Happy Birthday!

81 years ago today, a BIG baby was born in San Francisco, California. 11 pounds, 6 ounces is a large baby by any notion...but that big baby was going to grow up to be an even larger man...and one of the Top 5 Names in American Cinema...Mr. Clint Eastwood.

81 years old...it's hard for me to think of him that old, almost as hard to imagine that it's been over FOURTY YEARS since he filmed the Man with no Name movies.

I like Clint Eastwood.  I haven't seen EVERY movie he's ever been involved with...heck, I still haven't sat down myself and watched Grand Torino...netflix doesn't have it streaming yet. 

The first Clint Eastwood movie I can really remember watching was Firefox...I can't say I was overly impressed...granted I was young...but the star of that movie was the MiG-31...not Clint Eastwood.

As a teenager, my appreciation for Clint as a western star grew...my dad loves the Man with No Name movies, and it's one of the few things I didn't decide to be contrary about with him.  Hang 'em High was good, and certainly Pale Rider was worth watching.

Heartbreak Ridge let me see he could do more than a Western, and I enjoyed seeing him in Where Eagles Dare(even if the book was better, Clint piles up quite a body count.)  Kelly's Hero's was different, and Doanld Sutherland made that movie for me more than Clint.  Also in the 'different' catagory was Clint's role in Paint Your Wagon, which my dad said was one of his favorite Clint Eastwood roles. 

A confession on my part is that I am not a huge Dirty Harry fan.  Based on my age, the Lethal Weapon movies were more up my alley. 

Unforgiven was perfect...and it upsets SWMBO.  If I am flipping through the channels and Unforgiven is on, she knows I am lost...I will be there for the bitter end.  This really cheesed her off a year or two ago, because TNT was showing it as the movie of the night all week...and I think I watched at least 50% of the movie 4 nights in a row.

The third movie, along with The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly, and Unforgiven, which would compete for the title of Clint Eastwood's best movie, in my opinion, is The Outlaw Josey Wales.

What an awesome movie.  I didn't watch it as a teenager...I didn't see it for the first time until I was in my late 20's(after Unforgiven, even)...and I loved it.  Not just Josey the Bad-Ass, but Josey the reluctant hero and protector.  Josey the changed man, who figured that he couldn't win, but he could still live.  He has some of the best lines in any of his movies as Josey, but also delivers one of his best dramatic speechs when dealing with Ten Bears near the end.  Heck, it was directed by some guy named Clint Eastwood also...pretty good director.
Speaking of him as a director, there are some people who think that his legacy as a director will get him more acclaim than his past as an actor....it is certainly more varied.

81 years is a pretty good run...I hope he has another 20...I do know that when the end finally comes for Mr. Eastwood, I am going to call in sick to work, and just enjoy watching a few western's on TV.