Happy Christmas and Yearly review 2023

Happy Christmas and Yearly review 2023

On reflection, 2023 has been something of another quiet (and somewhat disruptive) year. Nevertheless, we have still managed to conjure up some 90 new posts which I hope you have all enjoyed. Of course, a great deal of these posts have been retrospective in nature, but as always, keeping the spirit alive and kicking remains the common goal. We all have plenty of great Eastwood memories, and I’m determined to never let them fade.  

Back in January we began with a little Flashback feature – The Clint Eastwood Venice Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, and I posted a couple of Rare For Your Consideration Ads for Escape from Alcatraz. We also had another Flashback feature looking at The Gauntlet U.S. Release and Response. 

We followed this with a rare Any which way you can one day ad which became something of a restoration project – but finished up looking pretty good. We also did a little feature on the Clint Eastwood Region 1 DVD collections of 2003. Also, in the same month we posted some excellent Rare Japanese Poster Artwork for The Gauntlet and an equally rare Japanese poster for Pale Rider. We followed this with a nice little piece on The NATO American Movie Awards 1980 containing rare advertisements and photos. We also finished off a busy January with The Gauntlet unseen, a great piece featuring some cracking photos which surfaced. 

February was a little quieter, with a small piece, Clint's cops on cassette which featured some rarely seen WHV ads. The month was a little too quiet for me, so I set about putting together quite an extensive piece on Clint: Chevalier des Arts et Lettres, Paris, Europe and beyond January 1985. I was really pleased with how this came out and, in the process, managed to utilised some great photos I’d had sitting in files. 

We kicked off quite a busy month of March with a feature, The Fourth Annual Clint Eastwood Celebrity Tennis Tournament July 7th 1973. We followed this up with another piece I was particularly happy with, Design me a Poster, The Outlaw Josey Wales, from Camera to concept. 

We also put together an interesting little look at Clint and the Serbian comic book market, and how Clint’s image has been used over the decades. I also reproduced a RARE Interview from SHOW Magazine February 1970 on location during The Warriors which of course became Kelly’s Heroes. Also, we featured Clint Eastwood: Affluent Golfer, Rare Magazine Cover, introduced Pod Casty for me, a weekly pod cast by Jake Serwin & Ian Rhine – which I still tune in for religiously every week, and we reported for the first time on rumours surfacing about Juror #2 as Clint’s next movie. 

In April we featured the new Documentary: Clint Eastwood, la dernière légende, and I must thank my dear friend James – who unselfishly made sure I was kept updated on all documentary pieces – James you’re a legend, sir. We also featured a couple of Blasts from the Past: ranging from Target Magazine, May 1972 to Top Trump advertising from the 80’s. 

May was a bit of a mixed bag, aside from Clint’s 93rd Birthday, we featured some pieces including a beautiful Firefox crew Jacket, the elusive Style A Where Eagles Dare Quad poster, a Paint Your Wagon mystery photograph, and announced that Kiefer Sutherland was joining the cast of Clint's Juror #2. 

In June we posted a nice piece, 100 Years of Warner Bros. (2023) featuring some great photos of Clint. I also put together a little mid-year Flashback: Las Vegas, November 15th 1959 When Clint met Sammy, again with some great rare images. We closed June by reproducing an excellent piece I found, The Unusual Clint Eastwood Crime Drama The Mule Needs A Closer Examination – which was a fine piece of reading. 

July brought major disruptions in Hollywood; the strike officially began on July 14th. As part of the rules established on July 10th, actors could not engage in film or television productions and not take part in promotional work, such as press junkets, film premieres, and events. As a result, all work was suspended on Juror #2. However, we pushed on, and welcomed a new friend to the Archive, Australian Travis Trewin who supplied us with some great rare pieces from his collection. Also our French friend, David Fakrikian published his latest project DVDvision n°2 le Mook Clint Eastwood & Dirty Harry – a French text book which became a labour of love for David. 

