Clint Eastwood Photo Opportunity #23

Clint Eastwood Photo Opportunity #23

As well as being featured prominently in the ‘which way’ movies, The Palomino Club of North Hollywood (1949-1995) was the most important venue for Country Music on the West Coast, and arguably second in the U.S. only to the Grand Ole Opry. It was a mandatory stop for the biggest stars in Country Music for decades. This tiny, widely unknown club has left a lasting influence on the genre and its culture as we know it today.

Here’s a super photo of Clint at the Palomino Club during a party for the film Any Which Way You Can taken on 16th July 1980.

My thanks to Kevin Walsh for this great find.

Burning Bridges original full page advertisement

Burning Bridges original full page advertisement 

Here is a very special and rarely seen original U.S. advertisement for Clint’s 7” single release, Burning Bridges. The song was of course featured in Kelly’s Heroes - and Clint was invited to record his own rendition of the song for release. The record was released on the Certron label and carried the Cat# C-10010.

This full page advertisement measures 14” x 10” and appeared in the music industry trade magazine, Cash Box on July 11th, 1970. The main image of Clint (in character as Kelly) was also featured on the record’s picture cover sleeve and makes for a wonderful companion piece. 

I have to thank my very dear and longtime friend Dave Worrall who very kindly sent me this rare piece along with many other wonderful pieces - all of which I will be featuring here on the Archive. Thank you buddy. 

Below: The original 7" single of Burning Bridges

Ennio review – Giuseppe Tornatore’s heartfelt tribute to film composer Morricone

Ennio review – Giuseppe Tornatore’s heartfelt tribute to film composer Morricone

The Guardian, Leslie Felperin, Wed 20 Apr 2022

The maestro talks about what drove his famous scores while actors, directors and musical peers celebrate his contribution to cinema.

This documentary represents a painstakingly detailed, fantastically entertaining, and profoundly exhausting deep dive into the career of the hyper-prolific Italian composer Ennio Morricone, known best perhaps for his orchestral scores for Sergio Leone (including the so-called Dollars Trilogy and Once Upon a Time in the West), Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers, Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1900 – and a whole bunch of American films, ranging from the great (Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven, Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables) to the abominable (Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight).

It’s not so much the running time of 156 minutes that will tire you out as the incredible sonic, visual and emotional overload generated by the work itself; perhaps this is ideally seen first in a cinema for maximum impact and then again in small, digestible chunks at home. It’s one huge cinematic mosaic that tessellates a massive interview with the man himself (fortuitously filmed just before he died in 2020) with acres of archival footage and snippets from the movies he wrote soundtracks for.

On top of that, there’s hundreds of interview clips from his innumerable collaborators, friends and admirers – even if some of them seem to be there just to show off how good the producers were at snagging big names. (Bruce Springsteen, for example, is a bit too gushy and hyperbolic.) However, any weak spots are more than compensated for by the overall level of discourse that gives paramount place to the music above all else, with intelligent, pithy observations from Morricone’s classical composer contemporaries such as Boris Porena, as well as other film music maestros including Hans Zimmer and Mychael Danna.

As you would expect, there are lots of lovely personal anecdotes from assorted collaborators, including Joan Baez and singers little known outside of Italy who remember Morricone’s innovative arrangements for RCA pop songs before he moved into film. English director Roland Joffé is particularly entertaining, showing off his Italian while discussing Morricone’s mighty score for Joffé’s The Mission, which we see performed by a massive orchestra with Morricone conducting. Given the documentary’s director is Giuseppe Tornatore, it’s no surprise a small chunk is given over to his collaborations with Morricone such as Cinema Paradiso, but on the whole Tornatore makes it ultimately about his main subject. Kudos is also due to editor Massimo Quaglia’s astonishingly fluid work splicing it all together.

Ennio is released on 22 April in cinemas and on digital platforms.

My thanks to Dave Turner for sending this in.

            

The WMS Gaming Fistful of Dollars Slot Machine

The WMS Gaming Fistful of Dollars Slot Machine

Here’s a rather unusual piece of U.S. advertising which I have never featured here on the Archive before. It was part of the WMS Gaming campaign (slot machines) for a range of their arcade machines which tied in with A Fistful of Dollars and dates from 2004 . It’s a nice piece which comes in the style of an old, worn scroll. 

It is double sided on card stock and measures approx 14.5” x 8.5”. It’s a rarely found piece of memorabilia these days and doesn’t show up very often.     

Original advertising stated that, ‘The second 5-reel video based upon the classic Spaghetti Western, A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, is your classic 'good guy vs. bad guy story'. With nothing but a trusty six-shooter and Clint Eastwood by their sides, players must rid the town of local villains to earn cash. With audio and visuals from the western cult classic which inspired the slot, players become part of the movie as bullets are fired and credits are earned. The only thing that rivals the excitement of the action, is the anticipation of activating three bonuses and winning a progressive jackpot. With all this, it's a sure bet that A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS WANTED will be one of the most coveted slots on your casino floor.’

