Movies We Love: 'Dirty Harry' (1971)

When a deranged killer terrorizes San Francisco, Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" Callahan dispenses with the letter of the law and rewrites the rules his way.

"Now you know why they call me 'Dirty Harry.'  I get every dirty job that comes along."

This movie has inspired countless imitators from "Kojak," "Baretta" and "Starsky & Hutch" on Tv to "Bullitt," "Lethal Weapon" and "Death Wish" on the big screen.

And every hero who utters a catchphrase owes a debt to Harry.  Like when he said to the cornered criminal thinking about reaching for a weapon, while pointing his big, but possibly empty,  pistol at the guy, utters the classic: "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do you feel lucky?'  Well, do ya, punk?"

DID YOU KNOW?

Burt Lancaster, Steve McQueen and Paul Newman were approached to play Dirty Harry, but all there said no.  Newman, however, recommended Eastwood, who had just spent eight seasons starring as Rowdy Yates on the TV western "Rawhide."

Clint Eastwood has certainly made a name for himself since, as  an actor and director in other movies, but "Dirty Harry" is still his defining role.  And he reprised it four more times.

--CootWood

Answers to Who Said the Quote in the Last Post

"Go ahead...."  --  Harry Callahan

"Whoever said.... "  --   Elle Woods

"Why did it have ...."  --    Indiana Jones

"I do wish ...."  --  Hannibal Lecter

"You're a ...."  --  Hagrid

--DaCoot

Answers to the Movie Quote Quiz in the Last Post

"Go ahead.  Make my day."  -- "Sudden Impact" (1983)

"Whoever said orange is the new pink was seriously disturbed."  --  "Legally Blonde" (2001)

"Why did it have to be snakes?  I hate snakes."  --  "Raiders of the Lost Ark"  --  (1981)

"I do wish we could chat longer, but ... I'm having an old friend for dinner."  "Silence of the Lambs" (1991)

"You're a wizard, Harry."  "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" --  (2001)

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Okay, now tell the name of the character who said the quote in the movie (not the actor's name).

--Cooter

Name That Movie Quote

Sure looking forward to getting back into the old movie theater this summer.  I haven't been in one since February 2020.  And, I usually see between 50 and 75 movies a year.

Anyway. the May 16, 2021, Parade magazine had an article on "50 Years of Movies We Love."

And, a quote from each movie.

See if you can identify the movie from the quote:

**  "Go ahead and make my day."  (1983)

**  "Whoever said orange is the new pink was seriously disturbed."  (2001)

**  "Why did it have to be snakes?  I hate snakes."   (1981)

**  "I do wish we could chat longer, but ... I'm having an old friend for dinner."   (1991)

**  "You're a wizard, Harry."  (2001)

Answer in the next post.   Maybe.

Get Guessin'.  --Cooter

Why We Love Shrek-- Part 2: Who's a Believer?

**  Shrek won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

**  The computer animation for Shrek took more than four and a half years to complete.

**  Shrek  received his own  star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May 2021.

**  "I'm a Believer," the last song in the movie was chosen because of the line "I thought love was only true in fairy tales."

**  John Lithgow (Lord Farquaad, Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy never met each other while working on the film.  They recorded their parts separately.

Personally, I thought animated movies were dumb back in 2000.  That is, until 2006's "Cars."  That one really opened my eyes as to how far aniamation had come.

--Cooter

Why We Love 'Shrek'-- Part 1

From the May 16, 2021, Parade Magazine.

Twenty years ago, on May 18, 2001, the animated film "Shrek" introduced us to an ornery green ogre (Mike Myers), his wisecracking donkey (Eddie Murphy) and their quest to rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz).  In honor of this milestone anniversary, here are some fun facts about one of our favorite fractured fairy tales.

(Remember "Fractured Fairytales " on the "Rocky & Bullwinkle Show" with Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman.)

**  Mike Myers replaced Chris Farley, who died in 1997 before he finished voicing Shrek's dialogue.  Myers originally recorded Shrek in his normal voice but later switched to a Scottish accent.

It cost $4 million to do all the rerecording.

Well, Glad They Did.  --CootDonkey

The Fog That Saved George Washington-- Part 2: It Was So Thick....

The British planned to strike again the next morning, August 29, but a dense fog delayed that attack.