In August we had a Flashback: Celebrating The Duke’s 40 years in film and that Paramount gathering – a nice piece which brought together all of those famous Paramount shots. August also saw me pulling my finger out and finally putting together an original piece on the Firefox Video and Arcade game – I had gathered quite a few pieces together over the decades, so it was nice to finally pull it all together and publish them. I also got around to scanning an original article in my collection - My Wife Maggie by Clint Eastwood, a nice rare 60’s feature. 

I also put together a piece on High Plains Drifter – The French Release 50 Years Ago Today – which included a nice range of French material. We followed this up with, High Plains Drifter 50th Anniversary - Rare Advertising from Universal. We concluded this mini celebration by publishing some High Plains Drifter High Res cast member photos. I also posted a small UK Dollar Nostalgia piece including a few rare pieces. I finished off the month of August by finally putting together an extensive Guide to collecting Eastwood related 7” Vinyl Singles, another project I’d wanted to piece together for quite some time. 

In September I posted a nice piece, How Donna Mills landed the role in Play Misty for Me which proved a popular article. We also posted Dirty Harry: The Independent Film Journal Review, December 23rd 1971. In the same month we reviewed Clint Eastwood: The Iconic Filmmaker and his Work, by Ian Nathan – an excellent publication and beautifully packaged. I also published a bit of restoration work on a Rare Japanese LP featuring Magnum Force on the cover art. On the subject of rare albums, I also featured a very rare Korean pressing which featured Hang em High as the main cover art. We also had a little Flashback feature: Christmas season 1980 and made good use of a Columbia – EMI – Warner in-house magazine which had been sitting in a file for an eternity. We closed September with an extremely rare Firefox insert poster which was secured by the Archive’s very own, Davy Triumph. 

October began in great style with a Rare 1971 interview with Clint talking about A Fistful of Dollars, a big thank you to our friend Graham Rye, Editor of 007 Magazine for coming up with this gem. We also took a walk down memory lane with The Birth of UK Home Video – Dirty Harry’s first video release. October also saw the Propstore Auction: Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction: London 2023 – which featured some incredible Eastwood related items. This month also saw us cover some really nice and very rare posters such as Badge 373 / Coogan’s Bluff Double-Bill and a Beguiled / Two Mules for Sister Sara Quad. 

In November we featured Irene Cara’s Personalised 1984 City Heat Movie Cast Jacket and a Eastwood / Universal mystery promo leaflet which has us still scratching our heads. November also saw an end to the Hollywood strikes and that filming had restarted on juror #2 – and with it we found out that Chris Messina had joined the cast. We concluded the month of November with a picture of Clint seen filming on the Georgia set for Juror #2 – and wearing a bushy white beard – which, for some reason, seemed to be the focus of a minor media frenzy? 

So, in December we announced that Oscar winning actor J.K. Simmons had Joined the cast of Juror #2. With such an impressive ensemble cast growing, I’ll be very interested in finally seeing Juror #2.

Sadly, 2023 also saw the passing of some colleges and co-stars from the Eastwood circle of family and friends. We said farewell to Barbara Walters, Suzanne Somers, Roxanne Tunis and Richard Roundtree - all of whom helped the Eastwood light shine brightly and will be sadly missed.

Finally, a big Thank you to everyone for your continued support - and especially to my team of correspondents and helpers who continue to do a fabulous job in keeping the spirit alive. It's very much appreciated.

Have a great Christmas and a very Happy New Year ~ Kindest, Darren 

J.K. Simmons Joins Nicholas Hoult in Eastwood’s Juror #2

J.K. Simmons Joins Nicholas Hoult in Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2

Toni Collette and Kiefer Sutherland are already on board the legal drama that recently restarted production.

The Hollywood Reporters states: Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons has joined Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette in Juror #2, the legal thriller Clint Eastwood is directing for Warner Bros. Shooting is currently underway in Atlanta.

In addition to Hoult and Collette, Gabriel Basso, Zoey Deutch, Leslie Bibb, Chris Messina and Kiefer Sutherland are on the call sheet.

