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EVERY WHICH
WAY BUT LOOSE
ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN
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"The two highest grossing Eastwood movies at the time"
** Author's Note:
Before you send me scathing Emails denouncing my intelligence, I know
that the 2 movies feature an orangutan, Clyde, not a monkey. as Clint's
costar. However, in the same vein as the three Leone westerns, I have no
recollection of Clint's anonymous protagonist ("Man With No Name",
"Joe", "Blondie") ever consuming any pasta in these classic westerns
-yet fans and critics alike have bestowed the title "Spaghetti Westerns"
upon the trilogy. The same phenomenon seems to apply to the pair of
"Orangutan Movies". [Kinda weak, huh?] Who am I to debate with the
millions?
Humble beginnings are something alluded to by
the famous when an interviewer is looking for a little background
history for their story. Very few return to those beginnings in their work, and none have done so as consistently,
or as well, as Clint Eastwood.
Years back, someone once asked Clint Eastwood,
"Did
you once describe yourself as a bum and a drifter!"
"No," he replied.
"What are you, then?"
he asked.
Clint's reply,
"A bum and a drifter."
This is the image of
himself that Clint has loved to portray to the press and his fans
for decades.
Indeed, he was
a child of the Depression, forced to move about constantly as his father
looked for work all through California (mostly the San Francisco Bay
area)
 His beloved mother, Ruth, also was usually employed as well, so
Clint and his sister, Jeanne, spent several summers at their maternal
grandmother's chicken ranch in the mountains of Northern California.
Despite the family's itinerancy, he grew up in a loving, supportive
environment, and subsequently, developed his hard-working, independent
spirit from both his parents, and especially from his single
grandmother. As a consequence, he left home relatively early and spent a
few years as a young man drifting about in an attempt to find himself.
He joined the Army, serving most of his stint at Fort Ord in the San
Francisco area. An excellent swimmer, he served a good portion of his
army career as a lifeguard, a job that he held outside of the service as
well. He worked in his share of manual labor jobs as well, including
lumberjacking, steel mills, and aircraft factories. While in Los
Angeles, he attended Los Angeles City College, digging
swimming pools under the hot sun of the San
Fernando Valley, and searching for work as an actor.
His lifelong passion for jazz drew
him to his share of shady clubs, just as he had done while in the Army.
He was a student Disc Jockey while in college, a job that didn't
pay any bills, but did provide him the opportunity to develop his
artistic, performance skills (think "Play Misty For Me" - his first
experience as a director). This background gave him the sympathetic
sense of the working-class life, neither patronizing nor indulgent, that
marks some of his best, and no doubt most
enduring, work. No better example of such would be his
.
Almost every one of his associates at the studio advised him
against "Every Which Way But Loose", his lowbrow comedy about Philo Beddoe, the bare-knuckle boxer
and his best pal, the affable orangutan, Clyde. However, Clint viewed the project
as a way to escape the tough-guy typecasting that had followed him
thus far in his career. It reminded him of his easy-going, "hang-out-with-the-guys" past, and
felt that audiences could embrace a character such as Philo Beddoe, a
goofy, likable kinda guy. He felt they could more easily identify with
this sort of character, as opposed to his grimly taciturn cowboy tough
guy heroes, or the larger-than-life bad-ass cop, "Dirty" Harry Callahan.
His feelings were obviously correct as the off-beat film was both a
critical and financial success, and, in the tradition of his western and cop franchised
heroes, spawned a sequel, "Any Which Way You Can".
"Every
Which Way But Loose" enabled Clint to
loosen up in many ways. The movies made it possible for him to relax the set of his jaw, let the ice in his eyes melt a
bit, and most importantly, it finally allowed the droll side of his nature
to emerge on screen. The films subsequently helped launch a line of work which includes
the two films that Clint always lists among his own favorites: "Bronco Billy", the story of an erstwhile New Jersey shoe salesman,
dragging his rag-tag Wild West Show along the
back roads to nowhere; and "Honkytonk Man" (featuring his son, Kyle), the saga of Red Stovall, a country singer whose
greatest talent is self-destruction. Neither movie ranks among his most popular films, but both pay sweet tribute to the power of
the American dreamer. Both pictures recognize that even blue-collar,
middle class, working folks can also be possessed by these off beat dreams.
"Every Which Way But Loose", produced by
Robert Daley and directed by James Fargo (directed Clint in "The
Enforcer" in 1976), was released by Warner Brothers in 1978. Eastwood,
in an uncharacteristic and offbeat comedy role, stars as Philo Beddoe,
an easy-going trucker and a great fist-fighter, roaming the San Fernando
Valley in search of cold beer, country music and the occasional bare
knuckle, "punch-up". Accompanied by his friend/manager/fight promoter,
Orville Boggs (Geoffrey Lewis), and his pet orangutan, (which he won on
a bet) "Clyde". Philo, and his odd entourage, travel the American West
in search of a lost love. In the process, Philo manages to be floored
himself by a dainty little country and western singer, who gives him the
slip when she realizes he's getting too serious. Philo, Clyde, and
Orville, set off in pursuit, themselves being followed by a
motorcycle gang (the "Black Widows"), who are pursuing the trio, seeking
their revenge.
