Year of Eastwood #52

Any Which Way You Can (1980)

Starring: Eastwood, et al
Directed by Buddy Van Horn

The first rule of Fight Club … long before Edward Norton made up that world of soap and underground fist fighting, Clint lived it. Making scratch by fighting thugs until one ends up a bloody heap on the asphalt, then drinking away all the winnings at the local honky-tonk. No existential meaning necessary.

Year of Eastwood kicked things off with Every Which Way But Loose. A film that at first looks pretty flimsy. But underneath the monkey jokes and crappy music, there’s a story of an average guy struggling just to put a little Devild Ham brand meat-substance on the table. He probably drinks too much to forget his woman troubles and although right now he’s successful at these - what I assume would be illegal - organized brawls, Clint knows that one of these days he’s going to run into someone bigger, faster, and stronger than he is.

Well fifty-one movies later, not much has changed for Clint in Any Which Way You Can. He’s still fighting and drinking and trying to get Clyde laid. Yep, after a long negotiation period, Clyde the orangutan agreed to appear in the sequel. There was a long list of demands. Clyde wanted his own screen time … an odd musical tribute to Clyde swinging around on a tire swing. He gets to crap in some cop cars and, like all A-list celebrities at the time, he gets to bust up a hotel room to impress what I can only assume is an orangutan prostitute.

The rest of the gang is back as well. Ruth Gordon as the foul mouthed old lady. She doesn’t really have much to do in the sequel. Just run around complaining about Clyde, that damn hairy-assed banana head (which I believe was in the original script for Planet of the Apes). Then she disappears about half-way into the film … not really sure why.

The biker gang is back as well as the lunk-head cops. The Nazis didn’t make the final cut in this one. Guess they had things to do. And, of course, due to overwhelming popular demand - Sondra Locke returns once again as the talent-less country singer who broke Clint’s heart in the first film. Within a few scenes of the sequel … and a couple of crappy Sondra songs … she’s back in Clint’s bed. No one can resist that Sondra charm.

Clint’s never been much of the romantic lead type. He’s an action hero and more of a love ‘em and leave ‘em type. In Every Which Way, he was just an average Joe Six-Pack who didn’t get the girl in the end (so long, Sarah Palin). To just push that aside just to put Clint’s girlfriend in another movie ruins the appeal of the first film that even Hollywood movies don’t always have the happy ending. I have no problem with Clint cashing in on a retread of a successful first film, but this fact just makes the second film feel totally unnecessary.

I hate to end this blog on such a negative note, so here’s some more stuff about Clyde… He gets to tear up a couple of cars in the movie. Little known fact, Clyde was the inspiration for the TV series, Alf, but he always maintained that he never ate no cats.

So Clyde’s career pretty much came to an end with Any Which Way, but he did get in on some of that Clint one-liner action. Right turn, Clyde. Which I still use to this day whenever I‘m bustin' up some wiseacre at the local pub.

I’m choosing to ignore the fact that in the sequel, Clyde was played by a different monkey.

Year of Eastwood #51

...Et Pour Quelques Dollars de Plus (1965)

Starring: Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef
Directed by Sergio Leone

It’s clean up time. After topping 50 movies and TV programs, Year of Eastwood has just about wiped out the entire Clint library. The classics have been included (Dirty Harry), along with the Academy Award winners (Unforgiven), the forgotten (Breezy), and the clunkers (Pink Cadillac). That doesn’t leave too many options left for the final two entries of Year of Eastwood.

Earlier in this series, a slew of westerns were covered. Burnout was definitely a factor while watching ten of Clint’s westerns … and too be honest, two of the Spaghetti Westerns seemed like enough so I probably wasn’t missing much if I skipped For a Few Dollars More. Plus, I had to fit Paint Yer Wagon in there...

The classic - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - was truly a master of film making. The infliction of humor with the gripping story of greed in the Wild West - along with a musical score for the ages - ranks this film as one of the greatest westerns ever made.

