Paul Newman swaggered right out of the fifties and into the sixties without missing a beat. Maybe it was his rebellious spirit coupled with a pained yearning that sat right behind his big blues-too bad The Hustler's in black and white. For this gritty realist rendering, Newman plays “Fast Eddie” Felson, a pool shark from Oakland. Fast Eddie's got something to prove-well, everything. He seeks out the reigning low-baller, Minnesota Fats, played by the well-barreled Jackie Gleason. Fast Eddie's got a great stick, but he doesn't know how to win. And right on cue, he loses. But encouraged by his soused squeeze (the piping-hot Piper Laurie), Eddie returns to the tables. The Hustler is all about the felt.