Wayne in Wayne County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Cool Hand Luke
1966
Photographed By Craig Doda, July 22, 2022
1. Cool Hand Luke Marker
Inscription.
Cool Hand Luke. As part of his research of the Appalachian dialect for the film Cool Hand Luke, Paul Newman arrived at Tri-State Airport in September of 1966. Newman's friend Sargent Shriver, who had worked with his brother-in-law John F. Kennedy's campaign in West Virginia, placed the actor in contact with Farmers Home Administration State Director A. James Manchin and Andy Houverous. Manchin in turn contacted his local administrator, John D. Jones to help orchestrate Newman's low-key travels through Wayne and Cabell counties. Eventually, Newman, Manchin Houverous and Jones made their way to the town of Wayne where Newman spoke with the men whittling on the courthouse lawn while recording their voices with a handheld tape recorder. Jones then introduced Newman to his staff at the Burgess Ferguson Building in town. As a result, the people of Wayne played an integral role in the creation of Paul Newman's character in the film.
As part of his research of the Appalachian dialect for the film
Cool Hand Luke, Paul Newman arrived at Tri-State Airport
in September of 1966. Newman's friend Sargent Shriver, who
had worked with his brother-in-law John F. Kennedy's campaign
in West Virginia, placed the actor in contact with Farmers Home
Administration State Director A. James Manchin and Andy
Houverous. Manchin in turn contacted his local administrator,
John D. Jones to help orchestrate Newman's low-key travels
through Wayne and Cabell counties. Eventually, Newman,
Manchin Houverous and Jones made their way to the town of
Wayne where Newman spoke with the men whittling on the
courthouse lawn while recording their voices with a handheld tape
recorder. Jones then introduced Newman to his staff at the Burgess
Ferguson Building in town. As a result, the people of Wayne played an
integral role in the creation of Paul Newman's character in the film.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1966.
Location. 38° 13.293′ N, 82° 26.538′ W. Marker is in Wayne, West Virginia, in Wayne County. Marker is on Hendricks Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 530 Hendricks St, Wayne WV 25570, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 21, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2022, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 159 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on August 16, 2022, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
