Here’s a cracking original Trade ad I picked up recently. It’s full page in size (approx. 11” x 8”) and originally appeared in the UK Trade magazine Cinema/TV Today on Saturday 6th May 1972.
These ads often appeared for just 1 day only, and rarely present themselves these days.
The Ultimate piece of Eastwood memorabilia? Harry’s 44 Magnum comes up for Auction
I suppose if you had to pick something that was classed as the ultimate piece of Eastwood memorabilia, I’m pretty sure the list would probably contain either the Colt pistol from the Dollar movies, perhaps even the Poncho? But also, among the ‘dream’ selection must be one of the 44 Magnum pistols as used by Dirty Harry.
Well, a couple of weeks back it was Davy Triumph who sent me a link to this rather special auction piece. The stuff of dreams maybe? But I’m afraid I will have to stick to my replica (which itself is some 26 years old now).
Here’s the information provided by Heritage Auctions:
"Go ahead, make my day."
Sudden Impact (Warner Bros., 1983), Clint Eastwood "Harry Callahan" Hero Smith & Wesson Model 29-2 Double Action Revolver. Few firearms in motion picture history command the same legendary status as Harry Callahan's (Clint Eastwood) Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum. Across the Dirty Harry franchise, the massive revolver became inseparable from Eastwood's iconic portrayal of hard-boiled Inspector Harry Callahan - the uncompromising San Francisco detective whose cold precision, steely confidence, and razor-sharp one-liners helped redefine the modern cinematic antihero.
Offered here is an original hero Smith & Wesson Model 29-2 used by Eastwood in Sudden Impact, the fourth instalment in the landmark Dirty Harry series, and the film responsible for immortalizing one of the most quoted lines in cinema history: "Go ahead, make my day." Serial numbered S317983 on the frame and butt, this formidable .44 Magnum revolver represents the very embodiment of Harry Callahan's screen persona. During the film's unforgettable diner sequence, Callahan confronts a gang of armed robbers attempting a violent holdup. After dispatching several assailants, Harry levels his Model 29 at the final criminal - who has taken a terrified waitress hostage - and calmly delivers the line that would become permanently embedded in the cultural lexicon. The scene instantly entered cinematic history, transforming "Go ahead, make my day" into one of the defining catchphrases of the twentieth century and forever cementing the Smith & Wesson Model 29 as one of the most iconic firearms ever featured on screen.
The revolver features a blued finish and is chambered in powerful .44 Magnum calibre with a 6.5" barrel, serrated fixed front sight, and micrometre-adjustable rear sight. Additional features include a case-hardened hammer, grooved trigger, Smith & Wesson trademark logo on the right side of the frame, and finely checkered walnut grip panels inset with S&W medallions. Heavy, elegant, and unmistakably imposing, the Model 29 became synonymous with the Dirty Harry franchise and remains among the most recognizable handguns in film history.
The revolver is housed in an attractive fitted wood display case with green felt lining and accessories. Provenance: From The Planet Hollywood Collection; Profiles in History Icons & Legends of Hollywood Auction 103, June 5, 2018, Lot 998. Accompanied by a COA from Planet Hollywood bearing a facsimile signature of founder and CEO Robert Earl. Condition: Very good. Retaining approximately 94-96% finish with honest handling wear and scattered areas of extremely fine pitting. Faint tracking line to cylinder. Few minor dings and scuffs to wood. The action has been modified to cock but not fire, with an internal safety engaging when the hammer is cocked back. Strong bore. The display case exhibits expected staining and discoloration to the felt interior consistent with age and storage. Special shipping arrangements via a federal firearms licensed dealer will apply. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions.
The Auction, which finishes in 18 days, is currently at $31,000 w/ Buyer's Premium (BP) : $38,750.00. Next Bid Minimum: $32,000 (which is $40,000.00 w/ BP) – so, if you fancy an early Christmas present or thinking of simply re-mortgaging the family home – then have a go!
If of course someone would like to buy this for the Archive to retain, then you have my deepest and most sincere gratitude and blessing… lol I’ll shut up now… 😄
Rare Where Eagles Dare British ads to tie-in with UK Empire release
Here are 3 very Rare original press ads all of which tie-in with the Royal premiere at the Empire, Leicester Square cinema on 22 January 1969 with Princess Alexandra in attendance. Unfortunately, Clint was unable to attend as he was in the middle of filming Two Mules for Sister Sara in Mexico.
Where Eagles Dare was a huge success, earning $6,560,000 at the North American box office during its first year of release. It was the seventh-most popular film at the UK box office in 1969, and 13th in the US.
The Ads are all of the large Variety, approx. 11” x 7.5”
Here’s a nice rare advertisement from 1971 and particularly if you fancied a double dose of Dollars (A Fistful of Dollars / For A Few Dollars more) under the stars of Southern Australia.
Barossaline Drive-In opened on 22nd December 1958 with Burt Lancaster in “Apache” & Edward G. Robinson in “Woman in the Window” and closed on 27th October 1984 with Sean Connery in “Never Say Never Again” & Michael Pare in “The Philadelphia Experiment”
Here’s a really interesting double bill feature presented by United Artists – and that’s pretty much where the similarities end. A Western and a World War II feature were always going to be a bit obscure, totally different genres – regardless of them both being great movies.