The original film in the series, Fistful of Dollars, introduced American audiences to the Spaghetti Western genre. Gritty, bloody scenes tell this story of the lawless West where there’s nary a good guy in sight. So what did the second film in this trilogy have to offer…

Not much new here. Clint is a bounty hunter, riding around in search of his next payday. Van Cleef is a rival bounty hunter as they cross paths hunting down a pack of outlaws which will pay off in upwards of $40k. These days, $40k won’t even get Paris Hilton to show up at your nightclub.

Eventually, the rivals team up to take down the gang ... wanted dead or alive - which pretty much means dead. Turns out Van Cleef has more personal reasons for wanting to take down the head gringo, so once again Clint rides off with the entire bounty.

The most intriguing aspect when observing this trilogy as a whole is that the films are not really a trilogy at all. Sure Clint is the mysterious stranger, who may or may not in fact have a name. But it’s not even clear if he’s playing the same character between all films. In fact, a few actors appear in the films portraying different characters. The films don’t seem to align chronologically, as the third film apparently takes place before the first film. Or is it that the second film takes place after the third film? I'm confused.

The films play out more like fables from the Old West. The players may be interchangeable - riding along the dusty trails - but it doesn’t matter who they are. It’s more about the stories that made the West so appealing and dangerous. The wide open plains, the opportunity for wealth … the lawlessness, the greed, and the gunfights.

For a Few Dollars More stands alone as an entertaining film, but fails in comparison to the best of the series and still champion … the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. A recent study concluded that certain films, such as the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, have been scientifically proven to increase brain activity. My own personal study indicates that Pink Cadillac in fact destroyed some brain cells. Brain cells that I might need as I get older. Thanks a lot Bernadette Peters.

Week at the Farm

Year of Eastwood #50

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

Starring: Ken Watanabe
Directed by Eastwood

In what will probably be remembered as one of Clint’s most intriguing (perhaps controversial) projects, he followed up Flags of Our Fathers with Letters from Iwo Jima.

The film presents the other side of World War II, from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers, stationed on the island with virtually no prospect of returning to their homeland alive. The movie was based upon actual letters written by the soldiers to their loved ones, knowing many of them would not be received before their death.

The film presents an interesting look into a different culture and the pride and traditions of an army that was considered an evil empire. Obviously, the men on both sides of the battle fronts weren‘t that different from one another. They both were fighting bravely for their countries and both had families back home that they desperately wanted to return to see again.

It was a risky proposition for Clint to take on a film about the Japanese struggle against the U.S. One that I’m sure would shock many Clint fans in the 70‘s with his stubborn, gun-blazing attitude, but Clint wanted to portray the another side of the story. While our brave soldiers were battling to raise that American flag atop the island, there were men battling for their own purpose.

There have been many Japanese films made about World War II, but like many others, my exposure to Asian films has been very limited. By directing this film, Clint exposed millions of Americans to the lives that were also destroyed by this conflict. Lives that may be formed on a tradition much different than ours, but similar in many other aspects.

The Japanese soldiers were exhausted and would question the decisions of their superiors much the same any of us would. The soldiers had been fed misconceptions about their enemy, just as American soldiers were. And these soldiers were committed to fighting with honor and valor, just as our troops have been trained to do.

Of course, the honor and tradition involves aspects that we can’t quite understand - like the whole kamikaze nonsense. Soldiers willing to take their own lives in an act of pride. A concept that confused our nation once again after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. As the battle surged on, many Japanese soldiers took orders to kill themselves in the face of defeat. Some of them chose not to, instead falling back with their other soldiers to continue the fight.

Letters from Iwo Jima received multiple Academy Award nominations, including the fourth for Clint as director. There was concern over Clint, or any American, telling the story of an enemy in battle, but the film went on to be a huge success in Japan. Unfortunately, the film was unable to garner as much attention in the U.S.