Philo:
"We're gonna meet a real lady now Clyde,
so no spittin', pissin', fartin', or pickin' your ass."
Eastwood's appearance in the movie, after his string of spaghetti
western and Dirty Harry roles, reportedly startled the movie industry.
Though Eastwood was advised against making it, and initially panned by
most critics, the movie went on to become an enormous success and
became, along with its 1980 sequel "Any Which Way You Can", the two
highest grossing Eastwood movies at the time. The movie's contemporary
western theme, displays the blue collar aspects of the Western United
States, with many scenes shot in rural locations, cheap motel rooms,
industrial facilities, and Honkytonk bars. The film was shot on location
largely in Colorado, including part of Denver and historic Georgetown.
It's in the Georgetown scene where Eastwood's character, Philo, engages
in a comedic showdown with the bumbling motorcycle gang, in the process,
making an open reference to his earlier gunfighter roles.
The film's soundtrack is generously laced with
popular Country Music hits, including the title track by Eddie Rabbitt
plus several numbers by Charlie Rich. Rich's "I'll Wake You Up When I
Get Home", reached number three on the charts in 1979 and was Rich's
last Top Ten single. Sondra Locke, who appears as Eastwood's fleeing
love interest, performs several musical numbers in the film as well.
Any Which Way You Can
Tagline:
"Faster, funnier, and wilder. It'll knock you out!"
Clint and Clyde come back in a knockout combination!
The 1980 sequel to Clint's blockbuster 1978 hit
comedy "Every Which Way But Loose". is directed by Buddy Van Horn and
features all the principal cast members from the first film.
Many believe the sequel is superior to the original.
PHILO:
"Handouts are what you get from the government.
A hand up is what you get from friends."
You remember good ol' Philo Beddoe.
He's the easy-going,
beer-drinking, "good-ol' boy", who just happens to live with a 165-pound orangutan named,
"Clyde".
Eastwood's Philo, finally wraps his
arms around his lost-love, Lynne Halsey-Taylor (Sondra Locke) the girl
who broke his heart, and he decides it's time to give up his bar-room
brawling ways; both over the objections of best friend, Orville.
Girlfriend meets Clyde, the motorcycle morons (Black Widows) resurface,
mobsters kidnap Girlfriend to force Philo into showdown with East Coast bruiser, Jack Wilson
(William Smith), family drama,
orangutan
shenanigans, Clint and Clyde swinging from chandeliers, you get the
picture. In spite of the fact that this synopsis is reminiscent of the
60's "Beach Party Movies" (audiences rolling in the aisles), mix in
Clint's established flawed macho hero, nix the guns and killing,
substitute with a bare-knuckle blowout (more than a week to shoot)
which rivals the greatest fight scenes on film, top off with a rousing
finale, and you've got one of the biggest, most entertaining,
blockbusters of the year.
High-spirited country music abounds to accompany the
proceedings, featuring new songs by the likes of Glen Campbell, Fats Domino, Jim Stafford,
and Johnny Duncan. Sondra Locke sings a pair of fine country ballads,
and even Clint pairs up on a duet with Ray
Charles.
Cast
Clint Eastwood .... Philo Beddoe
Sondra Locke .... Lynn Halsey-Taylor
Geoffrey Lewis .... Orville Boggs
Ruth Gordon .... Senovia 'Ma' Boggs
William Smith .... Jack Wilson
Harry Guardino .... James Beekman
Michael Cavanaugh .... Patrick Scarfe
John Quade .... Cholla, Black Widow Leader
Al Ruscio .... Tony Rapoli Sr., also known as Big Tony
Anne Ramsey .... Loretta Quince
Logan Ramsey .... Luther Quince
Jim Stafford .... Long John
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Latest Clint Eastwood News |
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Aug.
09, 2006 |
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MERYL STREEP
mentally
"put a dress" on directors CLINT EASTWOOD and MIKE NICHOLS
in order to garner inspiration for her hard-bitten role in
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. |
She says, "Clint Eastwood would say
'Give me that' and it would be given to him. That same
directive, that same tone of voice from a woman is
intolerable".
"A woman who says
'Give me that' without adding 'Would you please' or 'Sorry,
I hate to trouble you, but would you...' will be dubbed a
"bitch." |
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Streep, who plays fashion editor
MIRANDA PRIESTLY in the new movie, has always been bemused
that toughness in men is always accepted, but in women it is
seen in a negative light. But she chose to use this reality
to inspire her steely character.
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Movie veteran CLINT
EASTWOOD blew former child star JAMIE BELL away with his
amazing feats of athleticism while shooting new war movie
"FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS". Despite being 75, the macho movie icon
continually impressed the "BILLY ELLIOT" star with his
tireless displays of enthusiasm and adventure.
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April 28, 2006
Bell says:
"Clint could kick all of our asses put together, we were out on the
Icelandic Sea doing the landing-craft sequence where the
marines hit Iwo Jima and Clint's in the boat with us, he's
jumping from boat to boat. He's seventy-something, but he
flies helicopters and he drives four-wheelers". |
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