Wednesday, 1 March 2023

The Fourth Annual Clint Eastwood Celebrity Tennis Tournament July 7th 1973

The Fourth Annual Clint Eastwood Celebrity Tennis Tournament July 7th 1973

Whilst Clint appeared and hosted a number of Charitable Sporting events over the decades, there really isn’t too much available in terms of articles or news stories which covered the events. Golf of course naturally featured highly among these events, as did Tennis, with The Clint Eastwood Invitational Celebrity Tennis Tournament becoming an annual summer feature on the calendar. 
Taking place in Pebble Beach ,1973 seemed a particularly popular year, and whilst there is little out there in the way of written features, these is however a pretty good selection of photos from that year’s tournament. 
The celebrity guest list in 1973 was also rather impressive, featuring stars such as Gene Hackman, Rod Steiger, George Peppard, James Brolin, Lee Majors, Farrah Fawcett, Dinah Shore, and Merv Griffin among others. I thought it would be an idea to feature some of these photos and present them here in a dedicated post. It also provided me with the chance to feature the Jim Beam stone decanter which was awarded at this event and appears from time to time on the auction markets. 
The glazed stone decanter which was given out to participants of the July, 1973 Clint Eastwood Tennis Tournament at Pebble Beach, Ca. Distribution by Jim Beam Whiskey. I’m lucky enough to own one of these, and while its arguably a little tacky in its design, it remains a treasured collectable to have. Measuring approx. 15" tall x 4" wide, the cap featured a gold image of Clint as Joe Kidd which was his latest film on release. 

Below: Clint Eastwood, Dinah Shore, and Merv Griffin Fourth Annual Clint Eastwood Celebrity Tennis Tournament

Below: Film star Gene Hackman arrives and changes for his game

Below: Clint signs autographs for fans
Below: George Peppard and Sharon Arge Fourth Annual Clint Eastwood Celebrity Tennis Tournament
Below: Farrah Fawcett Fourth Annual Clint Eastwood Celebrity Tennis Tournament  July 7th 1973
Below: Sherry Nelson and Rod Steiger Fourth Annual Clint Eastwood Celebrity Tennis Tournament 
Below: The glazed stone decanter which was given out to participants of the July, 1973 Clint Eastwood Tennis Tournament at Pebble Beach, Ca. Distribution by Jim Beam Whiskey. I’m lucky enough to own one of these, and while its arguably a little tacky in its design, it remains a treasured collectable to have. Measuring approx. 15" tall x 4" wide, the cap featured a gold image of Clint as Joe Kidd which was his latest film on release. 
Below: An example of a signed program for a Clint Eastwood Invitational Celebrity Tennis Tournament (Year unknown). 

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