55 Cool Hand Luke Trivia Questions & Answers

Answer: "Small town, not much to do in the evening."

In the opening scene of the movie, we found out how Luke wound up on the chain gang. Luke was seen, drunk, taking the heads off of parking meters. The street was lined with decapitated parking meters.

Answer: reach

"Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week. Which is the way he wants it, well he gets it, and I don't like it anymore than you men." Strother Martin, as "the Captain", delivered this speech when Luke was brought back to the gang after his first escape attempt.

Answer: Escape

Carr was played by Clifton James. His recitation to the new men is one of the film's most memorable scenes. Although escape would put a man in the box, Carr's rules dealt with the living quarters.

Answer: He sawed a hole in the barracks floor and went over the fence.

This escape took place during a 4th of July celebration, right before final count. Another con went with him and got caught on the fence and went to the box. With 50 inmates, Carr, the Floor Walker, gave the count as, "48, 1 in the box and 1 in the bush, Boss." Why a smart guy like Luke didn't go until after the count was taken always surprised me.

Answer: A novel

The novel was written by Don (sometimes written Donn) Pearce in 1965. Mr. Pearce actually served time on a chain gang for safecracking. He also appeared in the movie in the uncredited role of "Sailor".

Answer: Lucille

Dragline called the young lady washing the car Lucille. When the other inmates asked him how he knew that her name was Lucille, Dragline said that, "anything so innocent and built like that just gotta be named Lucille."

Answer: Plastic Jesus

With tears rolling down his cheeks, Luke sat on the edge of his bunk with his banjo, and sang "I don't care if it rains or freezes, long as I got my plastic Jesus." It was never mentioned exactly how Arletta, Luke's mother, died. When Arletta came to visit Luke she was obviously very ill. It can be assumed that smoking may have been the cause since she had a very scratchy voice and often had coughing fits.

Answer: They turned their backs on him.

Luke had always been defiant but the beatings and hard work were too much. Luke had to withstand a lot of abuse and now it appeared that the authorities broke his spirit. The other cons now acted as Luke was a traitor for giving in. They separated themselves from him.

Answer: He was the subject of a practical joke played by other inmates about a job assignment.

Gibson was played by Ralph Waite. Another inmate duped him into switching jobs. The bosses thought he was a complainer and put him in the box. Dragline said he didn't go to the box cause of the joke, but that he went because "He backsassed a freeman...he gotta learn the rules."

Answer: A dead hounddog.

The captain may have been expecting Luke but instead got the dead bloodhound, Old Blue. Old Blue led the hunt for Luke. Dogboy carried him up to the captain crying, "...he run himself plum to death." Dogboy was the con in charge of the dogs and was played by Anthony Zerbe.

Answer: Lucas Jackson

The captain, played by Strother Martin, addresses him by this name when he first arrives at the road camp.

Answer: Strother Martin

It was the Captain who first spoke the classic line, "what we got here is...failure to communicate." Strother Martin was a busy actor in the 1960's, also appearing in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", "The Wild Bunch", "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "True Grit".

Answer: Bagman

Surprisingly no one had the name Bagman. The character Dynamite, played by Buck Kartalian, was hardly ever seen, but his name was mentioned several times. Loudmouth Steve, who was also called Stevie, was played by Robert Drivas. Tramp, played by Harry Dean Stanton, was one of the new inmates, called "new-meat", that came in with Luke.

Answer: He stole a road gang dump truck.

Dragline jumped on the running board of the truck and went with him. Boss Godfrey fired his rifle but Luke raised the dumper to block the bullets. Luke had earned the trust of the bosses so much that he stole the keys to all the other vehicles so they could not pursue him.

Answer: A nightgown, a #10 can and a white porcelain pot with a lid.

The box was a small wooden structure which was high enough for a man to stand up but not long enough for a man to lie down. A man had to strip and put on the nightgown. A boss then slid in the #10 can and the white pot for personal reasons. A padlock was then placed on the door.

Answer: Destroying Municipal Property

The movie opens with a drunken Luke cutting the heads off parking meters. Asked why he did it by the other cons, Luke replied, "I had an old score to settle." He never said what the old score was.

Answer: sprinkled chili powder and other spices on the ground

Luke was wearing chains in his second escape attempt. He took off cross-country, jumped fences, ran onto a railroad bridge, and through a stream, attempting to lose the bloodhounds. When he came to an old country store, he asked two young boys to get him an axe to cut his chains, and spices to throw the dogs off of his trail. When the bloodhounds reached the spices, they began to sneeze, and sneeze, and sneeze.

Answer: it'd be something to do

Dragline asks "Luke that's money you're talking about, now what's a matter with you?". Luke says "Yeah well, it'd be something to do." Luke finds a way for every cent in camp to be put in a gambling ring, without betting any of his own money. Luke manages to swallow the last egg at the last second. As a result, Luke becomes like the gang's "bank" allowing others to take out loans since he, Dragline, and KoKo now have all the camp's money. It is never stated who bet for or against Luke, but when the inmates are asking for money, Luke, Dragline, and KoKo are the ones at the table handling the money.

Answer: Luke made comments about a girl washing her car.

The girl put on a sexy show for the inmates while she was washing her car as the men were working alongside of the road. Dragline named her Lucille and fantasized about her that evening. Luke made the comment that she knew she was driving the men crazy and Dragline didn't like that, so Dragline then challenged Luke to a fight. The girl was played by Joy Harmon. Although Luke was beaten senseless, he actully won the fight as Dragline wouldn't hit him anymore and went inside with the rest of the cons.

Answer: He was in a stolen car.

Luke explained to the other cons that he stole a car. A cop pulled right up next to him, with him still wearing his state clothes. He said, "That was top flight police work, fella's probabaly a lieutenant by now."

Answer: 2 years

The author, Don Pearce, also received a two year sentence, which helped him write the novel. He also wrote the screenplay. The captain said that two years wasn't much.

Answer: the man with no eyes

The character's actual name was Blind Dick. He wore his sunglasses throughout the movie; we never saw his eyes. Nor do we hear him speak; his rifle did his talking for him. Blind Dick was played by Richard Davalos.

Answer: John

John, who was played by John Pearce, brought their mother to the camp to visit Luke. It can be assumed that Arletta was making this trip in order to see Luke one last time. At one point in the visit she stated, "I ain't asking what you're gonna do when you get out, cause I'll be dead and it don't matter". Luke and John barely spoke to each other. The only words spoken between the two is at the end of Luke's visit with his mother. John handed Luke a banjo and said, "Now there ain't nothing to come back for".

Answer: "What we got here is a failure to communicate."

Luke was then shot by Boss Godfrey. This confirms what Boss Paul had told him what would happen if he escaped again.

Answer: King, 10,9,4,3

Dragline said that he won the hand with nothing. Luke replied, "Yeah, well sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand." Earlier Dragline wanted to give Luke the nickname of "No Ears" as he said to Luke, "You don't listen much, do you boy?"