Hud Bannon is a ruthless young man who tarnishes everything and everyone he touches. Hud represents the perfect embodiment of alienated youth, out for kicks with no regard for the consequences. There is bitter conflict between the callous Hud and his stern and highly principled father, Homer. Hud's nephew Lon admires Hud's cheating ways, though he soon becomes aware of Hud's reckless amorality to bear him anymore. In the world of the takers and the taken, Hud is a winner. He's a cheat, but, he explains "I always say the law was meant to be interpreted in a lenient manner."

In preparation for his title role, Paul Newman worked on a Texas cattle ranch for several weeks acquiring genuine calluses and a cowboy's lope.

Hud Bannon:
The only question I ever ask any woman is "What time is your husband coming home?"

Continuity: The position of Lon's arm changes as he as Hud share a drink and talk about a girl after the pig contest.

American folk song, ca. 1915
Sung by Paul Newman and Brandon De Wilde