My Favorite Paul Newman movie - "Absence of Malice"

It does not seem possible that Paul Newman could be no longer here. I grew up knowing his name and hearing news about him all my life. I remember when Tom Cruise was a fairly new star and he worked with Paul Newman in "The Color of Money" and how Paul was a mentor to Tom. Life Magazine did a profile on their friendship. I remember when Paul Newman's son Scott died as a young adult. He created the Scott Newman Foundation to honor him. I think I also saw one of his daughters in an off-Broadway production when I was growing up ("...Gamma Rays...").

Paul was never like anyone else. He was able to handle the huge stardom and still not get a big head over it. No star was ever more famous or more respected than Paul Newman. He had an astonishing ability to raise hundreds of millions for charity because he made the most of his ability to help others. I'm deeply impressed with his 50-year love story with Joanne Woodward, and equally impressed by their devotion to living in Connecticut all these years. It's been a few weeks but it's still very hard to get used to the fact that Paul Newman is no longer with us. I trust he is in an even more wonderful place now.

He REALLY seemed to know how to live life to the fullest. That's more than most of us can say.

My personal favorite Paul Newman movie is "Absence of Malice" and I highly recommend you get a copy and see it. It stars Sally Field, Melinda Dillon, and a great cast. I LOVE that movie. I can't count how many times I have seen this film.

An ex-boyfriend raved about this movie and insisted that I watch it. He was right. Now I'll rave about it to you. WONDERFUL - a must-see drama. (It's very sad at times and tough to watch.) This is Paul Newman at his best, if you ask me. But then I think he was always at his best - yet still human, one of us, a regular guy - who somehow could stay with one person for 50 years, build an empire, be a great actor, be a father, be a beloved member of his community and the world, and still have tons of fun doing things he loved.

A great quote from Paul Newman regarding his "Hole in the Wall" camp:

"I wish I could recall with clarity the impulse that compelled me to help bring this camp into being. I’d be pleased if I could announce a motive of lofty purpose. I’ve been accused of compassion, of altruism, of devotion to Christian, Hebrew, and Moslem ethic, but however desperate I am to claim ownership of a high ideal, I cannot. I wanted, I think, to acknowledge Luck; the chance of it, the benevolence of it in my life, and the brutality of it in the lives of others, made especially savage for children because they may not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it." – Paul Newman
quoted from www.holeinthewallgang.org/tribute5.asp