Paul and Me: 53 Years of Adventures and Misadventures with Paul Newman

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Looking for More Great Reads? Download our Spring Fiction Sampler Now. Let's make it a real fun village and it'll be an experience that these children will never forget. Also, they spend most of their time at hospitals, at home, not able to go to school, no hair, catheters in their chest, terrible things, amputations. But we'll make that all accommodatable sic in our camp. And finally, with the help of a wonderful doctor from Yale New Haven Hospital, Howard Pearson became the doctor of the camp.

We built it up and we built that camp finally. It took 11 million of our dollars, but then a wonderful thing happened that could only happen to Paul. That was the cost of the camp, but we can only contribute from Newman's Own 5 million of that because And we weren't doing very well, but we got -- we had a call from a young man from Saudi Arabia who lived in the states, wonderful young man, who had an affliction -- I've forgotten the name of it.

It required that his blood be completely transferred every year, I think. And he said, I think it's wonderful, this idea of a camp. I wish there had been one when I was a kid. But he said, maybe I can help someway. And about two weeks later, he called up and said, I have a contribution, but you have to come to the Saudi Arabian council in Washington to receive it.

HOTCHNER So that kind of thing was happening and Paul always believed that the nexus of his life was luck, that he had always been lucky, as witness that first television play. Hotchner and the book he's talking about is titled, "Paul and Me: After the first year of camp, I said, you know, the children entertain each other on stage night.

Why at the end of the camp don't we do a stage night, but for grownups who would come and buy tickets. And maybe I can get some star performers to come and perform with the children and do a show up here. And Paul said, I don't know. We're three hours from New York, we don't have any gratification for them. I said, well, let's give it a shot. He says, yeah, let's do and we'll see what happens. And so I decided, well, if I have to get two or three stars up here, I better invite maybe ten or twelve, and hoping that maybe a couple will acquiesce.

At any rate, they all showed up, every one of them. And if I had -- if they'd all performed, it would've been a six-hour show.

Paul and Me

REHM I love it. And when we come back, he'll share more of his memories about his dear friend, Paul Newman. Hotchner were friends for many, many years, first meeting in when Paul Newman was called in to replace his friend, James Dean, who had just been killed in an automobile accident. Hotchner has written his book of memories about his friend. It's titled simply "Paul and Me.

MORE BY A.E. HOTCHNER

Newman's passion for racing. How did he get involved in racing and what did Mr. Newman think of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway? And he got a very good track instructor. And the first time that he really got around that track at miles an hour, he fell in love with it. He got a speed boat eventually, a Chris-Craft, and we used to churn up the waves. He just loved going beyond anything. And I never really realized what speed was at his level until he won a race at Lime Rock going to miles an hour.

But this is a track. It's not like Indianapolis Cup. It's got dog legs and elevations and it's a very intricate track. When he -- after winning it, he said, come on, Hotch, I'll take you around for a victory lap. So I got in this thing, held onto the bars that are inside of it and we took off at that miles an hour We got back and I was so frozen in my position they had to come and help me get my hands off the roll bars.

Then I understood what speed was to Newman. Speed was the essence of life. It just was -- to be able to break through whatever barriers exist for the human being, it really made for that kind of thing. But they came to an understanding. He said, I'll tell you what, Joanne, if you can relax some, if you can just relax and come and believe in the fact that I can maneuver this, then I'll make deal with you, then I'll go to ballet with you. REHM Oh, that's wonderful. But he almost -- I mean, he had several near misses in those racing cars.

Paul always extolled luck as a virtue in his life. And he did a couple of -- he did a couple of escapes that were hard to believe. At one point the car going at that rate of speed left the track and went into a dense growth of trees. And Paul had the presence of mind to maneuver the car so that the right side of it went along the trees, and rubbing against them, slowed down the car. I mean, it was not just luck. It was the fact that he was able. And another time he rolled over in the car a couple of times. REHM Wasn't there another time when the car exploded into flames?

And he had to kick out the windshield and get out of it before it went up. I worked for a conservation land entity. I was supposed to be at a legislative hearing. And the woman who ran the hearing was frantically calling to say, where are you? And I said, well, I'm touring around Paul Newman. And she went, oh, sure. And so I handed the phone to Paul, who would -- like you say, he's very personable.