Per the studio’s official logline, the script by Jonathan Abrams follows family man Justin Kemp (Hoult) who, while serving as a juror in a high-profile murder trial, finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma … one he could use to sway the jury verdict to potentially convict — or free — the wrong killer.

Simmons will play one of the jurors.

Collette is playing the prosecutor, Basso the accused, and Messina the public defender. Deutch is playing Hoult’s wife, while Sutherland is the lead’s AA sponsor.

On top of directing, Eastwood is producing via his production company Malpaso. Tim Moore and Jessica Meier of Malpaso and Dichotomy’s Adam Goodman and Matt Skiena are also producing.

Simmons won an Oscar for his portrayal of the hard-driving music professor in Damien Chazelle’s acclaimed drama Whiplash, one of the actor’s many accolades for the role. He earned an Oscar nomination for his work opposite Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in 2021’s Being the Ricardos. He continues to lean into his audience-favorite role of Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson in various Spider-Man movies and voiced the character in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Photo Opportunity #44

Photo Opportunity #44

For our final Photo Opportunity of 2023, I’ve picked one of several photos that were taken at The Cannes International Film Festival on May 20th, 2008 in Cannes, France. Clint is pictured here with Angelina Jolie, the star of his latest film 'Changeling' which was premiering at the Palais festivals.  Jolie was heavily pregnant (with twins) at the time with her then partner Brad Pitt who was also in attendance. The premiere was quite a family event, Clint was there with his then wife Dina Ruiz and Clint’s children Kyle and Alison also attended. 

The President of the Official Jury was American actor and director Sean Penn. Changeling was entered officially in competition, but it was The Class (Entre les murs), directed by Laurent Cantet which would go on to win the Palme d'Or. 

Clint seen filming on Georgia set of Juror No. 2

Clint seen filming on Georgia set of Juror No. 2

Brian Marks for Dailymail.com 

Clint Eastwood showed he's not ready to slow down yet when he was spotted filming his upcoming film Juror No. 2 on Tuesday in Savannah, Georgia.

The 93-year-old actor-turned-director was shooting a scene for the courtroom thriller featuring his stars Nicholas Hoult, 33, and Toni Collette, 51.

The project has been called the moviemaker's 'final film,' with The Hollywood Reporter describing it as an attempt to find 'one last project in order to be able to ride off into the sunset with his head held high,' though neither Eastwood nor Juror No. 2's studio Warner Bros. have said he is planning to retire after completing it.

Eastwood was previously seen on set with Hoult in June, after the writer's strike had started but just before his cast had to stop working due to the recently wrapped actor's strike.

At the time, photos from Savannah station WSAV show the director with the clean-shaven look he has mostly displayed for the past few decades, but he was seen with a surprising bushy white beard while filming on Tuesday.

Clint looked particularly intrigued while watching footage from the shoot next to his long-time camera operator Stephen Campanelli, who first began working with him on 1995's romance classic The Bridges of Madison County.

It’s great to see the man back on active duty. 

Chris Messina Joins Hoult in Clint Eastwood’s ‘Juror No. 2’

Chris Messina Joins Nicholas Hoult in Clint Eastwood’s ‘Juror No. 2’

Toni Collette and Kiefer Sutherland are already on board the legal drama which has now restarting production. 

It was good to read this article by Borys Kit from The Hollywood Reporter this week – in regards to Clint’s latest movie Juror #2 restarting production and with a new addition to the cast:

Chris Messina, who played sports agent David Falk in Ben Affleck’s Air, has joined the case of Juror No. 2, the legal thriller Clint Eastwood is directing for Warner Bros. Shooting on the feature began in June and was halted due to the actors strike. Production is now resuming in Atlanta.

Nicholas Hoult is leading the courtroom with Toni Collette, Gabriel Basso, Zoey Deutch, Leslie Bibb and Kiefer Sutherland also on the witness stand. Per the studio’s official logline, the script by Jonathan Abrams follows family man Justin Kemp (Hoult) who, while serving as a juror in a high-profile murder trial, finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma … one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict — or free — the wrong killer. 