Year of Eastwood #49

Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford
Directed by Eastwood

Clint wants to set the record straight with Flags of Our Fathers. That iconic image you see of the brave U.S. soldiers raising the American flag atop the treacherous terrain of the desolate Japanese island is a big lie.

Not that these heroes didn’t fight an intense, bloody battle to seize control in the war against the Japanese. No, Clint goes to detailed lengths to demonstrate the struggle, and the Americans lost many lives in order to put an end to the great World War, but that photo doesn’t tell the whole story.

Back home, the U.S. was struggling to finance the war. The country had just begun recovering from the Great Depression when the U.S. was pulled into World War II when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. After years of struggle, American forces had finally pushed back Nazi forces in the battle over in Europe. But the troops were exhausted and the money was running out. The photo that came out of Iwo Jima of the troops raising the flag was seen as a golden opportunity to increase morale of the country and encourage it’s citizens to reach deeper into it’s pockets to invest in the campaign.

As the image began to circulate back home, the government decided what was needed was for some of these brave soldiers to come back and make personal appearances in the states to encourage patriotic Americans to buy more bonds. But as anyone who has examined the photo can tell you, it’s not easy to identify any of the actual faces in the photo. Add to that, many of the soldiers in the photo had been killed later during the ongoing conflict. Then questions began to surface about the validity of the actual photo.

So here’s the rest of the story, Mr. Harvey … there was an initial surge to the top of the hill and the men indeed raised a flag at the top which signaled to the other troops that victory was within reach. Pictures were taken of the events. But in a fine example of military intelligence, an officer ordered that the flag be recovered for his own collection and replaced with a second flag. So when later troops scaled the mountain and reached the peek, the orders were followed and another flag was put in its place. Once again, the photographer recorded the events. No one figured the photos would become such an icon of American history. And the photo that became the icon was in fact taken during the second raising of the flag.

Once the soldiers were identified in the photo, three of them were returned to the U.S. and unknowingly were swept into the maelstrom of publicity created by the reaction to the photo. The soldiers, torn between the duty to serve their country and their modesty of the actual events, struggled to hold on to their rightful pride in what they had sacrificed to protect our freedom. Each time they were paraded about, the guilt of taking credit for what others had done wore them down. Eventually, the tragic hero of the story - Native American Ira Hayes - turned to the bottle and was pushed out the door by the same government whom he had fought so bravely to defend.

The “true” story of Iwo Jima resonates with the recent actions of the U.S. government. Still deeply involved in a war in which the facts have been manipulated to persuade the public, people today have grown tired of a government that uses deception and lies to drive its foreign policy. Once again, Clint’s adept skill at directing a compelling story and his straightforward style never gets in the way of the real-life drama that demonstrates that every iconic image of what defines America has a complicated story behind it.

Year of Eastwood #48

Clint TV

Rawhide (1959-1965)

Clint was a young buck running around Hollywood when he got his big break starring in the long-running TV western Rawhide. Clint was an unknown when he was cast as Rowdy Yates, the cocky sideman on a cattle drive from Texas to Missouri. Clint’s career has had a strong connection to music … his love of jazz, Morricone’s Spaghetti Western theme, and obviously Every Which Way but Loose - and Rawhide is still a familiar tune to many who have never even seen the show.

Clint was second banana on Rawhide. He usually was the one getting himself in trouble … in the two episodes I watched Clint got shot, got drunk, and got thrown in jail. The appeal of the show is that this group of misfits get themselves into as much trouble during the journey as the cattle. Most of the guys on the crew are unlikable trouble-makers and Clint squabbles with the leader most of the time.

The crew finally make their destination - Sedalia, Missouri (home of the Wheel Inn) only to find the buyers have all left because of a market crash. But thanks to some smooth talking by Clint, the cows get sold and the gang can head to town to get drunk and enjoy some goober burgers. The show continued its run for several years after they sold the cows, so I’m not sure what they did week after week - maybe they started a co-ed softball league.

