Daily Dialogue — January 11, 2012
The poker game. Five card stud. Playing are Gambler, Koko, Dynamite, Blind Dick and Luke, bandaged. The mood of the barracks is quieter than usual. The men are still assessing the fight, uncertain as to who now is their leader, looking toward Dragline for an indication. Not playing, Dragline lies on his bunk behind Koko, sullenly reading a sex book. Gambler deals the third cards.
GAMBLER Ana paira ninas. Koko’s the brains.
KOKO Cuter.
Dynamite is already out. Blind Dick now folds.
GAMBLER Ace calls.
LUKE Kick a buck.
KOKO (considers, then chips) I’m in.
GAMBLER Ace calls. Here we go. (deals Luke) King-five gets a tray for no help. (deals Koko) Paira ninas gets a Jack. (deals himself) Ana man with the ace gets… slop in the face… Ninas up.
KOKO (regarding Luke) Cuter again.
GAMBLER Call.
LUKE (expressionless) Kick a buck.
Koko is worried. He looks at his hole card, considers, long silence. Dragline looks over from his bunk.
DRAGLINE (to Koko) Whatcha got?
KOKO Pair’a nines.
DRAGLINE I kin see that, brick head. I mean your hole card.
Koko hands it over his shoulder to Dragline, who now sits up to consider the whole situation.
DRAGLINE (continuing) Uh-huh. And he ain’t got nothing showing. Raise his head off.
KOKO He’s been betting his head from the gun. Gotta have kings.
DRAGLINE So then you just call him.
KOKO (chipping) I call.
GAMBLER (studies Luke’s cards) I gotta believe. Out! (folds) Now they’re rollin’. (deals Luke) King-five-four gets an eight. (deals Koko) Pair’a nines with a Jack gets a four. Ninas still up.
KOKO (tentatively) Cuter.
LUKE (automatically) Kick a buck.
KOKO Damn.
He looks up to Dragline for help.
DRAGLINE Kick him back a buck!
Koko looks uncertain, but listens.
KOKO Back a buck.
LUKE (automatically) Kick a buck.
Koko looks up to Dragline: What do we do now?
DRAGLINE Don’t look at me, mullet-head.
Koko looks to the others.
GAMBLER Man, you play like a kokonut. You got to call him at least.
KOKO I know he’s got a paira kings. He don’t have to stick ’em in my ear.
BLIND DICK Gotta have kings.
GAMBLER Sure he’s got kings but you still gotta call him.
Koko looks back to Dragline.
DRAGLINE Man’s got a paira kings, get your tail out.
Koko folds. Luke reaches for the pot at the same time that Dragline reaches for Luke’s cards.
DRAGLINE Nuthin’! A handfull of nuthin’! (cuffs Koko) You stupid mullet-head. He beat you with nuthin’! Just like today when he kept coming back at me.
LUKE (smiling) Nuthin’ can be a pretty cool hand.
DRAGLINE Cool Hand Luke.
So saying, Dragline saves face and the baton of leadership is passed.
— Gambler (Wayne Rogers), Koko (Lou Antonio), Luke (Paul Neman), Dragline (George Kennedy), Cool Hand Luke (1967), screenplay by Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson, based on Pearce’s novel
For the actual scene, go here.
The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is card games, suggested by David Proenza. Today’s suggestion by Pliny the Elder.
Trivia: Donn Pearce who wrote the novel on which the movie is based, spent 2 years on a chain gang for safe-breaking. Pearce makes a cameo appearance in the movie as a convict named Sailor.
Dialogue On Dialogue: Apropos of nothing dialogue related, we’ve had three Paul Newman movies in a row. I got to meet him during the last interview he ever gave at The Dressing Room restaurant which Newman owned.
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