Below: Messina will be playing the case’s public defender.

Collette is playing the prosecutor, Deutch is playing Hoult’s wife and Sutherland is the man’s Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor. On top of directing, Eastwood is producing via his production company Malpaso. Tim Moore and Jessica Meier of Malpaso and Dichotomy’s Adam Goodman and Matt Skiena are also producing. Executive producing are Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Jeremy Bell, along with David M. Bernstein.

Messina recently appeared in Amazon’s critically acclaimed Air, which told true story of the rise of legacy sneaker Air Jordan and saw the actor part of an all-star cast that included Affleck, Matt Damon, Jason Bateman and Viola Davis. This year Messina also starred opposite Kaley Cuoco in the Peacock true crime satire Based on a True Story, which premiered in June and was recently renewed for a second season. And he appeared in Twentieth Century’s Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman. 

It’s encouraging to finally see that the production has resumed shooting. The release date will of course be sometime in 2024.

Eastwood / Universal mystery promo leaflet

Eastwood / Universal mystery promo leaflet

Here’s something that we had never seen before – and we’re not quite sure of its origins. It’s obviously a promotional leaflet of sorts, and clearly publicising some of Clints major Universal titles. We have no idea of the date it was published, but can guestimate it from around 1972/73 as there is no sign or mention of High Plains Drifter, Breezy or The Eiger Sanction. Our initial thoughts led us to think it was some sort of Cinema hand-out or leaflet. Then we looked at the wording (or partial wording) as we could not secure a picture of it fully opened. But it suggests either, ‘These Top 5 films’ or ‘These Top 5 features’ ‘are now available’. 

The word ‘Available’ didn’t really seem to make much sense in the context of a cinema showing. So, we wondered if this was perhaps an early 16mm rental promotion from Universal – which seem to make more sense to me. But we really have no idea, and that is about the extent of our detective work. 

Perhaps you can help and confirm? Feel free to comment and we can perhaps hopefully put this mystery to rest. 

It apparently sold last month for $36! I guess someone wanted it bad enough. 

              

Irene Cara’s Personalised 1984 City Heat Movie Cast Jacket

Irene Cara’s Personalised 1984 City Heat Movie Cast Jacket Warner Brothers

Auction house Invaluable has listed a rather nice and unique piece of memorabilia - Irene Cara’s Personalised 1984 City Heat Cast Jacket. 

Irene Cara Estate personalized Irene 1984 City Heat Movie cast jacket Warner Brothers COA. With Wise Guys Touuca Lake CA California custom shop label and XS label annotated to XXS, dry clean only, WB studio logo with 1984 date, rear embroidered design with lettering applique and Burt Reynolds Clint Eastwood patches, quilted lining and elastic cuffs. Irene Cara played Ginny Lee, 25in long, 13in long under arms.

Discovered in the personal touring trunk of Irene Cara on site at the estate of Irene Cara Escalera, Known professionally as Irene Cara, an Oscar, Grammy, Tony award winner. The multitalented singer, actress, musician and composer rose to international prominence with her starring role as Coco in the movie Fame which inspired a generation of performing arts academies, magnet schools and countless famous performers. Prior to Fame she was a child star as a recording artist and cast member of the first season of Electric Company and she followed up her Fame stardom with the iconic song What a Feeling from Flashdance and an international touring career interspersed with Hollywood movie and television appearances. Irene semi-retired to Florida and continued developing musical projects privately from her home. While All items in this auction were personally removed from her Largo, FL residence by our staff this lot more importantly was discovered inside her touring trunk. Within that trunk multiple television worn vintage garments have been identified and specifically noted in auction lot listings and it is highly likely many more of these trunk treasure trove discoveries will come to be linked to stage and screen concerts and appearances. Each lot comes with a Certificate of Authenticity authorized by her Estate Personal Representatives.

