What are you doing there, fella?
I just cut these.
You better come along with us.
Taking it off here, Boss.
Yeah, take it off, Dragline.
-Wiping it off here, Boss? -All right, Koko, wipe it off.
Drinking it up here, Boss.
All right, drink it up, Gambler.
You eyeballing there, Society?
Checking my yo-yo, Boss.
Drag, new-meat bus.
Bunch. Must be half a dozen new-meat.
No more than five, for a cold drink.
All right, you men get lined up there.
Dogboy, shut them dogs up.
They just smell new-meat, s'all, Boss.
What did they bring us today?
Gibson, 507 manslaughter.
Good for a two spot.
It was an accident. I've never been in trouble before.
You call the Captain, "Captain."
Edgar Potter, 302 and resisting arrest.
One year.
I was trying to keep in out of the rain.
Get the wax out of your ears. You call the Captain, "Captain."
And you call the rest of us "Boss," you hear?
This man is going to make us proud of him, Mr. Hunnicutt.
Raymond Pratt.
Yes, Captain.
Breaking, entering, and assault.
Five spot.
And a seaman.
'Spect that should come in real handy around here, Captain.
Maybe.
Lucas Jackson.
Here, Captain.
Maliciously destroying municipal property while under the influence.
What was that?
Cutting the heads off parking meters, Captain.
We ain't never had one of them before.
Where do you think that's going to get you?
I guess you could say I wasn't thinking, Captain.
It says here that you did real good in the war.
A Silver Star, Bronze Star, couple of Purple Hearts...
...Sergeant. Then came out the same way you went in.
Buck Private.
Like I was just passing time, Captain.
Well, you got yourself some time now...two years.
Well, hell, that ain't much.
We got a couple of men here doing 20 spots.
We got one that's got all of it.
We got all kinds, and you're going to fit in real good.
Of course, in case you get rabbit in your blood...
...and you decide to take off for home, you get a bonus of some time...
...and a set of leg chains to keep you slowed down just a little bit.
For your own good, you'll learn the rules.
It's all up to you.
Now I can be a good guy or I can be one real mean son of a bitch.
It's all up to you.
All right, let's move it.
One at a time. Move it!
Them clothes got laundry numbers on them.
You remember your number and always wear the ones that has your number.
Any man forgets his number spends a night in the box.
These here spoons you keep with you.
Any man loses his spoon spends a night in the box.
There's no playing grab-ass or fighting in the building.
You got a grudge against another man, you fight him Saturday afternoon.
Any man playing grab-ass or fighting in the building spends a night in the box.
First bell's at five minutes of eight when you will get in your bunk.
Last bell is at eight.
Any man not in his bunk at eight spends the night in the box.
There is no smoking in the prone position in bed.
To smoke you must have both legs over the side of your bunk.
Any man caught smoking prone in bed...
...spends a night in the box.
You get two sheets.
Every Saturday, you put the clean sheet on the top...
...the top sheet on the bottom...
...the bottom sheet you turn in to the laundry boy.
Any man turns in the wrong sheet spends a night in the box.
No one'll sit in the bunks with dirty pants on.
Any man with dirty pants on sitting on the bunks spends a night in the box.
Any man don't bring back his empty pop bottle spends a night in the box.
Any man loud talking spends a night in the box.
You got questions, you come to me.
I'm Carr, the floor walker. I'm responsible for order in here.
Any man don't keep order spends a night in...
...the box.
I hope you ain't going to be a hard case.
Ain't but four. What did I tell you? You owe me a cold drink.
I owe you. I owe you.
Hey, any of you guys from Connecticut?
Forget it.
Wash them up!
Well, what are you still doing here? Get at them beans!
Next time you stay out of my place.
You try that again and I'll bounce you off the floor.
Well, man, I didn't know it was your special seat.
You don't take another man's seat, man.
It wasn't his fault. Nobody said anything...
You better mind you manners, boy. You're acting like a hillbilly tramp.
"Tramp." There you go, Beauty.
