68 years on, Paul Newman's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof still shines
Sixty-eight years ago today, Paul Newman's classic drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was released — and it is still widely named his finest performance. As fans mark the anniversary, renewed rankings of his westerns like Hombre show why Paul Newman remains one of Hollywood's most celebrated stars.
Key Takeaways
- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof premiered 68 years ago today and is still cited as Paul Newman's finest performance.
- Looper ranks Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as Newman's best western, with Hombre close behind.
- StudioBinder recently placed Hombre at No. 28 on its list of the greatest western movies ever made.
- Newman won an Oscar, seven Golden Globes, an Emmy, and a BAFTA across a career that also included racing and philanthropy.
- Hombre is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, and Fubo TV in the U.S.
Why Does Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Still Matter 68 Years Later?
On this day in history, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof arrived in theaters as a classic drama anchored by Paul Newman. Men's Journal notes that the film is still named Newman's finest performance — a distinction that keeps it central to conversations about his legacy decades after its release.
Looper lists Cat on a Hot Tin Roof alongside The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, and The Color of Money — the film that earned Newman his sole competitive acting Oscar — as the roles that define him for generations of moviegoers. Whether you grew up watching Newman on screen or only know the name from salad dressing bottles, that quartet of performances explains why he is remembered as one of the most beloved and respected actors in cinema history.
The anniversary also lands inside a broader nostalgia moment. Readers exploring classic Hollywood milestones can find more retrospectives in our Nostalgia: Then & Now archive, where anniversaries like this one help connect past blockbusters to today's streaming-era rediscoveries.
What Else Was Paul Newman Doing in 1958?
1958 was a remarkably busy year for Newman. The same year Cat on a Hot Tin Roof premiered, he also starred in The Left-Handed Gun, one of his earliest westerns. Directed by Arthur Penn and based loosely on Gore Vidal's 1955 teleplay The Death of Billy the Kid, the film casts Newman as William Bonney before he becomes Billy the Kid.
Looper ranks The Left-Handed Gun fourth among Newman's five best western movies. It is not his most famous work, but it offers a fascinating early look at how Newman approached the genre — a path that would later produce some of his most acclaimed films.
That 1958 pairing matters because Newman ultimately appeared in only eight western movies across his entire career, even though the genre dominated Hollywood during much of his rise. He even turned down Dirty Harry, according to Looper — a reminder that his filmography was selective as well as iconic.
How Does Hombre Rank Among the Greatest Westerns?
While Cat on a Hot Tin Roof anchors today's anniversary, Paul Newman's western work is also back in the headlines. Yahoo Entertainment reports that StudioBinder recently ranked Hombre as the 28th greatest western movie ever made, praising its subversive storytelling, expansive visuals, and bold performances.
Directed by Martin Ritt, Hombre follows John, a white man raised by the Apaches, who is caught between dangerous enemies after a stagecoach attack. The film subverts tropes viewers had come to expect from westerns, presenting a more nuanced, critical look at American history.
The story is based on Elmore Leonard's 1961 novel of the same name. Ritt was drawn to the screenplay by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr., who adapted the novel. Having been blacklisted from the industry for alleged Communist Party affiliations, Ritt brought a sharp, politically charged sensibility to a film that dismantled romanticized notions of the American frontier.
Instead of celebrating the so-called Golden Age western, Hombre explores the violence, racism, and colonial exploits that plagued the period. Roger Ebert wrote that the performances were "uniformly excellent" and called it "the best-directed film out of Hollywood" from that year.
Hombre was the last film Ritt and Newman made together after a collaboration that included 1963's Hud, a major financial success. Yahoo notes that the pair had already made five movies together before Hombre. The film is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, and Fubo TV with valid U.S. subscriptions.
What Are Paul Newman's Best Western Movies?
Looper's ranked list offers a clear roadmap for fans who want to explore Newman beyond today's anniversary title. At No. 1 is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, directed by George Roy Hill from a William Goldman screenplay and co-starring Robert Redford as the outlaw duo fleeing a relentless pursuit that eventually takes them to Bolivia.
Second place goes to Hombre, followed by Hud at No. 3. Looper calls Hud a revisionist western built around Newman's anti-hero Hud Bannon, the selfish son of cattle rancher Homer Bannon on the Texas Panhandle. The film earned multiple Academy Award nominations, with Melvyn Douglas and Patricia Neal winning supporting acting Oscars.
The Left-Handed Gun and 1972's Pocket Money round out the top five. Pocket Money, directed by Stuart Rosenberg with a screenplay by Terrence Malick, follows Newman's debt-ridden cowboy Jim Kane as he agrees to drive cattle across the Mexican border with help from Lee Marvin's Leonard.
Across drama and westerns alike, Newman's resume is staggering. Looper notes he collected an Oscar, seven Golden Globes, an Emmy, and a BAFTA, with additional Grammy and Tony nominations — making him one of the most awarded actors of any generation. His rakish good looks, piercing blue eyes, and undeniable swagger only added to a reputation that extended beyond acting into entrepreneurship, directing, philanthropy, and racecar driving.
Where Can You Watch Paul Newman Classics Today?
Anniversaries like today's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof milestone are a natural prompt to revisit Newman on screen. While availability varies by title and platform, Yahoo confirms that Hombre can be streamed now on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, and Fubo TV in the United States.
For a deeper dive into Newman's western catalog, Looper's ranked list — led by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid — remains a useful starting point. And for the drama that Men's Journal still names as his finest performance, today's 68-year mark is the perfect excuse to put Cat on a Hot Tin Roof back on your watchlist.
For more on how classic films shape modern pop culture, explore our Nostalgia: Then & Now coverage. You can also read the original reporting at Men's Journal.