 Decorated World War II veteran Lucas " Luke " Jackson ( Paul Newman ) , is arrested for cutting the " heads " off of parking meters one drunken night . He is sentenced to two years in prison and sent to a Florida chain gang prison run by a stern warden , the Captain ( Strother Martin ) , and a stoic rifleman , Walking Boss Godfrey ( Morgan Woodward ) , whose eyes are always covered by a pair of mirrored sunglasses . Carr ( Clifton James ) the floorwalker , tells the rules to the new set of prisoners , with any violations resulting in spending the night in “ the box , ” a small squared room with limited air and very little room to move . 