Hey, yeah, man, you got your bull-gang name now.
Yeah, well, it ain't no worse than some I been called.
When I was in the Navy...
All you new-meats...
...you're going to have to shape up fast and hard for this gang.
We got rules here.
In order to learn them...
...you gotta do more work with your ears than your mouth.
Somebody say something?
No, I didn't say nothing, Boss.
What have we got there?
Got a Lucas Jackson.
You don't have a name here until Dragline gives you one.
Maybe we ought to call it No-Ears. You don't listen much, do you, boy?
I ain't heard that much worth listening to.
A lot of guys laying down a lot of rules and regulations.
New-meat looks like a poker player, Drag.
Yeah, that wouldn't surprise me none.
I know you've got five dollars pocket money.
That would buy you a whole fistful of cards. You in or out?
Out.
First bell.
How'd you get that scar?
What scar?
Last bell.
Fifty, Boss.
Right, Carr. Fifty.
Getting up here, Carr.
Get out of my eyeballing seat, you new-meat dummy.
I'm a salesman. I used to drive these roads all the time.
Drag, it's going to be one hot mother today.
Yeah, I reckon the Bear's going to be walking the road today.
Then I'm lucky I got me a broom.
I work on top, real cush job. I would hate to be down in that ditch today.
We work in a ditch?
What's the matter with you?
All your big-time driving around, you never seen a chain gang before?
I ain't used to hard work, neither. I always tried to avoid it.
I ain't exactly crazy about it, myself.
Well, man, it's going to be one tough day to learn on.
Why don't you give one of these new-meat a break...
...and let him use your broom today?
Oh, hell, Society, I ain't going down in that ditch.
Well, I sure would appreciate it. I ain't in too good a shape right now.
Hey, Koko, you really going to sell your job?
Well, Drag, I may have to.
Maybe that Lucas War Hero would give you your price.
I'll give you 50 cents.
Fifty cents for a sweet job like that? That's worth at least a buck.
I'll make it a dollar.
Dollar's a deal.
Where'd you get that about war hero?
A little birdie told me.
Tearing the heads off of...what was it?
Gumball machines?
What kind of thing is that for a grown man?
You know how it is. Small town. Not much to do in the evening.
Mostly was just settling an old score.
Boss, I made this arrangement with this man to take his broom.
-You don't understand, I made this deal. -Get moving.
But I made this arrangement.
Get to work.
Better take it easy. You won't last two hours.
Taking it off here, Boss?
Yeah, Dragline, take it off there.
-Taking it off here, Boss? -Take it off.
Drinking it up here, Boss?
Man bear-clawed here, Boss!
All right, men.
Let's eat them beans!
Cold drink he don't make it.
He won't.
Hey, Babalugats, got a bet here.
-Boss, drinking it up here. -Right.
Who's that?
That's Godfrey.
The Walking Boss.
Don't he ever talk?
Think he just said somethin'.
You owe that fella a cold drink.
All right!
You, Gibson, step out.
Boss Paul says you wasn't happy with your job.
Says you was complaining.
Well, we going to give you a chance to think about it.
All right.
Let's go.
Get them clothes off.
First bell.
Plumb busted out. Looks like the hard road finally got to Mr. Lucas War Hero.
I'll be back at it in the morning. Just need a little nap.
Man, I never thought they'd put him in the box on his first day.
It was only supposed to be a joke.
There ain't no brooms.
Well, can't expect to learn everything the first day.
They've taught him a very valuable lesson.
You guys sure give him all night to think about it.
We can't help it if he's square. Huh, Drag?
Of course not. He ain't in the box because of a joke played on him.
He back-sassed a free man.
They got their rules and we ain't got nothing to do with that.
Probably happen to him sooner or later anyway, complainer like him.
He's gotta learn the rules, same as anybody else.
Yeah, them poor old bosses need all the help they can get.
Trying to say something?
Last bell!
One of these days I'm gonna have to flap me up some dust with it.