Photo Opportunity #43

Photo Opportunity #43

Like our October Photo Opportunity, we have again ventured right back to the late 50’s or possibly early 60’s to begin the month of November. There isn’t too much known about this photo. Clint is pictured here with actress Mari Blanchard. Blanchard never appeared with Clint in any movies, but like Clint, she was also signed by Universal-International (in 1952) and appeared in a number of B movies. I’m more inclined to believe that this particular photo dates to 1960, as Blanchard and Clint did appear together in an episode of Rawhide, Incident of the Big Blowout, Series 3 Episode 14 which was broadcast on February 10th 1961. Blanchard starred as Laura Carter, so it’s quite possible this photo was taken at the CBS studios. 

One of Blanchard's more memorable film roles, however, was her portrayal of a Venusian queen, Allura, in the 1953 comedy Abbott and Costello Go to Mars. Some other films of the 1950s in which she is featured include Son of Sinbad (1955), Stagecoach to Fury (1956), She Devil (1957), Jungle Heat (1957), No Place to Land (1958), and Machete (1958). Following her work on these films, Blanchard began to focus increasingly on performing on television, although she did appear in a few other films in the 1960s, including a small but flamboyant role as Camille in McLintock! (1963), directed by Andrew MacLaglen and starring John Wayne.

On television, aside from Rawhide, Blanchard appeared in "Escape From Fear" (1955), an episode of the anthology series Climax! She made guest appearances in various television series through the late 1960s, including Bachelor Father (1959), Tales of Wells Fargo (1960), Laramie (1960), Sea Hunt (1960), Hawaiian Eye (1961), 77 Sunset Strip (1961), Burke's Law (1965), The Virginian (1967), and It Takes a Thief (1968). 

She was diagnosed with cancer in 1963, and died aged 47 in Woodland Hills, California on May 10th, 1970.

Richard Roundtree, Star of Shaft, dies at 81

Richard Roundtree, Star of Shaft, dies at 81

I was saddened to learn this morning that 70’s star Richard Roundtree had died, he was 81. In addition to playing the street-smart private eye Shaft, he was memorable in Roots, Once Upon a Time … When We Were Colored, Man Friday and Clint’s film City Heat. 

Chris Koseluk of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: Richard Roundtree, the ultracool actor who helped open the door to a generation of Black filmmakers and performers with his portrayal of private eye John Shaft, “the cat that won’t cop out when there’s danger all about,” died Tuesday. 

Roundtree died at his home in Los Angeles of pancreatic cancer, his manager, Patrick McMinn, told The Hollywood Reporter.

He was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993 and had a double mastectomy. “Breast cancer is not gender specific,” he said four years later. “And men have this cavalier attitude about health issues. I got such positive feedback because I spoke out about it, and it’s been quite a number of years now. I’m a survivor.”

Roundtree also portrayed the title character opposite Peter O’Toole as Robinson Crusoe in Man Friday, was featured as an army sergeant opposite Laurence Olivier as Gen. Douglas MacArthur in the Korean War drama Inchon (1981), and played Burt Reynolds‘ partner in a private-eye business in City Heat (1984).

On the 1977 ground-breaking ABC miniseries Roots, Roundtree took on the pivotal role of carriage driver Sam Bennett, who falls for Leslie Uggams’ Kizzy. (He said George Hamilton apologized to him for years for the scene that required Hamilton’s character, a slave owner, to whip Bennett.) 

Roundtree once revealed that he was most proud of his work in Once Upon a Time … When We Were Colored (1996) about a Black Mississippi family confronting inequality in the south. His father, who had become a Pentecostal minister, had refused to see any of his son’s movies until this one.

Dubbed the first Black action hero, Roundtree became one of the faces of the 1970s blaxploitation movement when he starred as the street-smart New York sleuth in Shaft (1971), directed by Gordon Parks. Apart from a brief turn in the 1970 comedy What Do You Say to a Naked Lady?, it marked his first big-screen appearance.

Based on a 1970 novel by Ernest Tidyman, Shaft was originally conceived to be fronted by a white actor. It was Parks who insisted on casting Roundtree, a former model, after spotting him during a cattle call.