George Washington ordered his men "to impress every kind of watercraft ... that could be kept afloat... and have them  in the east harbor of the city by dark."  

Fog like what happened is atypical to New York weather,  but it held for the entire day.  The boats were gathered and a night time evacuation accomplished across the river to Manhattan.

This fortuitous fog  saved about 9,000 men of the fledgling Continental Army which could in no way afford to lose them.  That most likely would have ended the Revolution right there.

The British awoke the next morning, August 30 to capture Washington and his men, but they had just simply vanished into the fog.

--DaCoot

The Fog That Saved Washington-- Part 1

From the June 28, 2018, ListVerse "10 coincidences that helped shape US history" by Christopher Dale.

The United States came incredibly close to surviving just six weeks.  (That would be after the Declaration of Independence was passed.)

In August 1776, General George Washington and the bulk of the Continental Army was defending present-day Brooklyn.  In what became known as the Battle of Long Island, his forces were outnumbered, outflanked and outfought.

Even considered the lopsided British victories during these early stages of the war, this was an outright disaster.

On August 27,  970 Continental soldiers were dead or wounded and more than 1,000 taken prisoner.  Meanwhile, the British lost just 63 men.

Washington had his back to the East River and at least 15,000 British troops closing in on him.  Things looked bleaker than bleak.  But, then Mother Nature came to the rescue.

The next day it pored, causing both armies to stop.

And, Then....  --Cooter

Going Back to 1970-- Part 2: 'Ball of Confusion'

Only fifty-one years ago.  Seems like yesterday.

RIPPLE--  Grateful Dead   How can a band that makes such great studio albums be so bad in concert?  Oh, yes, something called jamming thirty minute songs.  YUCK!!

SPIRIT IN THE SKY--  Norman Greenbaum

PARANOID--  Black sabbath   Ozzie?  Ozzie who?

LET'S WORK TOGETHER--   Canned Heat

AND IT STONED ME--  Van Morrison

THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW YORK--  Simon & Garfunkel

APE MAN--  Kinks

STAGE FRIGHT--  Band

IN THE SUMMERTIME--  Mungo Jerry

BORDER SONG--  Elton John

LET IT BE--  Beatles    Even more Beatles music.

BALL OF CONFUSION--  Temptations

LIAR--  Argent   Even before Three Dog Night did it.

PEACE FROG/BLUE SUNDAY--  Doors

I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE--  Creedence Clearwater Revival   My all-time favorite band.

A SONG FOR YOU--  Leon Russell

WHEN YOU DANCE I CAN REALLY LOVE--  Neil Young

FIRST I LOOK AT THE PURSE--  J. Geils Band 

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Now Deep In The Heart Of A Lonely Kid Who Suffered So Much For What He Did."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

"Stage Fright"

Going Back to 1970-- Part 1: 'What Is Life'

On May 8, 2021, Chicago's WXRT, 93.1 FM went back to 1970 on its Saturday Morning Flashback Show.  It took me right back to that great college/fraternity year at NIU.

Songs played:

TEACHER--  Jethro Tull  Remember, they were the recipients of the first Grammy for Heavy metal.

WOODSTOCK--  Joni Mitchell

GALLOWS POLE--  Led Zeppelin

I CAN'T GET NEXT TO YOU--  Temptations

WHAT IS LIFE--  George Harrison  What is better than one Beatles group?  Why, four different Beatles releasing songs at the same time. Lots more Beatles music.

REVIVAL--  Allman Brothers Band

WHY DOES LOVE GOT TO BE SO SAD--  Derek & the Dominos

THANK YOU--  Sly & the Family Stone

FEELIN' ALRIGHT (LIVE)--  Joe Cocker

COUNTRY GIRL--  Crosby, Stills & Nash

SHAKIN' ALL OVER (LIVE)--   Who

MAKE ME SMILE--  Chicago

ARE YOU READY--  Pacific Gas & Electric

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Lookin' At The devil, Grinnin' At His Gun, Fingers Start Shakin', I Begin To Run."  Answer below.  --  RoadDog

"Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"

Ten Coincidences That Helped Shape U.S. History

From the June 28, 2018, ListVerse by Christopher Dale.

I'm just listing them.  You can get the facts and a picture at the site.

10.  The fortuitous fog  that saved Washington's Army during the Revolution.  (I  wrote about this in this blog May 17 and 18.)

