Clint Eastwood

[Vinikahr]

OK trivia for the Heartbreak Ridge.
I visited the Island of Vieques, where the movie or part of the movie was filmed. Nice place, I was woke one morning with artillery fire from the navy ships. I though it was the end of the world that morning.

[wyntrout]

Man, you scared me, too. I thought I had missed something on the news!
I grew up with Rawhide and Wagon Train and Gunsmoke, etc.
I would have to go with Fist Full of Dollars for the western and Dirty Harry for the iconic Eastwood flicks, but Gran Turino was terrific, though the ending wasn't what I had hoped for... being very bloodthirsty and all. I was choked up with happiness and sorrow several times during that movie... lots of emotions.

And now a related story:

I came back from 'Nam and Okinawa in August 1968 and FFoD and the Dollars Trilogy were foremost in my mind... for movies. I just had to go out and buy a single-action .22 revolver and try to shoot it like Clint did. It was a cheap Hawes(West German) thing of pot metal and steel sleeves for the cylinders and barrel. It had some kind of floating firing pin, but was unsafe for 6-round carry. You ask, "How do you know?" Uh... one time after I had been shooting with rat shot, I was picking up the holstered gun from the trunk of my '58 Chevy Impala and the gun fell out of the holster... grip down, landing on the hammer, obviously, and it discharged! That really shook me up and I took inventory to see where I might have been struck, for surely the shot had hit me somewhere or the inside of the trunk lid and ricocheted onto me! I don't know how, but that was some kind of lucky that the blast went into free air, missing everything. That changed my carry practice... at least for transport!
I had a lot of fun with that gun -- not all of it the good kind. I split a bullet once fanning it -- knocked a little chunk of the pot metal out from between the steel cylinder sleeve and the cylinder.
The worst was yet to come, though. A buddy and I got some beer and iced it down in a small trash container and went to a nearby gravel pit. He was carrying the beer and I strapped on my gun and I said watch this, where I proceeded to "fast draw" emulating my hero Clint. "Bang", oops, didn't quite get the gun presented. I looked down at my feet and the ground, wondering if I had hit my foot or near it. As I started looking up my shorts, I saw some ticking or fiber sticking out. I looked up near the gun and then went back to the ticking, thinking maybe the blast had caused a tear in my shorts. By now that area was red! I dropped my shorts and saw a hole there with just a tiny trickle of blood. I then noticed the smaller hole at the outside top of my right thigh. Yikes! I'm wounded! I didn't feel a thing and evidently missed any bone, arteries, veins, or whatever. There was very little bleeding and only a little stinging as we went to the hospital or campus clinic -- don't remember. I do remember the campus cops laughing and joking and the newspaper article says it all.

I was given crutches and after about 30 seconds with those I said "F*ck this sh*t" and ditched them. I was very lucky and even luckier that it hadn't been my Browning Hi-Power. I had only practiced with it empty. I'm pretty sure those were LR hollow points, but the bullet didn't do much damage as it traversed diagonally through my upper front thigh about 7".
I learned a few things and never got back into "fast draw cowboy" stuff. I did continue to watch and marvel at Clint's technique and speed in the "Dollars" series. Yeah, I know that's enhanced Hollywood stuff!

Anyhow, I've been waiting for a point to share this with you for your consideration and hoots. Enjoy... and yes, laugh your a$$es off.
Wynn

Clint will be 80 on May 31st this year. I hope that he makes it to at least 100!

Added: The photo of me is from one of those photo booths where you got a strip of 4 photos for 25¢. It's not a MUGSHOT!

[Bawanna]

Bout time you got up Mr. Wyn. I had one of them Hawes pot metal 22's long ago myself. Never did shoot myself. Now we know you were famous and no stranger to wounding yourself. That had to be a Purple Heart for sure.
Vinikahr, please dont leave us hanging here. The artillery fire, was they shooting at your island or dummy ships or what? Talk about the proverbial rude awakening. Like cease fire, there good guys over here?

[Vinikahr]

Vinikahr, please dont leave us hanging here. The artillery fire, was they shooting at your island or dummy ships or what? Talk about the proverbial rude awakening. Like cease fire, there good guys over here?

They were shooting at a piece of land or small island near by. This concerned the local and until recently the Navy is not doing it not more. Concern about all the chemicals from the shells etc..... I was sleeping at one of the bunkers, dang it, it was hot as hell even in the night time.
It was a great place to train!

[recoilguy]

You gonna draw them pistols or whistle Dixie?
Dying aint much of a livin .....boy

All time favorite The outlaw Josie Wales

modern ....Gran Torino....he is classic in that one

RCG

[TheSorb]

Western: High Plains Drifter - Eastwood plays the bad-a$$ "Stranger" with style.
Modern: Escape From Alcatraz - Not exactly a 'hero' role, but an unforgettable performance nonetheless.

[Vinikahr]

Edited!!!~~~~~

[getsome]

Oh he!! Wyn, thats just a little flesh wound....The Duke would get all shot up after killing several outlaws and still go have a drink or two before riding out of town!!! One time many moons ago my friend and I both had Iver Johnson single barrel shotguns and were in the woods going shooting and he had his cocked and ready pointing at the ground but he steped in a hole and that cannon went off and blasted dirt and sand all over both of us..........Thank God he missed his foot and me....We both had to go home and change underwear after that little adventure....

[PETE14]

Great Actor not so great human being. Ask his kids and former spouses/live-ins.

[wyntrout]

Yep, great actor and director... father?... husband? Who can say, all we hear is the media hype... like that's always accurate... and don't really know what went on. He is, after all, a human being, though, and not perfect.
I hold him in high esteem for his performance as an actor and a director... and I think some of those traits he portrays in the movies are his, too.
Wynn