Cool Hand Luke Parking Meter, 1967

This is City of Jacksonville parking meter from 1967 as filmed in the movie Cool Hand Luke. If you’ve ever managed or been involved with an on-street parking operation, then we can almost guarantee that you have heard an angry customer threaten to pull a “‘Cool Hand Luke’ on your parking meters. And if you’ve managed an on-street parking operation long enough, then you have probably even had a “Cool Hand Luke” wannabe walk away with some of your parking meter heads. “Cool Hand Luke” tells the story of Luke Jackson, portrayed by the Paul Newman, who is sentenced to two years in prison for cutting the heads off parking meters one drunken night.
Sure, Luke Jackson was drunk that night of the meter incident, but we wonder why he chose to vandalize parking meters. He had no intention of stealing the meter revenue, and there were plenty of street posts, street signs, vehicles and buildings. But Luke chose a Duncan Model 50 parking meter. Was he trying to make a statement toward the intrusion of government bureaucracy into our personal freedoms? Was he trying to “stick it to the man” that he came to represent among the fellow prisoners?

Or better yet, what we like to think, was he given a parking ticket earlier that day? Was the cool-handed Luke not so cool when he received a ticket for an expired meter while running to the grocery store to pick up some eggs that morning? Did he plan sadistic revenge by purchasing a pipe cutter to decapitate the helpless parking meters?

Of course, the only reason Luke gives is: “Small town, not much to do in the evening.” Regardless of the reason, the American Film Institute’s 100 Heroes and Villains lists “Luke Jackson” as one of the greatest heroes in American cinema. The 30th greatest hero in American cinema was sent to prison and eventually killed due to an issue that originally involved only parking meters. The meter has drawn cursing and hatred from motorists for the last 75 years, but to be somewhat responsible for the death of one of the greatest heroes in American cinema is devastating.

Sponsor: This artifact made possible due to the generous donation of Renee Thomas and Sherrie Mullineaux.