Clint Eastwood Photo Opportunity #18

I’ve always liked this shot and think it makes for a great Photo Opportunity. Taken during the production of Pink Cadillac (1989), the picture shows Clint with Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams. Adams appeared in a brief cameo role as Gas Station Attendant. It’s not commonly known how this came about, but Adams does appear on the soundtrack album singing the track Drive all Night.

I don’t know what deal was finalised first, if the track came about after the cameo or the cameo after Adams had agreed to appear on the soundtrack album? Nevertheless, it doesn’t detract from the fact that it’s an excellent photo and great that it was captured to mark the event.  

‘C’era una volta Sergio Leone’ and its stunning poster!

Rome recently paid tribute to the celebrated Italian film director, producer and screenwriter Sergio Leone (1929-1989) with an exhibition at the Ara Pacis museum. ‘C’era una volta Sergio Leone‘ (Once upon a time Sergio Leone) was organised by Cineteca di Bologna and curated by its director, Gianluca Farinelli.

What made his features so remarkable was his ability to combine art, cinema, and culture reinventing a popular genre like the western. “Today’s cinema owes him”, says Farinelli. According to him, most contemporary filmmakers cross their path with Leone’s genius to learn from it – Coppola, Scorsese, Ang Lee, John Woo, Eastwood, and Audiard. Even Tarantino, who, when he wants that specific close-up, tells his cameraman: “Give me a Sergio Leone.” The Italian director was a filmmaker of enormous complexity. His cinema allows many different aspects to coexist on the screen. An example of this is the oxymoronic suspension of time, in which music is the only one to speak. In the Ara Pacis exhibition, open until May 3rd, there is the music of Ennio Morricone. But there is also the silent cinema. The one of Charlie Chaplin, as well as the one of Roberto Roberti, Leone’s father, and his mother, actress Bice Waleran. In ‘Ladri di Biciclette’ he plays a small part, a seminarian with glasses, in the rain. The sequence runs on a screen in the first of the five sections of the exhibition: ‘Citizen of the cinema‘.

A beautiful poster was created for the exhibition, using the original Italian artwork for A Fistful of Dollars. Which reminds me - I must congratulate our admin member Davy Triumph who this week won this rare 60” x 40” version. It’s a real beauty.

Rare Dirty Harry / Magnum Force Photos

As well as posting these on their dedicated pages, I thought they also deserved a place here as a new post. These 28 superb photos contain some incredibly rare images. Among them are shots taken during the filming of the school bus jump from the bridge, the opening credit sequence from the rooftop in San Francisco and from the final Quarry sequence. There are also a couple of others from Dirty Harry including Don Siegel setting up the flick knife opening and a great shot of Clint at the Charlie Russell murder scene. If that isn’t enough for you, I have also included 6 shots from the sequel Magnum Force. 3 of these shots are particularly interesting as they are from the cut sequence in the Bowling Alley Car Park. There is also a rare shot of Clint with Felton Perry, director Ted Post and possibly script supervisor, Hope McLachlin. Finally, there is a couple of Clint taken during the shipyard climax and possibly at Point Molate, Richmond, California.

The Dalys – Rare UK Fistful of Dollars 7” Record

Back at the start of April, I was very lucky to at last add this very quirky little piece of memorabilia to my collection. For me, this 7” record has been something of a quest…

The Dalys were a couple of Irish singers who, back in May 1967 released the single A Fistful of Dollars / The Man with No Name (Fontana TF 841). The Dalys released a few 45s in their time but in fairness, they were all rather mundane and never really set the charts on fire. But this one was at least a bit of fun, and was released to tie in with the 1964 Clint Eastwood / Sergio Leone film.

As mentioned above, it has always been something of a quest as it actually appeared in the United Artists UK press book when the film was eventually released here in the UK during the June of 1967. You don’t find too many of these about today, so it was almost a relief to pin one down and finally add it to the rest of the Eastwood related vinyl.

Above: How the record was first introduced in the Fistful of Dollars Press book)
Below: The 1967 record on Fontana

Below: Clint is greeted at Heathrow airport, The Dalys stood either side of him

Rare Italian A Fistful of Dollars original review

I have been trying to keep busy here on the Archive during these very sad and testing times. Whilst there may not appear to be too many new postings, I have been adding various pieces throughout the Archive. I have recently scanned some 70 pieces from my collection and plan to do a great deal more.

However, some of these I will be posting (as New posts) – as I feel they are worthy of a 'first look' place at the top of the Archive. They will of course also be added to each of their dedicated pages.

So here is a nice piece, a 4 page original Italian review for A Fistful of Dollars. I have no idea of the magazine, however it is a large format publication as the pages had to be scanned in two passes and then painstakingly joined. Unfortunately, I’m also not adept in Italian, but as this is a worldwide site, I like to also try and cater for everyone. I would of course dearly love to know the thoughts within this review, but until I can get a translation or someone can transcribe it into English, I can only guess.

Anyway, I hope it can be useful and/or provide some enjoyment.

            

                

A Perfect World Rare German poster (in colour)

Some months ago I was lucky enough to pick up this rare poster from Germany. It is a poster from Warner Home Video and a standard German A1 size. However, what makes this unusual is that the central image is in colour. Most other theatrical designs saw the Costner and T.J. Lowther image in a sepia duo tone as opposed to colour – so it’s a nice alternative to have. There were a couple of posters released in Germany for the home video release including one which is a colour close up profile shot of Clint. Again, it’s a wonderful design  and also produced in landscape style as opposed to portrait.

Below: The German video design (left) and the standard design (right)

                  

Possibly the ‘strangest’ looking triple-bill, ever!

There have certainly been some strange looking movie advertisements and posters over the decades, but this one recently sent to me by one of administrators Davy Triumph, really is a curiosity.

This is an original flyer from the Shadyside Drive-in theatre situated in Albertville, Alabama. Sadly, there is no year for this great triple bill, but the drive in was opened on June 7, 1951. Car capacity was listed at 400. Owners/operators were Thomas Orr, Martin Theatres then from 1975 until closing in the early-1980’s was United Amusements. However, one giveaway is the artwork, which suggests it couldn’t of been earlier than 1970…

Which brings us to the artwork? So, the triple bill showing (which took place for four days, one summer in June) consisted of A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and Hang ‘em High. There’s certainly no problem with that line-up.  

But the artwork used on this flyer is confusing to say the least? A Fistful of Dollars uses artwork which has no association at all with the film? It took a good, educated eye (our other administrator, Kevin Wilkinson) to spot that this was in fact, an altered piece of art (left) from Tony Anthony’s ‘Stranger’ western trilogy, more specifically, The Stranger Returns (1967). Like Clint’s ‘man with no name’ character, Tony Anthony’s character was also cast simply as a ‘stranger’ - a man with no name. This raises the question as if there was some degree of confusion from the team who put this flyer together, and is enhanced further by the next film, For a Few Dollars More. Here it gets even stranger. The artwork used here is from Clint’s Universal film Two Mules for Sister Sara! One is left asking the question – if the team responsible had even heard of the Dollar trilogy?

Finally, order is restored when it comes to the movie Hang ‘em high – which at least uses some correct artwork. It’s also interesting that the flyer also includes the tagline ‘Try a little tenderness’ a tagline that was originally used to promote the double bill showing of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly / Hang ‘em high. One thing is for sure, it’s certainly a mixed bag and has to be one of the strangest forms of Eastwood advertising we’ve come across. I guess it takes all sorts.