Paul Newman stars in 1959's big soapy drama "The Young Philadelphians."

SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES - I think the first time I ever saw Paul Newman in the movies was when he played Jewish rebel Ari Ben Canaan in Otto Preminger's epic "Exodus." So recently I decided to dial into some of his earlier films - starting with "The Young Philadelphians" (1959). This is a big splashy and soapy Warner Bros. drama, the kind of movie that was a Hollywood staple in those days (Fox had "The Best of Everything" that same year). Newman plays Anthony Judson Lawrence, an ambitious young man whose mother (Diane Brewster) is determined that her son be a card-carrying member of Philadelphia's upper crust. That road leads Tony to law school and, eventually, a job with a top firm. Along the way, he makes an early play for wealthy society girl Joan Dickinson (a luminous Barbara Rush), befriends the perpetually inebriated Chester Gwynn (Robert Vaughn, Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actor), maintains a friendship with a South Philly contractor and political kingpin (Brian Keith), and nearly falls for the lonely wife of his law firm boss (Alexis Smith). Newman is wonderful, and you can see why he was rapidly becoming one of Hollywood's brightest stars. The following year, he would take on the role of Eddie Felson in writer/director Robert Rossen's seminal pool hall film "The Hustler." So check out "The Young Philadelphians." It's old fashioned soap, but it doesn't disappoint. You also get to see "The Wizard of Oz's" Billie Burke as a society dame and Tony's client. She doesn't have her magic wand, but that voice is unmistakable. Stay safe and vote.