Oscars flashback: ‘Hud’ made history with Best Actress win for Patricia Neal

The relationship between fathers and sons is complicated. It can be tough, tender, loving, combative, disappointing, violent, the stuff of Shakespearean and even Greek tragedy. It’s little wonder there have been countless films exploring fathers and sons including  “East of Eden,” “Finding Nemo,” “Back to the Future,” “Field of Dreams,” “Nebraska,” “Fences,” “Beginners” and “Kramer vs. Kramer.”

One of the most indelible is Martin Ritt’s “Hud,” which celebrates its 60th anniversary. And time hasn’t diminished the power of this unapologetic drama starring Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal and Brandon De Wilde.

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Newman had played characters of questionable morality such as his Oscar-nominated turn “Fast” Eddie Felsen in 1961’s “The Hustler,” but he had never played anyone quite like Hud, the ultimate heel who never met a bottle of booze he wouldn’t drink or a married woman he didn’t seduce. Living on a cattle ranch in a tiny, arid Texas town, Hud is always locking horns with his rigid, principled father Homer (Melvyn Douglas). Homer blames Hud for the death 15 years earlier of his oldest son in a car crash. And that blame sent Hud further into the dark side from which he will never return.

Both men are trying to influence Lonnie (De Wilde), Homer’s 17-year-old grandson and Hud’s impressionable nephew. Lonnie loves his grandfather, but he idolizes Hud which worries Homer. “Little by little the look of the country changes because of the men we admire,” Homer tells Lonnie. “You’re just going to have to make up your own mind one day about what’s right and wrong.”

Also living with the three men is Alma (Neal) the world-weary housekeeper who is interested in Hud but stays clear because she as abused by her ex-husband.

This chasm between Homer and Hud widens when it’s discovered that Mexican cattle Homer recently bought had  foot and mouth disease which is spreading to the rest of the herd. The only option to to destroy all the cattle and shut down the ranch. Hud, though, wants to sell the cattle to neighboring ranchers before word gets out about foot and mouth.

“You don’t care about people Hud,” says Homer. “You don’t give a damn about ‘em. Oh, you got all that charm goin’ for ya. And it makes the youngster wants to be like ya. That’s the same of it because you don’t value anything. You don’t respect nothing. You keep no check on your appetites at all. You just live for yourself. And makes you not fit to live with.”

He tells Hud: “You’re an unprincipled man Hud.”

“Don’t let that worry you none,” replies Hud. “You got enough for both of us.”.

Douglas, who won the supporting actor Oscar, is a revelation as Homer. He was best known in the 1930s and 1940s for romantic leads in comedies most notably Ernst Lubitsch’s 1939 “Ninotchka” in which he made Greta Garbo laugh. His scenes with Newman are haunting especially Homer’s tragic death scene in which Hud almost reveals his humanity.

Greed and hedonism win the day in “Hud.” His actions have no repercussions on him which was generally unheard of in film at the time. Characters like Hud usually have a comeuppance such as Kirk Douglas in Billy Wilder’s 1951 drama “Ace in the Hole.” Hud ends up alone after his father dies tragically. Alma gets the bus out of town after Hud tries to rape her and Lonnie leaves after he realizes Hud’s true character. But Hud has the farm, a refrigerator full of beer and probably will drill for oil on the property.

“Hud” is based on Larry McMurtry’s (“The Last Picture Show,” “Lonesome Dove”) 1961 novel “Horseman, Pass By” and adapted by Ritt’s frequent screenwriters Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr. In a on-set New York Times interview, Ritt described “Hud” as “modern” Western that basically turned the image of the  “hard-fighting, heavy-drinking, loose-living hero” depicted in Hollywood film upside down. Ritt even noted that Paramount executives wanted a happy ending with Hud “reforming and marrying the nice girl.”

Ironically, “Hud” was a minor character in McMurtry’s novel. Ritt wood later note that the novel’s character was inspired by Clark Gable’ roles in which he played the bad guy redeemed by the love of a good woman.

“Hud” was one of several westerns produced in the 1960s that examined the death of the traditional Western and  Sam Peckinpah’s 1962 “Ride the High Country” and 1969’s “The Wild Bunch” and 1962’s “Lonely Are the Brave,” which was star Kirk Douglas’ favorite film.

Characters such as Homer are at the end of the trail. And he knows it especially when he insists he kill his last two remaining prized longhorn cattle. “I’ll kill them two myself…seein’ as how I raised them…Lord, I’ve chased them longhorns for many a mile.”

Though it was a Western,  the New York Times declared, “’Hud’ is as wide and profound a contemplation of the human condition as one of the New England plays of Eugene O’Neill.  For the human elements are simply Hud, the focal character, with his aging father and high-principled cattleman, on one hand, and Hud’s 17-year-old nephew, a still-growing and impressionable boy, on the other. The conflict is simply a matter of determining which older man will inspire the boy. Will it be the grandfather with his find traditions or the uncle with his crudities and greed.”

“Hud” earned seven Oscar nominations including for Newman, winning three: Neal for Best Actress (she’s only on screen for 21 minutes and 51 seconds, the shortest for any winner of this category), Douglas for supporting actor and cinematography, black-and-white for James Wong Howe’s staggeringly beautiful work.  Though he wasn’t nominated Elmer Bernstein’s sparse, lean score must be singled out.

Despite being so despicable, Hud became a hero to some.

“I think it was misunderstood, especially by the kids,” Newman would later note. “They rather lionized that character. But the whole purpose was to present someone who had all the graces on which there is such a big premium in the U.S. -some kind of external attractiveness, a guy who is great with the girls, a good boozer-but, nevertheless, a man with one tragic flaw.”

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