Mr. Ed (1961)

I’m not sure exactly why Clint guest-starred on Mr. Ed, but considering he hasn’t made many television appearances in his career, it does seem like an odd choice. I’d bet there was some woman involved that Clint was chasing after.

Mr. Ed was a talking horse, of course. Clint plays himself and moves in next door to Mr. Ed and his longtime companion, Wilbur. Wilbur is an architect and he must be doing pretty well considering that he lives next door to a TV star. Mr. Ed isn’t too excited about Clint moving in next door cuz he’s got his eye on a philly - and Clint’s horse might just steal her away. Sounds crazy - but I have to admit that I did laugh once, when Mr. Ed called Clint a mule head.

A show about a talking horse probably wouldn’t last long in this day and age - although last year we did have the Caveman show. I haven’t really done much research on Mr. Ed. I’m not sure why he talks … was it a freak accident? But he sure is a surly bastard. My theory is that Mr. Ed doesn’t talk at all. Wilbur is apparently the only one who can hear Mr. Ed, so maybe the whole thing is in Wilbur’s head, allowing him to express his deep-seeded anger to the world around him, a la Fight Club.

Amazing Stories (1985)

In the 80’s, Spielberg was the man. He quickly became one of the biggest directors of all time with hits like Jaws, ET, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. So when it was announced that Spielberg was going to produce a TV show, the nation was giddy with anticipation. Sunday evenings would once again become a time for the family to gather around the TV to be thrilled, shocked, and awed. Surely, Amazing Stories would be a program that would run for decades, win every Emmy, and be remembered for generations as grandparents share stories of the premiere of Amazing Stories ... the show lasted for one year and hasn’t been mentioned again.

Spielberg envisioned Amazing Stories as a Twilight Zone for the new generation. Each week, a new story that would entertain and provide discussions around the watercooler all week. Spielberg lined up top notch actors and directors that would increase the scale of the television screen to blockbuster status. Clint signed on to direct an episode, Vanessa in the Garden, about an artist on the verge of international fame, when a tragic accident steals away his beautiful muse.

Distraught, the artist (Harvey Keitel) destroys his entire collection of work, vowing to never paint again. Until he discovers that painting his beautiful bride can magically bring her back to life. This was the 80’s, so of course the muse was played by Ms. Locke. She certainly has provided a lot of inspiration to this Year of Eastwood.

Year of Eastwood #47

Revenge of the Creature (1955)

Starring: the Creature of the Black Lagoon
Directed by Jack Arnold

Clint became a huge star with the release of the Spaghetti Westerns directed by Sergio Leone. Before that Clint followed the usual path of struggling the first few years, working as a fireman, and taking on bit roles in movies and television. Revenge of the Creature is listed as the first film in Clint’s bio - he’s uncredited as a lab assistant - and doesn’t even get to share any screen time with the Creature himself. In fact, his entire performance is included in this clip…



The personality is there. You can almost sense that Clint is resisting the urge to wink at the camera - letting us all know that someday he’ll be the only recognizable bit of this horrible B-movie. I didn’t bother to watch the original Creature from the Black Lagoon, but there doesn’t seem to be much that I missed out on. Creature swims around in murky water of the Amazon. Gets captured by some hunters and taken back to the US, where he is put on display at a Aquarium. Makes googly fish-eyes with a lady. Escapes from the park. Swims in some more murky water. Terrorizes some people. Gets shot. I’m not really even sure what the Creature’s motivation is as a movie monster. He doesn’t eat people. He just seems to be in a bad mood.

Clint was born on May 31, 1930 to Clinton and Margaret Eastwood - weighing in at a whopping 11 ½ lbs. His father was a steelworker who moved his family about frequently to find work. Clint finally settled in Oakland where he graduated high school. Clint attended Los Angeles College but dropped out. He worked various odd jobs and then joined the military. While on leave, his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean and Clint had to swim 3 miles to shore (take that Chuck Norris). Clint missed out on any military action in Korea, because he was busy as a swim instructor in boot camp. While in the Army, some friends encouraged Clint to pursue acting as a career.

