Summary
- The egg scene in Cool Hand Luke demonstrates Luke's determination and mental strength, as he eats 50 hard-boiled eggs in one hour, proving himself to be as resilient as anyone in the prison.
- The production team bought in 200 eggs for the scene to ensure they didn't run out during filming, and the cast and crew ended up eating all of them, resulting in gas the following day.
- Actor Paul Newman didn't actually eat the 50 eggs, as clever editing techniques allowed him to only be seen eating 8 eggs on-screen, with Newman spitting them out between takes.
One notorious scene in Cool Hand Luke sees the titular protagonist eat a huge amount of eggs, and lead actor Paul Newman actually ate many of the eggs used during the filming process. Cool Hand Luke tells the story of a prisoner named Luke Jackson who continues to escape captivity every time he’s caught, leaving the guards to devise a clever plan to keep him in jail. Much of the film is based on a true story, with several scenes drawing inspiration from real-life experiences author Donn Pearce heard while in prison.
The egg scene in Cool Hand Luke is intended to display just how determined and mentally powerful Luke can be, especially when his reputation is on the line. He’s challenged by his fellow inmates to eat as many boiled eggs as possible within an hour, and the result is a highly entertaining and laughably absurd sequence that sees Newman consuming several eggs on-screen. Although the number of eggs Luke eats is mentioned in the movie, the number that Newman actually ate is slightly different.
Cool Hand Luke Eats 50 Hard-Boiled Eggs On A Bet
In Cool Hand Luke, Newman's character is challenged to eat 50 hard-boiled eggs within the space of one hour. The challenge comes as a result of the prisoners’ attempts to break down Luke’s powerful and confident facade, but this doesn’t go according to plan. Luke manages to eat all 50 eggs in the provided time frame, proving himself to be just as strong and mentally resilient as anybody else in the prison. Despite being incredibly funny, it’s also one of Cool Hand Luke’s most important scenes. It proves just how far Luke will go for his reputation, even when he has nothing to actually prove.
The Production Made 200 Eggs For The Cool Hand Luke Scene
According to IMDb trivia, the production team on Cool Hand Luke actually bought in 200 eggs for this particular sequence. The number stated in the movie was only 50, but since it was a particularly difficult scene to film, there needed to be a surplus of eggs to make sure they didn’t run out. However, none of these eggs actually went to waste, as the cast and crew of the movie decided to eat them all during production. Evidently, this led to “extreme cases of flatulence” the following day. This proves just how dedicated the crew were to ensuring this joke worked — even if it happened at their own expense.
Paul Newman Is Seen Eating 8 Eggs But He Swallowed None
The Cool Hand Luke scene works really well in the context of the story, but Newman thankfully didn’t have to eat 50 eggs like his character. Due to several clever cuts and editing decisions, Luke is only seen eating 8 eggs on-screen, meaning that Newman didn’t have to put himself through the trouble of carrying out Luke’s bet. Of course, this meant that plenty of eggs would’ve been left over for the cast and crew to consume — which is precisely why so many of the workers complained about their consequent “flatulence."
In Leonard Maltin's book Starstruck, Newman told Maltin that he "never swallowed an egg." Instead, he’d spit them out once the cameras stopped rolling. This is actually common practice for movie scenes where characters are eating, as multiple takes are often needed. Actors don’t always want to put themselves through eating so much food on set. It’s not surprising at all with this scene, as there would’ve been no way for Newman to know how many eggs he’d be putting into his body before they captured the shots they needed.
Is It Really Possible To Eat 50 Hard-Boiled Eggs In One Sitting?
After watching the classic egg scene in Cool Hand Luke, it’s normal to wonder if somebody can actually eat 50 hard-boiled eggs in one sitting without many consequences. While it certainly wouldn’t be comfortable, the world record is actually much higher than Luke’s attempt in the movie. Hot dog icon Joey Chestnut managed to consume 141 eggs in a much quicker time than Luke’s hour, clocking in at just eight minutes for the entire meal (via CBS News). While that’s an extreme case that Chestnut undoubtedly prepared for, he proved that Luke’s accomplishment is actually possible.
Still, even if eating this many eggs is technically doable, it's not recommended. Some have attempted similar stunts to Luke and faced serious problems. For example, one man in India attempted to eat 50 eggs in one sitting and died as a result (via Gulf News). Needless to say, such challenges are best left to professionals — or for the editing crews of movies like Cool Hand Luke to recreate.
Source: IMDb, CBS News, Gult News, Starstruck
