<P> Decorated war veteran Lucas `` Luke '' Jackson ( Paul Newman ) , is arrested for cutting parking meters off their poles 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 square room with limited air and very little room to move . </P>
who plays the walking boss in cool hand luke
Morgan Woodward