Below: Clint Eastwood and his then wife Dina play the new "Fistful of Dollars" progressive jackpot video slot machine at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, October 5, 2004.

Super Carmel Magazine cover shot Winter 2020

Super Carmel Magazine cover shot Winter 2020

Here’s an absolutely wonderful magazine cover shot for Carmel - The Lifestyle Magazine of the Central Coast, from the Winter 2020 edition. The cover features a cracking close-up publicity shot of Clint which is highly likely to be from a Universal photo shoot from the 1950’s. These stunning monochrome pictures really do take some beating. A Magazine which is now high on my personal wanted list.

A Fistful of Dollars Rare UK Double Crown poster

A Fistful of Dollars Rare UK Double Crown poster

Here’s a little something that you will rarely see, an original UK double crown poster for A Fistful of Dollars )1964). Produced in a striking duo-tone, the poster features the artwork of Mitchell Hooks and is sized 20” x 30”. A Fistful of Dollars was of course released here in the UK during the Summer of 1967 and after some legal arguments caused the film’s distribution to be delayed. 

It’s certainly a rare find, and glad we can save it here on the Archive. 

Thank you to Davy Triumph. 

Clint & Sondra Behind the cover: The Photo shoot for People Weekly Magazine, Feb 1978

Clint & Sondra Behind the cover: The Photo shoot for People Weekly Magazine, Feb 1978

I thought it would be nice to turn back the clock to around this period 44 years ago. Clint and Sondra had The Gauntlet finished and was in cinemas having been released in December of 1977. The film really established Clint and Sondra as an item, both on screen and off. The couple were taking some short time off, at least until April 1978 when filming would begin on their next feature Every which way but Loose, During this short break Clint and Sondra permitted a photo shoot to take place in Carmel, California during January of 1978. The photos (taken by Steve Schapiro) would become the basis of one of the first major magazine articles to feature the couple as a cover story. It was the February 13th 1978 edition of People Weekly magazine that featured the memorable cover photo and really cemented both Clint and Sondra as an item in the public eye, 

Whilst the cover photo has become instantly recognisable with the fans, I thought it would be interesting (for archival and historical purposes) to post several of the other photos that were taken during this shoot. They are not so commonly seen, and perhaps never seen by some, so it’s good to have them together here as a collective. 

These are not hi-res pictures, but just smaller res samples for viewing. Larger versions are available via Getty Images.

Time gentlemen please? Have Warner Bros pulled the plug on Clint?

Time gentlemen please? Have Warner Bros finally pulled the plug on Clint?

I have had a number of fans contact me regarding their concerns (again) about the lack of a blu-ray release of Clint’s latest movie. This all began with a major shift in regards to Richard Jewell (2019) which failed to receive a blu-ray release within the UK. 

It’s really hard to make any sense as to why Warner Bros have come to this decision? I have tried my best to obtain some sort of answer from Warner Bros - but I shouldn’t have been surprised  by their lack of response. It’s funny, but they seemed to have no problem in responding when it came to wanting the publicity leading up to Cry Macho’s theatrical release?

It seems that we have now reached a pivotal change, the tide has seemingly turned and I fear that, unless a ‘Clint Eastwood movie’ is led by a major star such as a Bradley Cooper or perhaps a Matt Damon, the interest in an Eastwood movie has become somewhat compromised. 

I have to say, it does concern me. Log on to any outlet, Amazon, Zavii or HMV and you’ll have no problem finding a blu-ray release for the latest superhero movie or an Oscar worthy, artistic piece of film making such as Sonic The Hedgehog 2 - and you’ll have little problem locating a copy. 

But when it comes to a human story - there seems to be a sense of shunned embarrassment, a blatant ignorance and a tendency to pretend it doesn’t exist as an entertaining art form. Has it really come to this? Do our expectations end at Sonic The Hedgehog 2? Richard Jewell was (imo), a really entertaining and gripping piece of work, a drama that unfolded nicely and was handled well by everyone concerned. Yet there was no place for it on the UK blu-ray market? Is there really no place for it today?

Cry Macho was officially released on DVD on February 14th 2022 here in the UK. But seemingly, it just isn't good enough or deemed worthy enough to attain a Blu-ray release, or to be more specific, worthy enough for the UK marketplace. There’s also a heavy sense of irony in that Warner Bros chose to take the opportunity to tie-in and promote a major documentary series on Clint and his legacy alongside the release of Cry Macho. We’ll push and continue to promote the Eastwood back catalogue (and in turn boost our revenue), but we’ll actually ignore your present day output, and your continued dedication in bringing a good, human story to the screen. Is this really where it begins and ends?  

Thank god for Eastwood’s integrity. But I guess integrity only goes so far. Perhaps Clint should turn his attention towards Sonic The Hedgehog 3, apparently that’s where the action’s at, and I can at least guarantee that we’ll get a UK blu-ray release of his latest film…

I just think the man is worthy of a bit more respect - as do his UK fans. This current trend just seems to leave a rather sour taste in the mouth.