He says, hello, this is Robert Redford. Hankinson for this tour, you know. She said she turned beat red on the other end of the phone when I talked to her later, 'cause obviously she recognized the voice. JOHN And then on the way -- on the way home he had to stop and buy watermelon at a produce stand on the way to the airport to take back to Joanne 'cause she dearly loved watermelon.

But he was just a wonderfully mesmerizing but very approachable and warm person as well, so it was -- it was one of the finest days of my life. And Jordanian children and Israeli children and Palestinian children all go there.

Why can't the grownups do the same thing? REHM You know, there's one story you tell in the book where a child walked up beside Paul Newman, slipped his hand into his and said, this week at the camp is the best in my whole life. So I wrote him a letter and said, instead of staying in a hotel, if you'd like to stay with a family, I have two children, my husband, we would welcome you. You'd have a family feeling rather than being in a hotel. And I sent the letter off to Westport, Conn. I'm thinking, oh, my gosh, what if he's actually gonna stay here at my house.

And I opened up the letter and it was a thank you for being such an avid, you know, fan of his and all of his movies and thank you for the invitation. You know, I was somewhat relieved.

And I still have, you know, the envelope Yeah, and it was just a great thrill. I had been a flag and communications worker with the Sports Car Club of America. And he was an excellent racer. And he won a race because he had won a race earlier when the Leaping Lizards put stickers on his car. And I said, okay, perhaps I can do this again and he will win, and he did. And the man is just outstanding. I have thoroughly enjoyed the friendships and the meetings that I had with him over the years while I was involved with SCCA Racing, and I still am as a flag and communications worker.

The man was a gem and we all enjoyed talking with Paul after the races at the socials. Everywhere he went at those races, people treated him like he was an old friend. But there was a lot of competition to get souvenirs from him. He once made the mistake of having drunk a beer, he threw the can into a receptacle, there was almost a stampede to see who would get the can.

REHM Here's an e-mail from Robin in Cleveland, Ohio, who says, "Paul Newman seemed to live life authentically and on his own terms which of course is terribly attractive to us. Do you think there was anything he didn't get a chance to accomplish in his life that he would've liked to do?

KIRKUS REVIEW

I think that there were things he would've liked to achieve. I think the work he did in cutting down on nuclear bombs, the other work that he tried to do in disarmament, those things, I think that's all -- that kind of work I think he was disappointed in somewhat. But all the rest of his life I think he enjoyed. I don't really like to kiss babies.

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She -- obviously there's a period of having to adjust after being with a man for over 50 years, but she's fine. She is trying to live her life according to very good terms of going to the theater and ballet and the things she loves and she's fine. REHM I'm glad to hear that. Let's go to Flint, Mich. Hi there, Tom, you're on the air. I just wondered if -- by the way a wonderful show and I always listen to you, Diane. That's an Irwin Shaw short story, a famous one. Wasn't he the star? That -- he did a lot of television work before he really got the part of "The Battler" and then graduated into "Somebody Up There Likes Me," so And on that very note, Jan in Miami, Fla.

Did he belong to or associate with any religious organizations? I think his religion was his attitude, his generosity and his compassion for people. I think that's really what propelled his life. For the fan of Mr. For the most part, this is fine. There is an occasional reference, such as Paul Newman and Robert Redford having something of an uneasy relationship, that had me begging for more detail that was not forthcoming.

And there was brief information of the process Newman went through to create some of his more famous character performances that would have benefitted from some analysis. What shone through was how much Paul Newman enjoyed life, and the great satisfaction he received from helping others often anonymously. Although he did not enjoy public adoration, he was willing to use his influence to promote causes that were important to him.

It was most enjoyable to read of his many misadventures with the writer. He seemed to get into trouble and out of it so quickly and easily … sometimes with intent, but not always. The results almost always had me chuckling. It would have been a lot of fun to know him personally. There is something to be said for not drawing things out once a decision has been made, but it can be incredibly disruptive to others. The writer does not shy away from the low points. And it is hard to read of how his vibrancy leaves him in his later years, causing him to retreat from so many things that he loved. I can certainly profit from these lessons.

I recommend the book. Feb 20, Simon rated it it was ok Shelves: So meh, I guess I'm not a huge fan of all biographies. This book was still a wonderful insight to the famous Actor Paul Newman. I had only ever heard of the man when I had seen Cars in , and I remember being extremely sad upon hearing of his death because I knew that if a Cars 2 was made, which did actually happen in , Newman's character Doc Hudson would not be in the film. But way before that, since Cars was Newman's last feature film ever.

