Rare Photos From a Deleted Scene From the Film “Cool Hand Luke” (1967)

We all know the famous scene in Cool Hand Luke (1967) where the men working on the road stop to watch a shapely woman wash her car. During that scene, “Dragline” (played by George Kennedy), puts on a pair of makeshift sunglasses, then removes them a minute later remarking “damn things is blocking the scenery.”

In the original script, just before the carwash scene, there was dialog setting up those makeshift glasses, as well as a short scene of a woman passing in a convertible. The men ogle her and Dragline leers at the woman as she passes.

This didn’t appear in the final film, but as evidenced from these few stills pulled from an original contact sheet, it was shot (although the woman was changed from blonde to brunette, most likely because the woman in the subsequent car wash scene is blonde). One can surmise that the two scenes were somewhat repetitive and perhaps that's why the carwash scene was kept and the convertible scene dropped.

Dragline watches the car.

Cinematographer Conrad Hall films a closeup of the woman from a car mount or tow mount.

The woman passes, reacting to the stares from the men.

George Kennedy (Dragline), Paul Newman (Luke) , director Stuart Rosenberg (in white jacket) and Harry Dean Stanton (Tramp) discuss the scene.