Clint survived a few bit parts in bad movies before his big break. He was a jet pilot in some other horror movie - Tarantula in 1955. And then a year later he seduces Carol Channing in the First Traveling Saleslady (thanks Netflix for denying the world the chance to see that masterpiece).

Clint was dropped by the studio when a bright exec decided that his adam’s apple was too big … I’m sure that guy went on to a successful career. Clint went back to some odd jobs until he was spotted one day by a network exec looking for a young actor for a new TV show, Rawhide … and then Clint was on his way.

Over the years, Clint has given many opportunities to up and coming talent in his own movies. Many of which have been pointed out in this Year of Eastwood … Laura Linney, Lucy Liu, Dennis Hopper, err, Sondra Locke. I’m sure he remembers what a struggle it was for him and how grateful he was to get a shot in the movies … having to share his screen time with a monkey of all things.

Davie's Chuckwagon Diner

Year of Eastwood #46

Breezy (1973)

Starring: William Holden, Kay Lenz
Directed by Eastwood

I can’t quite figure out if Clint likes the hippies or would like to kick em in their bell-bottom wearing behinds. He certainly got lots of mileage out them in the 70’s. Usually busting a bunch of hippie-dippies for smoking dope and maybe smacking a few around before hauling them off to the slammer in the Dirty Harry pics. After all, the hippies represented everything that was going wrong with the great ol’ US of A in the 60’s. What with their psychedelic trips, anti-establishment tirades, and free-loving attitudes … well, I guess Clint kinda liked that last one.

That’s why he directed this May/December romance with the moon glow title character and her braless devil-may-care ways. But man, a lot of that hippy stuff is hard to swallow. Hey, the theme song lyrics … I always keep my pockets filled with pumpkin seeds and time … is just about enough to hit the Eject button in the first couple of minutes.

But there’s something infectious about this movie, namely Breezy herself. What middle-aged man wouldn’t want some free spirit gal showing up at his door, offering nothing more than a few tunes on her guitar and a smile? Not William Holden, that’s for sure. He tries to scoff away Breezy at first with his button-up, three piece suit ways. But Breezy hasn’t been hitchin’ half way across the country just to give up that easy. Nope, nothing would please her more than some old man to completely squash her lifestyle into some suburban homemaker. Dude’s so old that he wears a cardigan to play tennis … every hippies dream come true, eh?

Holden got his break into the big time by playing the other end of the cougar spectrum by hooking up with Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. That one ended up with him face-down in the pool, but Breezy’s not interested in anything that dramatic. She just wants a nice place to hang her poncho and maybe a nice apple every now and then. Later, Holden got mad as hell and wasn’t gonna take it anymore from those hippies in Network. But then he died … and they gave him an Oscar. Sound familiar?

Ok, back to the cougar thing. Aren’t we already sick of this whole phenomenon? Older, successful women hunting down young studs with no interest but a good workout. Clint’s been doing the reverse for years … but try to hook him up with a lady of a certain age, let’s say Geraldine Page, and he’d rather take a tumble down the stairs. So enough with the media frenzy, it’s nothing new … just look at Cher.

Breezy and Geezer take nice strolls on the beach. They go to see High Plains Drifter at the local Cineplex. Geezer starts lifting the medicine ball cuz he’s getting a bit saggy for such a young gal. That’s about the extent of the tension here … the old man can’t stand that the world just won’t accept his love for this flower child half his age. Damn you, world.

Lately, Clint’s directed a few movies in which he doesn’t appear, but early in his career it drove the movie companies bonkers that he wasn’t going to be in Breezy. They probably insisted that Clint at least put his picture on the poster. Clint was too young to play the lead, but he wanted to get that message out there … can’t we just be happy that these two star-crossed lovers found each other out there in this crazy world? Or at least until dementia sets in...

Living / Dining Room