'HUD' Question - what'd he say?
 

i just re-watched this movie. The writing and the visuals are impressive. Melvyn Douglas does a great job along with the whole cast (Wasn't sure about Newman's accent but i decided it works for me). The movie portrays a time and place that are believable, imo. And it conveys a message that is possibly more relevant today than when the movie came out. Btw, the other great Martin Ritt movie is Spy Who Came In From The Cold. But enough of that stuff.

I'm stumped over one word in the movie HUD. What is the nickname Hud gives to Lon?

sounds like "fan-tan" ?


cast:

Paul Newman .... Hud Bannon
Melvyn Douglas .... Homer Bannon
Patricia Neal .... Alma Brown
Brandon De Wilde .... Lonnie Bannon

Have you tried the subtitles??

lol oh the embarassment. No.

I don't want to know anymore. It's too painful ;)

All right, I'll finish what I started. Because I'm all about love and giving. When the Big Stink starts something he finishes it. That's what my friends say. Except one time when a supervisor said "Mister Stink [real name omitted] doesn't finish what he starts." It was condescending especially with the "mister" but that's what she said. I don't think she realized that she was being condescending - she had control issues, I think, and that's the way she thought she had to assert herself in a supervisor-to-employee talk. Anyway she probably still makes 25K a year and I ... don't. I think she wanted me fired but we talked and the manager kept me on. So my attention tends to drift now and then and that was my problem there. But I digress, when I'm on topic hey look out I stay on topic until all the details are out in the open. You should all be grateful that I've graced this board with my presence. Another fine post by BigS.

In the movie HUD, the nickname Hud uses for Lonnie is indeed "fantan."

I'd never heard of the word before. Here are some definitions:

fantan: California slang for fantastic tan. http://www.slangsite.com/slang/F.html
- I've never heard this slang. Even if it's older California slang the story's set in Texas.

Fan Tan is a Chinese gambling game based on guessing the number of beans in a pot. The card game Fan Tan may have been named for it but is in no way similar to it.
http://www.mbinde.com/games/fantan.html

Fan Tan is an exceedingly light and fun card game for four players

A build up or down on cards currently played according to suit (i.e. clubs are played on clubs, hearts on hearts, etc.)
http://www.mbinde.com/games/fantan.html
- seems obvious that's the meaning behind the HUD reference. Lonnie's young. It's a "light" card game for kids - Hud's needling Lonnie.

but wait! there's more:

Nanchang A-5 Fantan
http://babriet.tripod.com/airforce/stat/linea5.jpg
first prototype began construction in 1960, cancelled in 1961. Reinitiated in 1963, first flight in 1965.
http://babriet.tripod.com/airforce/stat/stata5.htm

-ok, not a very likely inspiration for the nickname to begin with and the dates of the project (HUD came out in '63) make it less so. Plus, the name of the aircraft obviously came from the Chinese game. But it's a pretty plane pic. Whoosh.