“Gordon Parks is Shaft,” Roundtree told radio station WBUR in a 2019 interview. “The way he moved, the way he talked. He is the most sophisticated, smooth person that I have ever met. And to be in his presence and to be a part of something that he has his stamp on is magical to me.” Shaft was one of only three MGM movies in 1971 to turn a profit.

“Shaft is not a great film, but it’s very entertaining,” Vincent Canby wrote in his review for The New York Times. “Shaft is the sort of man who can drink five fingers of scotch without gagging or his eyes watering. He moves through Whitey’s world with perfect ease and aplomb but never loses his independence or his awareness of where his life is really at.

“When a friend of his — a white homosexual bartender — gives him a rather hopeful caress, Shaft is not threatened, only amused. He has no identity problems, so he can afford to be cheerful under circumstances that would send a lesser hero into the kind of personality crisis that in a movie usually ends in a gunfight, or, at the least, a barroom brawl.”

“I’ve had so many people from all over the country — and all over the world, actually — come up and say what that film meant to them back in ’71,” he said. “It’s heavy.”

Roundtree returned for Shaft’s Big Score! (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973) and played the detective on a 1973 CBS series that lasted just seven episodes.

He was born on July 9, 1942, in New Rochelle, New York. His father, John, worked as a garbage collector and caterer, and his mother, Kathryn, was a maid and a nurse. He attended New Rochelle High School and played for its undefeated football team.

After graduating in 1961, Roundtree headed to Southern Illinois University and landed a football scholarship as a walk-on, but he left in 1963 to pursue a modelling career. He was hired by Eunice W. Johnson to appear at the Ebony Fashion Fair and posed for print ads for Salem cigarettes and Duke hair products.

He was in a Philadelphia theatre portraying the boxer in a production of The Great White Hope when he heard about the Shaft audition. Thanks to Parks, the first film’s cultural impact went far beyond a simple crime drama premise. Shaft was one of the first big-screen Black characters to be his own man and not kowtow to anyone, no matter the skin color. Shaft‘s success was fuelled by its title tune, written and sung by Issac Hayes; he performed it at the 1972 Academy Awards ceremony and won the Oscar for best original song. Roundtree revisited his blaxploitation roots by appearing in Original Gangstas (1996), a homage to the genre that also starred Fred Williamson, Jim Brown and Pam Grier.

His other features included Earthquake (1974), Escape to Athena (1979), Opposing Force (1986), Maniac Cop (1988), Seven (1995), George of the Jungle (1997), Corky Romano (2001), Brick (2005), Speed Racer (2008) and What Men Want (2019).

On television, he played private eye “Ice” McAdams on CBS’ Outlaws, the disgraced doctor Daniel Reubens on the NBC daytime soap opera Generations, a fire station commander on the WB Network’s Rescue 77, the cold-blooded Mr. Shaw on ABC’s Desperate Housewives and the cryptic Charles Deveaux on NBC’s Heroes. His small-screen résumé also included recurring roles on Soul Food, Roc, Chicago Fire, Being Mary Jane and Family Reunion.

Roundtree was married to Mary Jane Grant from 1963-73 and to Karen Michelle Ciernia from 1980-98. Survivors include his daughters, Kelli, Nicole, Tayler and Morgan, and a son, John.

Our thoughts and condolences go out to his friends and family, RIP. 

The Passing of Roxanne Tunis

The Passing of Roxanne Tunis 

Sometimes, news reaches me a little late, and a little unexpectedly. Sadly, this was the case today when I received news that actress, dancer and model Roxanne Tunis had died back on June 23rd. She was aged 93.

Roxanne was born on April 13th, 1930 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Clint and Roxanne met during the filming of Rawhide and were in a relationship from 1959. Confirming the death, her daughter Kimber Eastwood said that her father was as sad as she was. She further said, “Our lives are forever changed.”