-Forty-nine and one in the box, Boss. -Right, Carr, 49 and one in the box.
Putting them on here, Boss.
You see that, you see that?
I got eyes, don't I?
How am I not going to see someone that looks like that?
Man, oh, man, look at that. Look at that!
-Wipin' it off here, Boss. -Wipe it off.
-Taking them off here, Boss? -All right.
Damn thing's blocking the scenery.
Oh man, I'm dying. I'm dying!
Nice broad.
Great set.
Lucille, baby.
Oh man, I'm dying! I'm dying!
She ain't got nothing, but...one safety pin holding that thing on!
Come on, safety pin, pop!
C'mon baby, pop!
Hey, Lord...
...whatever I done, don't strike me blind for another couple of minutes.
My Lucille.
Your Lucille, boy. Where did you get that?
That's Lucille, you mother-head.
Anything so innocent, and built like that...
...just gotta be named Lucille.
Rub it, baby. Clean that car.
Rub...rub...
She don't know what she's doing.
Oh boy, she knows exactly what she's doing.
She's driving us crazy, and loving every minute of it!
Shut your mouth about my Lucille.
Shut up, Babalugats.
You leave him alone? He's happy.
Because he's a damn moron!
Oh, man, that little Lucille.
She was really a big lot of little gal, wasn't she?
Did you see how she was just about popping out of the top of that dress?
Come on, Drag, cut it out.
And down below...
...man, that thing didn't reach no higher than...
She's liable to catch a cold running around like that.
It was stretched so tight across her bottom...
...I do believe I saw one of those seams bust loose.
And the opening got wider...
...and wider...and wider.
Forget it, man.
What do you mean, forget it?
Stop beating it into the ground. You ain't doing nobody no good.
Okay, new-meat. You get some sleep.
And save your strength, 'cause you're going to need it.
Tomorrow.
Why don't you just stay down, Luke?
He's just going to knock you down again, buddy.
It's not your fault. He's just too big.
Let him hit you in the nose and get some blood flowing.
Maybe the bosses'll stop it before he kills you.
I don't want to frighten him.
Stay down, Luke.
Stay down, Luke. He's gonna kill you.
Stay down!
Somebody ought to stop this thing.
Stay down.
You're beat!
You're going to have to kill me.
All right, pass right. Here we go.
King gets a three, queen deuce, seven pair of savannah's right here.
Deuce gets a four. No hell. Three gets a big ace.
I call.
Kick a buck.
A dollar?
One time.
All right, I'll call.
Hell, if I catch, I'm gonna burn you out. I call.
King, three, he got a four. Queen, deuce gets a five.
Pair of seven gets a john.
And the big ace gets...slop in the face.
Okay, you still do the talking.
Cuter again.
I call.
Kick a buck.
-What you got? -Pair of sevens.
I can see that, mother-head. What have you got in the hole?
He ain't got nothing showing. Raze his head off.
He's been betting...
All right, why don't you call him.
You've got to see it, Gambler.
I can't. I can't catch a damn thing...
I'm snake-bit. I fold.
King, four, three. You got a nine. You got a nine. Nothing visible.
Pair of sevens and a jack gets a six.
Savannahs, you still a better, man.
Kick a buck.
Kick him back a buck!
I'll see your buck and back a buck.
Kick a buck.
Damn!
Don't look at me, mother-head.
What're you going to do, play like a coconut? You got to call him.
I know he's got a pair of kings. You don't have to stuff'em up my nose.
Well, you still got to call him, anyway.
The man's got kings. Get your tail out.
You wanna see him? Right there.
Nothing. Handful of nothing.
You stupid mullet-head, he beat you with nothing.
Just like today when he kept coming back at me. With nothing.
Sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand.
Move over.
I'm going to sit in here next to my boy.
Cool Hand Luke.
Hey, Loudmouth!
Come on, get up there. Your mama's waiting for you.
She never leaves me alone!
Be glad you got somebody, kid.
Luke, visitor for you.
-Coming out here, Boss. -Come out, Luke.
