Clint Eastwood in the 1980s

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Clint Eastwood directed his first television episode in the 1980s and made several of his most notable films.

Clint Eastwood American actor and film director

Clinton Eastwood Jr. is an American actor, filmmaker, musician, and politician. After achieving success in the Western TV series Rawhide, he rose to international fame with his role as the Man with No Name in Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy of spaghetti Westerns during the 1960s and as antihero cop Harry Callahan in the five Dirty Harry films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. These roles, among others, have made Eastwood an enduring cultural icon of masculinity.

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Television

In 1985, Eastwood directed his first television production in the Vanessa In The Garden, an episode of Amazing Stories . It starred Harvey Keitel and Sondra Locke. This was Eastwood's first collaboration with writer/executive producer Steven Spielberg. (Spielberg later produced Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima [1] ).

<i>Amazing Stories</i> (1985 TV series) 1985 television series

Amazing Stories is a fantasy, horror, and science fiction television anthology series created by Steven Spielberg. It originally ran on NBC in the United States from 1985 to 1987.

Steven Spielberg American film director and screenwriter

Steven Allan Spielberg is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the founding pioneers of the New Hollywood era and one of the most popular directors and producers in film history. Spielberg started in Hollywood directing television and several minor theatrical releases. He became a household name as the director of Jaws (1975), which was critically and commercially successful and is considered the first summer blockbuster. His subsequent releases focused typically on science fiction/adventure films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Jurassic Park (1993), which became archetypes of modern Hollywood escapist filmmaking.

<i>Flags of Our Fathers</i> (film) 2006 film directed by Clint Eastwood

Flags of Our Fathers is a 2006 American war film directed, co-produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood and written by William Broyles Jr. and Paul Haggis. It is based on the 2000 book of the same name written by James Bradley and Ron Powers about the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima, the five Marines and one Navy corpsman who were involved in raising the flag on Iwo Jima, and the aftereffects of that event on their lives.

Filmography

Bronco Billy (1980)

Released on Wednesday, June 11, 1980, Eastwood directed and played the role of the main attraction in a traveling Wild West Show in the comedy film, Bronco Billy . Biographer Richard Schickel argued that the character of Bronco Billy is Eastwood's most self-referential work. [2] [3] Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that the film was "the best and funniest Clint Eastwood movie in quite a while", praising Eastwood's directing and the way he intricately juxtaposes the old West and the new. [4] Later in 1980, he reprised his role in the sequel to Every Which Way But Loose entitled Any Which Way You Can . The film was another box-office success and was among the top five highest-grossing films of the year.

<i>Bronco Billy</i> 1980 film by Clint Eastwood

Bronco Billy is a 1980 American film starring Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke. It was directed by Eastwood and written by Dennis Hackin.

Janet R. Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as a Times film critic from 1977 to 1999 and a book critic from 2000 to 2015.

<i>Any Which Way You Can</i> 1980 film by Buddy Van Horn

Any Which Way You Can is a 1980 American action comedy film, starring Clint Eastwood, with Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis, William Smith, and Ruth Gordon in supporting roles. It was directed by Buddy Van Horn. The film is the sequel to the 1978 hit comedy Every Which Way but Loose.

Eastwood in 1981 Eastwood1981.jpg
Eastwood in 1981

Any Which Way You Can (1980)

Later on Wednesday, December 17, 1980 he appeared in the movie Any Which Way You Can , one of the two hit movies Eastwood made with co-star Clyde the orangutan. Later on, he drives a Dark Maple Red Metallic 1980 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency 4-door sedan.

Orangutan Genus of mammals

The orangutans are three extant species of great apes native to Indonesia and Malaysia. Orangutans are currently only found in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. Classified in the genus Pongo, orangutans were originally considered to be one species. From 1996, they were divided into two species: the Bornean orangutan and the Sumatran orangutan. In November 2017 it was reported that a third species had been identified, the Tapanuli orangutan.

Firefox (1982)

In 1982, Eastwood also directed, produced and starred in the Cold War-themed Firefox , based on a 1977 novel with the same name by British novelist Craig Thomas.

Cold War Geopolitical tension after World War II between the Eastern and Western Bloc

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union with its satellite states, and the United States with its allies after World War II. The historiography of the conflict began between 1946 and 1947. The Cold War began to de-escalate after the Revolutions of 1989. The collapse of the USSR in 1991 was the end of the Cold War. The term "cold" is used because there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two sides, but they each supported major regional conflicts known as proxy wars. The conflict split the temporary wartime alliance against Nazi Germany and its allies, leaving the USSR and the US as two superpowers with profound economic and political differences.