A daughter of Latino immigrants, Pietro Trunzo and Theresa Costa, Roxanne met Clint on the set of the television show where she worked as a stuntwoman. They fell in love immediately. But at that time, Roxanne was married to Jack Watson Scheck Jr. and Eastwood was married to Maggie Johnson.

Clint made sure that Roxanne was well cared for helped her in her career. She became a guest star in Hang 'em High in 1968. Later, she appeared in Eastwood’s directorial venture Breezy in 1973 and the action comedy Every Which Way but Loose in 1978. Roxanne also appeared in other movies such as Take her, she's mine (1963) and Blue City (1986).

Kimber was born to Roxanne and Clint on the 17th June 1964, shortly after Clint arrived in Rome to begin filming A Fistful of Dollars. In 1980 Roxanne moved to Denver, Colorado and lived a peaceful life. She dedicated her life to meditation and taught many courses on the subject.

Roxanne, to her credit, never felt the need to exploit or expose details about her relationship with Clint. It was both private and personal, and because of that she never felt the need to speak to any form of media. 

Our respect, thoughts and condolences go to all of Roxanne’s family and friends. RIP

Below: Roxanne with daughter Kimber

Fairy tales in New York: Badge 373 / Coogan’s Bluff Double-Bill

Fairy tales in New York: Badge 373 / Coogan’s Bluff Double-Bill

Here’s an incredibly rare UK 60” x 40” poster teaming up Badge 373 (1973) with Coogan’s Bluff (1968). It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what year this double-bill was shown, although it was probably around 1974. Badge 373 was not a success, either at the box office or with the critics. The New York neo noir crime thriller film inspired, as was The French Connection, by the life and career of Eddie Egan, here called "Eddie Ryan". Ryan (Robert Duvall), a tough, no-nonsense, abrasive and racist Irish NYPD cop, has to turn in his badge after scuffling with a Puerto Rican suspect who then falls to his death from a rooftop, but that doesn't stop him from heading out on a one-man crusade to find out who killed his partner. Like The French Connection, the film again starred the real-life Eddie Egan, this time as Lt. Scanlon.

Badge 373 was a Paramount picture, so fell under the European CIC banner (Cinema International Corporation) which distributed both Paramount and Universal pictures. So, it probably made sense to team the film up with an Eastwood movie, if only to try and pull back some of it’s fairly poor box-office. As Coogan’s Bluff was set in New York and a crime thriller (and a Universal film) – it seemed like a perfectly logical pairing.  

In fact, this was not the only time that Badge 373 was teamed up with an Eastwood movie and perhaps reflected Paramount desperation to try and retrieve some sort of revenue on their film. It was probably around the same time that it was also doubled up with Play Misty for Me (1971) also a Universal Picture.

I’m not sure if either of these double-bill pairings ever materialised outside of the UK, but their limited showings here certainly resulted in a couple of seriously rare posters. 

My thanks to Davy Triumph.

Below: The UK Quad featuring Badge 373 with Play Misty for Me

Below: The UK Quad version of Badge 373 with Coogan's Bluff

Propstore Auction: Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction: London 2023

Propstore Auction: Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction: London 2023

On Nov 9th 2023, The Propstore in London will begin their live auction. Among an incredible selection of original items will be a few very nice pieces from some Eastwood classics. Included among the treasures are: 

Lot #109: COOGAN'S BLUFF (1968) - Walt Coogan's (Clint Eastwood) Costume. Bidding for this lot will end on Thursday, November 9th. The auction will begin at 3:00PM BST and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Friday, November 10th, Saturday, November 11th or Sunday, November 12th.

Walt Coogan's (Clint Eastwood) costume from Don Siegel's crime thriller Coogan's Bluff. Arizona deputy sheriff Coogan wore his signature suit throughout the film as he tried to apprehend fugitive James Ringerman (Don Stroud) in New York.

