so seamless as even the bible verse is tied perfectly to the overall message of the film. With his Christ-like behavior, Cool Hand Luke truly lives out the scripture.
The Set Wasn't Actually in Florida
You know just how legitimate a film production is when they can make a set look like a different state! In reality, "Cool Hand Luke", was actually filmed in Sunshine State, though it was set in Florida in the film. This successful production can be attributed to the meticulous work done by the film crew who were actually sent to Tavares Road Prison to take measurements and pictures.
The crew had to accurately re-model the set into the Tavares Road Prison, which included them reconstructing dozens of buildings in Stockton, California. Such attention to detail really made the set seem absolutely seamless! You probably wouldn’t even notice that the barracks, guard houses, and mess hall were all duplicates!
Most Famous Line
True fans of Paul Newman and the film will surely recognize his character's most famous line, "What we've got here is failure to communicate." This very line became one of the most popular movie quotes of all time, marking it as No. 11 on the list of most memorable lines by the American Film Institute.
This line was spoken in the movie first by Strother Martin, playing the Captain, and was later paraphrased by Newman. Martin probably picked it up during the time he spent studying penology and criminology. The line became so well-known that the hard rock band, Guns N' Roses, even used it in some of their songs!
Film Success
The film really made some box office mojo as it grossed $16.2 million at the domestic box office. Such success definitely paid off as the producers allotted an insane amount of $3.2 million for the film's budget!
The success was so tremendous that it was even spelled out in the film's reviews. Aside from the famous Rotten Tomatoes scoring it a perfect 100%, film critic Roger Ebert gave the film the highest rating possible! Critics also dubbed Paul Newman’s performance as “unforgettable.”
Signs You May Haven't Noticed
You probably might not have noticed but there were lots of small details that were used as the film's imagery and symbols. One of these small details was the traffic signs that complemented what the characters were going through.
In the opening scene, the word “violation” appears while Luke is seen vandalizing the parking meters. The stop lights turning from green to red also indicated some foreshadowing when Luke was finally arrested for vandalism. This was also used at the end of the movie when Luke was fatally injured.