<i>Firefox</i> (film) 1982 American spy film directed by Clint Eastwood

Firefox is a 1982 American action techno-thriller film produced, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood in Panavision. It is based upon the 1977 novel of the same name by Craig Thomas.

<i>Firefox</i> (novel) novel written by Craig Thomas

Firefox is a thriller novel written by Craig Thomas and published in 1977. The Cold War plot involves an attempt by the CIA and MI6 to steal a highly advanced experimental Soviet fighter aircraft. The chief protagonist is fighter pilot turned spy Mitchell Gant. The book was subject to a 1982 film adaptation produced and directed by Clint Eastwood who also played the role of Gant in the film.

Honkytonk Man (1982)

Eastwood directed and starred in Honkytonk Man , based on the novel by Clancy Carlile about an aspiring country music singer named Red Stovall, set during the Great Depression. Barry Corbin, who played Red's father in Honkytonk Man , with Clint Eastwood as a country western. Later on, Red Stovall (Clint Eastwood) suffers from tuberculosis at the Grand Ole Opry. He takes out on a stage to Nashville, Tennessee, Clint's son Kyle Eastwood is his nephew. The script was adapted slightly from the novel. A scene in the novel in which Red gives a reefer to his fourteen-year-old son (played by real-life son Kyle) was altered by Eastwood. The ending was also changed to a song playing on the radio written by Red on his death bed, shortly before his burial. [5]

<i>Honkytonk Man</i> 1982 film by Clint Eastwood

Honkytonk Man is a 1982 American musical drama film set in the Great Depression. Clint Eastwood, who produced and directed, stars with his son, Kyle Eastwood. Clancy Carlile's screenplay is based on his novel of the same name. This was Marty Robbins' last appearance before he died. The story of Eastwood's character, Red Stovall is loosely based on the life of Jimmie Rodgers.

Clancy Carlile was an American novelist and screenwriter of Cherokee descent. He is perhaps best known for his 1980 novel Honkytonk Man, made into a film by Clint Eastwood.

Great Depression 20th-century worldwide economic depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations; in most countries, it started in 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how intensely the world's economy can decline.

Sudden Impact (1983)

The fourth Dirty Harry film Sudden Impact (1983), is widely considered to be the darkest, "dirtiest" and most violent film of the series. This is the last time Eastwood starred in a film with Sondra Locke. The line, "Go ahead, make my day", uttered by Eastwood is often cited as one of cinema's immortal lines and was famously referenced by President Ronald Reagan in his campaigns. [6] The film features multiple extrajudicial killings by Harry.

Tightrope (1984)

In 1984, Eastwood starred in the provocative thriller Tightrope , inspired by newspaper articles about an elusive Bay Area rapist. Set in New Orleans (to avoid confusion with the Dirty Harry films), [7] During filming, Eastwood had an affair with the first murder victim in the film, Jamie Rose. [8] J. Hoberman in the Village Voice describing Clint as " one of the most masterful under-actors in American movies" and David Denby commenting that he has become a "very troubled movie icon". [9] [10] Others such as Jack Kroll of Newsweek noted the sexuality of the film and vulnerability of Eastwood's character, remarking, "He gets better as he gets older; he seems to be creating new nuances". [11]

City Heat (1984)

Eastwood next starred in the period comedy City Heat (1984) with Burt Reynolds. The film was initially running under the title, Kansas City Jazz under the directorship of Blake Edwards. During filming, Eastwood had conflicts with Edwards and producer Tony Adams. Citing "creative differences", Edwards was replaced with Richard Benjamin. [12]

Pale Rider (1985)

Eastwood revisited the western genre, directing and starring in Pale Rider . The film bears similarities to Eastwood's previous Man with No Name character, and his 1973 western High Plains Drifter in its themes of morality and justice and exploration of the supernatural. Pale Rider earned Eastwood wide critical acclaim that he'd desired for some time. Jeffrey Lyons of Sneak Previews said, "Easily one of the best films of the year, and one of the best westerns in a long, long time". Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune said, "This year (1985) will go down in film history as the moment Clint Eastwood finally earned respect as an artist". [13]

Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

In 1986, Eastwood starred in the military drama Heartbreak Ridge , about the 1983 U.S. invasion of Grenada, West Indies, with a portion of the movie filmed on the island itself. It co-starred Marsha Mason. However, the title comes from the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge in the Korean War, based around Eastwood's character of Tom Highway, an ageing United States Marine Gunnery Sergeant and Korean War veteran, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions there. Eastwood incorporated more scenes of action and comedy into the film than was initially intended by the original drafter, James Carabatsos, and worked hard with Megan Rose to revise it. [14] Eastwood and producer Fritz Manes meanwhile, intent on making the film realistic, visited the Pentagon and various air bases to request assistance and approval. [15] The U.S. army refused to help, due to Highway being portrayed as a hard drinker, divorced from his wife, and using unapproved motivational methods to his troops, an image the army did not want. They informed the production team that the characterisation lacked credibility and that Eastwood's character was an outdated stereotype and that he was too old for the role. [16] They instead approached the United States Marine Corps, and Lieutenant Colonel Fred Peck was hired as a spokesman for the military during filming and to guide Eastwood's team to making the characters and scenes more realistic. The production and filming of Heartbreak Ridge was marred by internal disagreements, between Eastwood and long term friend Fritz Manes who was producing it and between Eastwood and the DOD who expressed contempt at the film. [16] [17] During the film, Peck came to head with Eastwood over a scene involving Eastwood offering a drink in a flask to the Sergeant Major; Peck stood his ground and insisted this scene was laughable. Eastwood eventually relented but the relationship between the producers continued to sour. [18] Within months, Manes was fired and Eastwood had rid of his best friend and producing partner, replacing him with David Valdes. [19] The film released in 1470 theatres, grossing a very respectable $70 million domestically. [20]

The Dead Pool and Bird

Eastwood's fifth and final Dirty Harry film, The Dead Pool was released in 1988. It co-starred Liam Neeson, Patricia Clarkson, and a young Jim Carrey. The Dead Pool, grossed $37,903,295, relatively low takings for a Dirty Harry film and was generally panned by critics. Eastwood began working on smaller, more personal projects, marking a serious lull in his career between 1988 and 1992. He directed Bird (1988), a biopic starring Forest Whitaker as jazz musician Charlie "Bird" Parker, a genre of music that Eastwood has always been personally interested in. Filming commenced in late 1987 and was shot in the old districts of Los Angeles, Pasadena and the Sacramento Valley, with additional New York City scenes shot in Burbank. [21] Bird was screened at Cannes and received a mixed reception. Spike Lee, a long term critic of Eastwood, the son of jazz bassist Bill Lee, and alto saxophonist Jackie McLean criticized the characterisation of Charlie Parker, remarking that it did not capture his true essence and sense of humor. [22] Critic Pauline Kael published a scathing review, confessing to loathing the film and describing it as "a rat's nest of a movie", which looks as if Clint "hadn't paid his Con Ed Bill". [23] Others, particularly jazz enthusiasts, [22] however, praised the music of the film and Eastwood received two Golden Globes—the Cecil B. DeMille Award for his lifelong contribution and the Best Director award for Bird, which also earned him a Golden Palm nomination at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was not a major commercial success, earning just $11 million. Eastwood, who claimed he would have done the film biography even if the script was no good, [24] was disappointed with the commercial reception of the film, later saying that, "We just didn't seem to have enough people in America who wanted to see the story of a black man who in the end betrays his genius. And we didn't get the support through black audiences that I'd hoped for. They really aren't into jazz now, you know. It's all this rap stuff. There aren't enough whites who are. either...". [25]

Pink Cadillac

Carrey would later appear with Eastwood in the poorly received comedy Pink Cadillac (1989) alongside Bernadette Peters. The film is about a bounty hunter and a group of white supremacists chasing after an innocent woman who tries to outrun everyone in her husband's prized pink Cadillac. Pink Cadillac was shot in the fall of 1988 in the Rising River Ranch area and Sacramento. [26] The film was a disaster, both critically and commercially, [27] earning just $12,143,484 and marking the lowest point in Eastwood's career in years, causing concern at Warners that Clint had peaked and was now faltering at the box office after three unsuccessful films. [28] Pink Cadillac received poor reviews. Caryn James wrote: "When it's time to look back on the strange sweep of Clint Eastwood's career, from his ambitious direction of Bird to his coarse, classic Dirty Harry character, Pink Cadillac will probably settle comfortably near the bottom of the list. It is the laziest sort of action comedy, with lumbering chase scenes, a dull-witted script and the charmless pairing of Mr. Eastwood and Bernadette Peters." (New York Times, May 26, 1989.)

