PAUL NEWMAN PLAYING POOL - Lot 128

PAUL NEWMAN PLAYING POOL During the filming of Robert Wise’s movie “Somebody Up There Likes Me” (1956). Photo, vintage silver print, stamped and annotated on the back. 20 x 25.8 cm, including white borders. Note: This press photograph captures Paul Newman playing pool during the filming of Robert Wise’s *Somebody Up There Likes Me* (1956). Seated in the background, Elvis Presley—who had been considered for the lead role but withdrew following his mother’s death—watches the game in a relaxed atmosphere between takes. The role was ultimately given to Paul Newman, whose portrayal of boxer Rocky Graziano marked a decisive turning point in his career. Captured on the spot, this snapshot offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of a Hollywood production and brings together two future icons of American popular culture at the very beginning of their rise to fame. Pool, a symbol of male leisure and camaraderie, reinforces the actors’ laid-back image away from the set. A vintage silver gelatin print bearing a stamp and annotations on the back, this photograph is a precious testament to the golden age of Hollywood studios and the rise of two of the greatest legends of American cinema and music.