How did you find me?
That Helen...
...she sent your things along with a note...
...and then John here, he wrote to the police.
Goin' around here, Boss?
Well, Arletta, I've got to stay here.
I always hoped to see you well-fixed...
...have me a crop of grandkids to fuss around with.
I'd like to oblige you, Arletta, but...
...right off, I just don't know where to put my hands on 'em.
You know, sometimes...
...I wish people was like dogs, Luke.
Comes a time, a day like when...
...the bitch just don't recognize the pups no more, so...
...she don't have no hopes, nor love to give her pain.
She just don't give a damn.
They letting you smoke here?
Smoking it up here, Boss?
You done your best, Arletta.
What I've done with myself is my own problem.
Oh, no, it ain't, Luke. You ain't alone.
Everywhere you go, I'm with you.
And John, too.
You never thought maybe that's a heavy load?
Why, we always thought you were strong enough to carry it.
Was we wrong?
I don't know.
Well, things are just never the way...
...they seem, Arletta, you know that.
A man's gotta go his own way.
Guess, I've just got to...
...got to love you and let go.
I guess.
I ain't asking what you're going to do when you get out because...
...l'll be dead and it don't matter.
You never did want to live forever.
I mean, it wasn't such a hell of a life.
I had me...some high old times.
Your old man, Luke...
...he wasn't much good for sticking around...
...but, dammit, he made me laugh.
I would have liked to have known him, the way you talk about him.
He'd have broke you up.
What went wrong?
Nothing. Everything's cool as can be.
Arletta, I tried.
I mean to...
...live always free and above board like you, but...
...I don't know, I just can't seem to find any elbow room.
You always had good jobs.
And that girl in Kentucky.
Oh...l'd taken a shine to her.
She sure took off with that convertible fella.
Well, why not?
Idea of marrying got you all, all bollixed up.
Trying to be respectable.
You was boring the hell out of all of us.
I'm leaving the place to John.
That's good. He earned it.
Ain't nothing to do with it.
I just never gave John...
...the kind of, you know, feeling that I gave you.
So, I'm going to pay him back now.
Don't feel you have to say anything.
The way it is, you see...
...sometimes you just have a feeling for a child...
...or else you don't.
With John, I just didn't.
I gotta go, Arletta.
Laugh it up, kid. You, you'll make out.
Uncle Luke, why can't you have chains?
John-Boy, let me tell you something.
You know them chains ain't medals. You got them for making mistakes.
And you make a bad enough mistake, then you've got to deal with the Man.
And he is one rough old boy.
So long, Arletta. Take care.
You know it, kid.
Now there ain't nothing to come back for.
"Just a closer walk with Thee.
"Grant it, Jesus, is my plea.
"Daily walking close to Thee.
"Let it be, dear Lord...
"...let it be.
"Through the days of toil that's near...
"...if I fall, dear Lord, who cares?
"Who but Thee...
"...my burden shares?
"None but Thee...
"...dear Lord, none but Thee!"
This gang's been doing so good...
...the Captain decided to give you something special.
You've got yourselves a whole road of tarring to do.
And I want to see you roll it.
Pick up your shovels.
Get with it. Move!
We're sure going to be walking the road today.
What's the deal?
-Man, you think you been working hard? -This mother's going to break your back.
Let's move! Let's see those shovels!
Going to twist my arm off if it don't kill me first. Right, Boss?
Hey, buddy, slow down.
That's a long road.
Well, the man wants speed, let's just give it to him.
Cram it in and break it out. Yeah. Go hard.
What are we racing for?
Wants speed, let's give it to him.
Use that shovel like it was your spoon.
The man, boy, get the man!
Moving it up here, Boss.
Now you tell me, Rabbit, what's going on here?
I don't know, Boss. Think they're all bear-clawed.
They don't know whether to smile, spit or swallow.
Well, they've never seen a bull gang before.
Where'd the road go?
That's it. That's the end of it.
Man, there's still daylight.
About two hours left.