The reason behind this pairing was probably due to Third film in the trilogy being released. 633 Squadron / For a Few Dollars More began its run around August 1968 – just a mater of weeks before The Good, the Bad and the Ugly got its release. It was a great way to get the second film out there once again so that potential audiences could follow the trilogy seamlessly.
Below: A regional ad for 633 Squadron / For a Few Dollars More at The Pilot, King’s Lynn
633 Squadron was originally released a fair while before the double bill, back in1964 in fact. Walter Grauman’s film starred Cliff Robertson, George Chakiris, and Maria Perschy. The plot, which involves the exploits of a fictional World War II British fighter-bomber squadron, was based on the 1956 novel of the same name by former Royal Air Force officer Frederick E. Smith, which itself drew on several real RAF operations. The film was produced by Cecil F. Ford for the second film of Mirisch Productions UK subsidiary Mirisch Films for United Artists. 633 Squadron was the first aviation film to be shot in colour and Panavision widescreen.
For a Few Dollars More was of course a Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. It stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters, and Gian Maria Volonté as the primary villain. Klaus Kinski plays a supporting role as a secondary villain. The film was an international co-production between Italy, West Germany, and Spain. The film was released in the United States in 1967 and was marketed in the United States as the second instalment in the Dollars Trilogy, preceded by A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and followed by The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966).
The pairing of the two films was popular enough to produce a quad poster. Perhaps United Artists had pinned the hopes on the new film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – and any additional promotion of the man with no name certainly wasn’t going to harm its chances.
Below: The wonderful Quad poster release for the Double-Bill
Cannon from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly traced to Spanish museum
Enthusiasts track down weapon used to fell fleeing Eli Wallach amid preparations for 60th anniversary of film’s release.
Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly with the 1873 Manchester-made cannon.
Six decades after Clint Eastwood nonchalantly used a cigar to light its fuse and fell a fleeing Eli Wallach, the Manchester-made cannon that appeared in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly has been rediscovered in a museum in south-east Spain.
The artillery piece was tracked down by the Sad Hill Cultural Association, a group of volunteers dedicated to restoring the graveyard near Burgos, northern Spain, built for the climax of Sergio Leone’s seminal spaghetti western.
Below: Clint and Sergio on location with the Cannon
After coming across images of the cannon in a book on the film, the association set about trying to trace some of the weapons used in preparation for the 60th anniversary of the movie’s release later this year.
The 75mm cannon, made in Manchester by Whitworth in 1873, was one of the antique arms lent to Leone’s production team by the Spanish military. After filming it was returned to the army museum in Madrid. There it languished on outdoor display until 2010, when the museum and its collection were moved to Toledo.
A few months ago, Diego Montero, treasurer of the Sad Hill Cultural Association, visited the Toledo museum to look for the cannon. Further research led to the south-eastern Spanish city of Cartagena, where Montero discovered a group of retired soldiers had restored a 19th-century British cannon from the local military history museum.
Below: The cannon before restoration, in the military history museum in Cartagena, south-east Spain.
“A few days ago we wanted to check the photos from the book against a more detailed photo, so we wrote to the director of the Cartagena museum, and he sent us a closeup photo of the top of the cannon and of the piece’s number,” said Montero. The serial numbers matched. “The museum had no idea that they had the cannon that was used in the film. We told them that we were going to put out a press release because we knew that a lot of people would be interested – and they’d get loads of visits.”
The city council is certainly keen to use the cannon’s fame to draw more visitors. It posted on social media on Monday: “Did you know that one of cinema’s most famous cannons is in Cartagena and that you can visit it for free?”, with the post accompanied, inevitably, by Ennio Morricone’s genre-defining theme.
The museum’s director, Lt Col Ernesto Terry, said the cannon’s fame was already causing a stir.
“We had no idea this was the cannon from the film,” he said. “It’s been crazy and I’ve been talking about it non-stop to the media and to people who have been ringing to ask me about it. It’s been madness and we’ve had a lot more visitors.”
While the Sad Hill Cultural Association would love to borrow the cannon and temporarily reinstall it in the Burgos landscape, where it last stood 60 years ago, its protected heritage status means that will not be in time for the anniversary.
“The bureaucratic procedures are very lengthy, and we don’t have time,” said Montero. “But we’ll definitely try to do something in the future. Maybe we can get hold of the piece and at least bring it to Burgos, because there’s a military museum there.”
Below: Video of the restored Cannon as it is today
PALE RIDER rare bus stop 1985 poster of Eastwood by C. Michael Dudash, sells for big money!
An Original Vintage Unfolded Bus Stop Movie Poster (measures 48" x 70" [122 x 178 cm]) went through the roof this week in an auction. It attracted 24 bids and peaked at a staggering $ 2,700.00.
Description: Pale Rider, the classic 1985 Clint Eastwood cowboy western ("...and hell followed with him."; "This summer a stranger will ride into town..."; a very loose remake of Shane, with a mysterious "preacher" showing up in a small western town and protecting the inhabitants from bad guys) starring Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Christopher Penn, Richard Dysart, Sydney Penny, Richard Kiel, Doug McGrath, and John Russell.
Overall Condition: good. There are two vertical tears in the top background area and one in the middle right background area, but they don't affect the image or printing. There is tiny paper loss in the upper left border. There are some pinholes in the borders and some creases and scuffs scattered in the poster.
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