I got to learn about how he met his best friend So meh, I guess I'm not a huge fan of all biographies. I got to learn about how he met his best friend and author of this book, A. Hotchner, as well as his wife and I learned a lot about his life. From his son's tragic death to the creation of a salad dressing that became one of the top rated brands in the United States, and opening up a kids camp for cancer patients.

All of Newman's charitable works and his outright unique personality is one of the factors that not only made him a great and beloved actor, but those very same qualities are what makes up a well loved and unforgettable man. Hotchner described his excursions with Newman wonderfully and I got clear pictures of what was going on, of course the many photographs with italicization in the descriptions helped along: P This book was still alright and it did close with the sad implication that Paul Newman was about to die.

RIP Paul, you are missed, but will remain forever alive through your films, your dressings and sauces and salsa, oh and of course your popcorn. But also in the minds and hearts of the patients you helped, and their families, and all the readers of this book, who will have learned something about you that they may not have known before, like me. I had no idea you were the face on the Newman's Own products Apr 10, Roberta rated it really liked it.

This is a rollicking, funny book! Hotchner is from St. Louis, and I loved his King of the Hill about his life here. Hotchner shares more in this book about his selling lemonade and soda in a little stand on South Kingshighway when he was a boy. A Nehi representative came along and offered him as much soda as he could sell if he would get a refrigerator and help from neighbor kids.

He writes that the bottles had a white logo of a woman's knee and her garter around it--"knee high. Hotchner has a wonderful sense of humor, and these two fellows seem to have had a terrific friendship. From practical jokes, to fishing and never catching anything, to silly skits promoting the newest product of Neumann's Own to the public, they were creative companions.

I was impressed reading about their philanthropic work as well, the formation of the company Neumann's Own and the summer camp they founded for children with cancer. Jan 19, Jessi Collier wakefield rated it it was amazing. It took me a bit of time to get into the cadence and flow of this book. Hotch jumped around in time and there was actually no "real" flow to it. I took some of the quoted dialogue with a grain of salt, but figured that Hotchner got the spirit of the moment.

I was kind of disappointed at first, but very quickly I got the feel of it. You are not getting great literature when you are reading this. You are not getting a true biography here. What you are getting are a series of vignette's written abo It took me a bit of time to get into the cadence and flow of this book.

What you are getting are a series of vignette's written about Paul Newman by someone who loved him dearly and who shared so much with him. You are getting heart, spirit, and good natured fun. You are getting love. You are getting inspiration. You are getting a great story of a great friendship that turned into something extraordinary. When you get to the making of Hole In The Wall Gang Camp, you are seeing what great hearts these two men had and their ability to leave the world a better place than they found it.

This is one of those books that shows you the power of giving. I was moved to tears. Jul 24, Sharon Benham rated it it was amazing. I loved this book. I picked it up on a holiday to Florida and saw Paul on the cover. Having been a fan since I was a young child I was looking forward to reading more about him. It is wonderfully written. Hotch was such a great friend of Paul and his love for him comes through on every page. Their struggle to start the salad dressing business and the camps was fascinating to read.

Here in the UK we didn't really hear much in the press about all the good works they did, and indeed, continue to do. T I loved this book. Two such wonderful men achieved so much over the years. The last few pages were hard to read as I was crying so hard. I highly recommend this book, whether you are a Paul Newman fan or not. I wish I could write to Hotch himself and tell him how much I loved it. This is a loving tribute written by a dear friend who never saw any flaws in Mr. The anecdotes are charming and show us that Paul Newman was exactly the man we hoped he'd be I listened to the audio version and wished I hadn't Since the two men were equal partners from the time they bottled their first salad dressing, it's curious that Hotchner isn't referred to anywher This is a loving tribute written by a dear friend who never saw any flaws in Mr.

Since the two men were equal partners from the time they bottled their first salad dressing, it's curious that Hotchner isn't referred to anywhere on the Newman's Own website, not even in its history. And there's only brief mention of him on the Newman's Own Foundation. The immediate assumption is that Hotchner was pushed out after Mr. Does anyone have any info on what happened? Oct 18, Charlene Baumbich is currently reading it. Read another book about Newman's Own not title, which is escaping me right now by A.

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