What do we do now?
Nothing.
Oh, Luke, you wild, beautiful thing!
You crazy handful of nothing!
"As Carol pressed her lips to him...
"...his right hand started a slow descent down her silken body.
"Desire and fear, temptation and terror...
"...yearning and horror warred within her beautiful young body."
Have to close those things, or we'd drown,
but it's suffocating in here.
Talk about drowning.
When I was in the navy...
...I was on submarine duty once, and when you get down there...
Will you tell your story walkin'? It's too hot.
Did you see my skinny little boy chow tonight?
He's matching you plate for plate.
I wasn't feeling good. I think I got an ulcer or something.
He had a bigger spoon. Make you look like yours had a hole in it.
Come on, Clarence.
What do you mean, Clarence? You call me a liar?
No, not a liar.
You just have a common, likeable tendency toward exaggeration.
That there's the champion hog-gutter of this camp.
Well, I've seen him eat ten chocolate bars...
...and seven cold drinks in 15 minutes.
He can eat busted bottles and rusty nails, any damn thing.
If you be so kind to let me cut off your Yankee head, he'll even eat that.
I can eat 50 eggs.
Nobody can eat 50 eggs.
You just said he could eat anything.
You ever eat 50 eggs?
Nobody ever eat 50 eggs.
Hey, Babalugats! We got a bet here.
My boy says he can eat 50 eggs, he can eat 50 eggs.
Yeah, but in how long?
In an hour.
Well, I believe I'll take part in that wager.
Two dollars. Right here.
Come on now, let's talk some money.
All right, $20. Anything.
The syndicate will cover any bet you want to make.
Koko, get some paper.
Drag, 50 eggs got to weigh a good six pounds.
Man's gut can't hold that. They'll swell up and bust him open.
All right, get your money up. Now, Gambler, Dynamite, come on, get it up.
Koko-head's going to take all the money. Come on, Loudmouth, get it up.
Wait just a minute, now. How's he gonna eat them?
Boiled for 15 minutes. Eat the whole thing in an hour.
One rule. No throwing up.
He throws up, you forfeit everything.
Now when was the last time you ever saw my boy throw up?
Now shut your mouth and give your money to Koko.
Why did you have to say 50 for?
Why couldn't you say 35 or 39.
It seemed a nice round number.
That's money you're talking about. What's the matter with you?
Yeah, well, it'll be something to do.
-Ten! -Ten, right!
What did I do?
I stole and I told lies.
But I loved my neighbor. And his wife.
He'll never make it.
What we've got to do is stretch that little old belly of yours.
Get all this stuff out of the way. Them eggs's coming down.
We've got to get it all in fighting shape, like a barrage balloon.
Ready...
...and go!
Hey, Boss, man needs a brown bomber and a dose of salts.
You can't do that!
-I want my money back. -No money back.
Twenty of those pills still won't make any difference.
What are you worried about? He can't do it.
What's he doing?
All right, stand back, you pedestrians. This ain't no automobile accident.
That's all 50?
Move over, losers. I got money riding here.
All right, I've got it figured out.
If he eats an egg a minute, he's got ten minutes left to swallow them.
Hey, I just got five bucks from a rodeo outfit.
-Hey, you're peeling his eggs. -That's right, mister.
He peels his eggs himself. That's understood.
Now you may be just great at hanging paper around the big city...
...and passing bad checks...
...but us country boys ain't entirely brainless.
When it comes to the law, nothing is understood.
Wait a minute! Wait a minute!
Who made what law about peeling the eggs?
I'm his trainer. I'm the syndicate covering all bets.
And I'm his official egg-peeler. That's the law.
Just wait till the hour starts, that's all.
I was banking on the fact he had to peel 'em.
What's going on?
You ready, Champ?
Ready?
Go!
Two...
...three...
Man, he's going to lose a finger eating eggs like that.
Twenty-four...
...twenty-five...
Slow down a little.
Twenty-six...
Forget it, he's wasting time.
Thirty-two.