See also

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Sondra Locke American actress

Sandra Louise Anderson, professionally known as Sondra Locke, was an American actress and director. She made her film debut in 1968 in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Locke went on to star in such films as Willard, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Gauntlet, Every Which Way But Loose, Bronco Billy, Any Which Way You Can and Sudden Impact. On each film, she had worked with Clint Eastwood, who was her companion for 13 years. Locke's autobiography, The Good, the Bad, and the Very Ugly – A Hollywood Journey, was published in 1997.

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Every Which Way but Loose is a 1978 American adventure comedy film, released by Warner Bros., produced by Robert Daley and directed by James Fargo. It stars Clint Eastwood in an uncharacteristic and offbeat comedy role as Philo Beddoe, a trucker and brawler roaming the American West in search of a lost love while accompanied by his brother/manager, Orville, and his pet orangutan, Clyde. In the process, Philo manages to cross a motley assortment of characters, including a pair of police officers and an entire motorcycle gang, who end up pursuing him for revenge.

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Clint Eastwood was born May 31, 1930 in San Francisco, California to Clinton Eastwood Sr. and Margaret Ruth.

This article details Clint Eastwood's film career from 1970 to 1979.

Clint Eastwood directed the film White Hunter Black Heart, an adaptation of Peter Viertel's roman à clef about John Huston and the making of the classic film The African Queen. The film received some critical attention but only had a limited release and earned just $8.4 million.

Clint Eastwood has had numerous casual and long-term relationships of varying length and intensity since he was 14 years old. He was first married to Margaret "Maggie" Johnson in 1953, but while dating Johnson, he had another relationship that allegedly resulted in a child that the mother gave up for adoption. He had extramarital relationships while married to Johnson, including a 14 year long relationship with actress and stunt woman Roxanne Tunis that produced a daughter. Johnson reportedly tolerated an open marriage with Eastwood. Eastwood and Johnson were divorced and he continued seeing many other women. In 1975, actress Sondra Locke began living with Eastwood. She took the relationship seriously and was extremely distraught when she discovered much later that Eastwood continued to have sexual relationships with other women. When they separated, Locke filed a palimony lawsuit. Eastwood had two children with stewardess Jacelyn Reeves in the 1980s. He married for the second time to news anchor Dina Ruiz in 1996, which lasted until 2013. He has been seen with other women since then.

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While serving in the U.S Army at Ft. Ord, California, Clint Eastwood met Chuck Hill, who had contacts in Hollywood. Chuck introduced Eastwood to a few key individuals. He knew little about acting at first and began attending acting classes at Universal Studios. He got a few small parts and began to take his acting career more seriously. His big break came when he was cast as the lead in the part of Rowdy Yates in the television series Rawhide.

References

  1. ↑ Halbfinger, David M. (September 21, 2006). "The Power of an Image Drives Film by Eastwood". The New York Times . Retrieved April 29, 2010.
  2. ↑ Schickel (1996), p.362
  3. ↑ Schickel (1996), p.365
  4. ↑ Maslin, Janet (June 11, 1980). "Bronco Billy (1980):Eastwood Stars and Directs 'Bronco Billy'". The New York Times .Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. ↑ McGilligan (1999), p.344
  6. ↑ McGilligan (1999), p.352
  7. ↑ Schickel (1996), p.389
  8. ↑ McGilligan (1999), p.365
  9. ↑ Schickel (1996), p.393
  10. ↑ Denby, David (August 27, 1984). Beyond Good and Evil. New York.
  11. ↑ Schickel (1996), p.394
  12. ↑ McGilligan (1999), p.366
  13. ↑ McGilligan (1999), p.378
  14. ↑ McGilligan (1999), p.395
  15. ↑ McGilligan (1999), p.397
  16. 1 2 McGilligan (1999), p.398
  17. ↑ McGilligan (1999), p.406
  18. ↑ McGilligan (1999), p.403
  19. ↑ McGilligan (1999), pp.410–413
  20. ↑ McGilligan (1999), p.407
  21. ↑ McGilligan (1999), p.423
  22. 1 2 McGilligan (1999), p.433
  23. ↑ Kael, Pauline (October 17, 1988). "Bird Thou Never Went". The New Yorker .
  24. ↑ Schickel (1996), p.424
  25. ↑ Schickel (1996), p.435
  26. ↑ McGilligan (1999), p.434
  27. ↑ Schickel (1996), p.442
  28. ↑ McGilligan (1999), p.437

Bibliography

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