Thursday 28 March 2024

Toby Roan talks about The Gauntlet and his new book


Toby Roan talks about The Gauntlet and his new book

Author and friend of the Archive Toby Roan recently appeared on the Forgotten Filmcast to discuss his latest book and his admiration for The Gauntlet. It’s an entertaining hour or so, taking in the cast, the music, the action sequences and the general change of direction for an Eastwood character role. Roan also talks about how the film came to Eastwood, it’s box office and how it became a forerunner for the modern action film genre that we know today. 
Well worth a listen HERE  

Mal Baker: A Personal Collection


Mal Baker: A Personal Collection
Friendship is an enduring bonus among Eastwood fans, solid bonds have formed over a great many decades. It’s often built around a shared sense of respect and loyalty. Mal Baker is one such friend. Mal, like a great deal of us, became an Eastwood fan from a very early age. Mal (originally from the West Midlands) formed part of a very special group of people including Dave Turner and Dave Worrall, all of which formed and worked behind the scenes on the much-loved British fan club, The C.E.A.S. (The Clint Eastwood Appreciation Society) – a whole section of which can be found HERE on the Archive. 

I’m happy to say, these special guys still remain close friends. Mal, along with his lovely wife (and personal secretary) Jayne. contacted me recently to inform me that they had moved – and in the process of that stressful task, Mal took the opportunity to gather some of his collection together. I know that likeminded fans and collectors enjoy these little snapshots which often reflect and capture a lifetime worth of dedication and commitment. So, it’s great to share this short video and some photos here.

*It's not the first time that Mal has had some of his collection seen. Several years ago, Mal appeared on the ITV show Dickinson's Real Deal, when Mal took along a couple of spare posters to see what interest there was. It always made me smile, as the opposing dealer was slightly critical that the poster’s text wasn’t in English! 
My thanks to Mal and Jayne 
Below: Some of Mal's excellent collection
Below: Mal goes Nationwide with a couple of his spare posters

Wednesday 27 March 2024

Rare Memorabilia: Kelly’s ‘Helte’ Danish Movie Program

Rare Memorabilia: Kelly’s ‘Helte’ Danish Movie Program

Danish Movie Programs are quite small and compact in size. If you go back some 30 years, these could often be found in dealers’ boxes that sat on top of their tables at film fairs – and could be picked up fairly cheaply. Today is a different story, they have become a great deal harder to find and a great deal more expensive to buy. 

These were typically about 15.5 x 12 cm in size and contained about a dozen pages on thin paper stock. I’ve chosen Kelly’s Heroes as an example – A) it is one I still don’t have, and B) it is one that you don’t generally see too much. Back in the day, you would probably pay £2-3 for one of these, however, these days you can expect to pay more like £20, and often more if it was any of the more collectable ‘dollar’ titles from Leone’s trilogy of films. 

Tuesday 26 March 2024

The Enforcer Original Magazine Preview


The Enforcer Original Magazine Preview
I have had these pages in a binder for many years, and I really know very little in terms of what magazine they appeared in. Probably from 1976, and I do know it is an American publication, thanks to an advert in dollars on the reverse of one of the pages. Thought I’d give it a scan while the binder was out.  

Monday 25 March 2024

Juror #2 Hoping for a Cannes Premiere


Juror #2 Hoping for a Cannes Premiere

Hopefully, by next month we may receive some news on a possible release date for Clint’s latest movie Juror #2. 
 One of the real drawbacks of the SAG-AFTRA strike was the production halt of Clint’s, supposedly, “final film,” which finally restarted shooting, post-strike, in November. A month later, Clint was all smiles, sporting a recently grown beard, on the set of “Juror #2.” That’s because shooting was about to wrap on the film. 
Clint works very quickly, so we shouldn’t be surprised if he’ll be done post-production on the film very soon. It’s supposed to come out in the fall of 2024, and a Cannes bow was never out of the question. It looks like that might actually happen.
Apparently, Warner Bros and Eastwood are “hoping” and “working” to screen “Juror #2” this coming May on the Croisette which will be great news news. There’s no better place to show his final film than at Cannes, and in France, where critics have always welcomed and celebrated his work.
Below: Clint in Cannes for Changeling in 2008
The last Eastwood to premiere on the Croisette was 2008’s Changeling. A year later, in 2009, Eastwood became only the second person to receive an honorary Palme d’Or from the festival. 15 years later, he may well return with his final film.
Last year Eastwood said he “wanted to find one last project in order to be able to ride off into the sunset with his head held high.” He found the script for “Juror No. 2” and said this is “the one”. This will probably be the narrative used by Warner Bros. during next year’s, awards season: “Clint’s final film”.
“Juror No. 2” stars Toni Collette, Nicholas Hoult, Kiefer Sutherland and Zoey Deutch. The film is “set during a murder trial where one of the jurors slowly realizes he killed the victim in a reckless-driving accident and tries to save the defendant without incriminating himself.”
Clint’s last film Cry Macho, proved a little disappointing to a great deal of fans, but we know he’s consistent as a filmmaker, Richard Jewell was an exceptionally good film, and we’re hoping the same for Juror #2 – final film or not.

Sunday 24 March 2024

Rare Sudden Impact paperback poster

Rare Sudden Impact paperback poster

It was great to see this poster going to my No 2 here on the archive, Davy Triumph. It’s an incredibly rare poster that doesn’t really come along too often. Designed primarily to promote the Hodder and Stoughton tie-in paperback of the 1983 film, it was probably displayed in certain cinemas and selected book stores. The poster measures approximately 37cm by 49.5cm (14.5” x 19.5”) and features the regular ‘enforcer’ facial shot set against the San Francisco skyline. A nice item that doesn’t get seen too much.  

Sunday 17 March 2024

MAD’s "A FISTFUL OF LASAGNA"


MAD’s "A FISTFUL OF LASAGNA"
Back in December 2017 I posted Mad Magazine’s Dirty Larry, a parody of Dirty Harry which appeared in the September 1972 issue. MAD magazine has been America’s leading provider of movie parodies for many decades and the vast majority of their satires of well-known films have been reprinted countless times in special magazine editions and collected book editions. A Fistful of Lasagna was of course MAD’s take on the spaghetti western genre. It features some great art by Jack Davis, the man responsible for the Kelly’s Heroes poster artwork. The strip appeared in the MAD SPECIAL #4 of 1971.