Custom-made by Nudie's Rodeo Tailors, this chocolate-brown suit is made from a cotton-polyester blend. The jacket has three front buttons, dual flap pockets, double vents, rear shoulder pleats, single-point front Western yokes and a three-point back yoke. Completing the ensemble are a pair of matching dress trousers with "C.E." handwritten on the inner seam. A stitched label inside the trousers features Eastwood's name and size, "35-34". A small section of the left jacket sleeve has been restitched, but overall, the suit is in very good condition.

The lot includes 14 glossy black-and-white Universal Studios publicity photos, some of which have scene notes appended to the back. Also included are six colour film posters, each featuring a different still from the film.

Estimate: £4,000 - 8,000

Lot #166: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966) - Angel Eyes' (Lee Van Cleef) Hat. Bidding for this lot will end on Thursday, November 9th. The auction will begin at 3:00PM BST and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Friday, November 10th, Saturday, November 11th or Sunday, November 12th.

Angel Eyes' (Lee Van Cleef) hat from Sergio Leone's epic spaghetti Western The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. Angel Eyes (aka "The Bad") was a ruthless mercenary who wore his hat throughout the film, which is widely considered one of the greatest Westerns of all time. Angel Eyes also wears his hat on most of the posters and promotional material from the film's release.

The consignor became close friends with Van Cleef and his wife Joan during filming at Cinecitta Studios in Rome. The couple were regular visitors to the consignor's home, and Van Cleef gifted the consignor various personal items, the most prominent being this hat, which as well as appearing in the film, can be seen in relaxed personal family photographs featuring Van Cleef.

Wardrobe items from this iconic movie never usually come to market and this is the first main-character wardrobe item to do so, making it a sought-after piece of cinema history. Van Cleef was a regular in Westerns throughout the 1950s, '60s and '70s, appearing in classics such as The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, For a Few Dollars More, Death Rides a Horse, Sabata and many more.

The hat is a black Eddy Bros. bolero with a black band and brown leather sweatband, which is marked "5XXXXX", "Beaver Quality" and "Water Repellent".

The hat is accompanied by a black-and-white photograph of Van Cleef smoking a pipe, which has been inscribed by the actor with "to my friends for life, love Lee Van Cleef", as well as copies of the photographs of Van Cleef and the consignor's family featuring the hat. The hat has some wear from production use and age, including some scuffing. The band has faded over time, and some of the leather has flaked off the sweatband, which remains in a fragile condition. Dimensions: 40.5 cm x 37.5 cm x 10.5 cm (16" x 14 3/4" x 4 1/4")

Estimate: £50,000 - 100,000

Lot #281: PALE RIDER (1985) - The Preacher's (Clint Eastwood) Hero Remington Revolver, Rig and Spare Cylinder. Bidding for this lot will end on Thursday, November 9th. The auction will begin at 3:00PM BST and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Friday, November 10th, Saturday, November 11th or Sunday, November 12th.

The Preacher's (Clint Eastwood) hero Remington revolver, rig and spare cylinder from Eastwood's Western Pale Rider. The Preacher retrieved his weapons from a bank box and used them to protect a group of defenceless prospectors.

This Remington 1858 New Model Army revolver was one of six rented to the production by Stembridge Gun Rentals, to be used as The Preacher's primary firearm. It is made of steel with a wooden grip, and has been sympathetically deactivated. The hammer, trigger and cylinder all move. The revolver is accompanied by a leather rig, featuring a holster, spare bullets and a spare cylinder. The rig has "40" handwritten inside, with other faded handwriting. The spare cylinder is also deactivated. It should be noted that The Preacher changed out the cylinder on camera during the climactic gunfight, which is a rarity in film history.

The lot also includes two certificates of deactivation (one for the revolver, one for the spare cylinder), a photocopy of both certificates, and a copy of the original rental agreement, which shows the gun's serial number among those rented. Dimensions (revolver): 35 cm x 4 cm x 12.5 cm (13 3/4" x 1 1/2" x 5")

Firearm deactivated; see firearm deactivation notice in the Buyer's Guide.

Estimate: £30,000 - 60,000

My thanks to Dave Worrall. To visit the Propstore Auction site click HERE