9.  Sacagawea with Lewis & Clark Expedition.

8.  Making it 90 feet between bases in baseball.

7.  The "Lost Company" at the Battle of Gettysburg.  (I wrote about this in my Saw the Elephant: Civil War blog on May 16.)

6.  Our three aircraft carriers weren't home at Pearl Harbor during the attack.  

5.  The accidental invention of the microwave.

4.  Lee Harvey Oswald had tried to kill  Major General Edwin Walker seven months later, but failed.

3.  The confusing ballot that skewed the 2000 election.

2.  The ill-timed financial  crisis that hurt McCain's presidential run in 2008.

1.  The inglorious return of Carlos Danger.

--Cooter

Remembering 'Papa' Hemingway

From the March 28, 2021 Parade Magazine.

There was a three-part documentary on him on PBS directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.

Some things you may or may not know about him:

**  In Spain, in the 1920s and 1930s, he became fascinated with bullfighting and worked as a journalist covering the Spanish Civil War.  It was here that he picked up the nickname "Papa."

**  Hemingway survived two plane crashes in two days in 1954.  Newspapers reported his death, so he was able to read his own obituary.

**  An expert fisherman, in 1938 he set a world record by catching seven marlins in one day.

**  He was grandfather of two actress-models Margaux and Mariel Hemingway.

**  He wrote the last page of "A Farewell to Arms," based on his experiences in World War I, 39 times.

**  Hemingway loved polydactyl cats (cats having six or more toes on each foot).

One thing I had planned on doing after I retired from teaching was to read all Hemingway's books.  But then I got blogged in as it were.  So, the only one I have read was "The Old Man and the Sea: which I read for English class in high school.

He may or may not have written "The Old Man and the Sea" in Cubero, New Mexico, on Route 66.  See the May 8 post in my RoadDog's RoadLog Blog.

--CootHem

TV Moms With the Most-- Part 2: Morticia, Lorelai, Claire and Carol

SCARIEST:  MORTICIA ADDAMS

(Carolyn Jones) "The Addams Family"

The matriarch of TV's creepiest and kookiest family.

MOST TALKATIVE:  LORELAI GILMORE

(Lauren Graham)  "Gilmore Girls"

Her gift of gab was crucial to this show's whimsy and charm.

****************************************

MOST COMPETITIVE:  CLAIRE DUNPHY

(Julie Bowen)  "Modern Family"

Has this Type-A personality ever met a challenge she didn't take on?

GROOVIEST:  CAROL BRADY

(Florence Henderson)  "The Brady Bunch"

In the '70s, her flare for fashion, unflappable cool and that rockin' hairdo made her the hippest mom on TV.

--Cooter

TV Moms With the Most-- Part 1: Lucy, Sophia, Marge, Samantha and Shirley

From the Nay 9, 2021, Parade Magazine.

Credit to some of TV's most superlative Moms.

WACKIEST:  LUCY RICARDO

(Lucille Ball)  "I Love Lucy"  There is no length she wouldn't go to to get a laugh.

MOST SARCASTIC:  SOPHIA PETRILLO

(Estelle Getty)   "The Golden Girls"  With no filter, she let the good times roll with the insults she dished out.

MOST CARTOONISH:  MARGE SIMPSON

(Julie Kavner)  "The Simpsons"  She has always been with us on TV's longest-running scripted program.  She also gets the nod for HIGHEST HAIR STYLE.

MOST MAGICAL:  SAMANTHA STEVENS

(Elizabeth Montgomery)  "Bewitched"  One little twitch of her nose was all it took to put a spell on us.  And that poor Dr. Bombay.

MOST MUSICAL:  SHIRLEY PARTRIDGE

(Shirley Jones)  "The Partridge Family"  She made everyone have a toe-tapping day when she sand "Come On Get Happy."

Here's Thinking About You, Mom.  --DaCoot

Five Famous Shipwrecks Waiting to Be Discovered-- Part 2: Griffon, Endurance and Bon Homme Richard

From the April 30 History Mysterious History.

3.  THE GRIFFIN

The first sailing ship on the Great Lakes.  The Griffin (or Le was a three-masted vessel built by French explorer LaSalle during his exploration of the lakes.  It disappeared in 1679.  It is considered the "Holy Grail of the Great Lakes" shipwrecks.

4.  SHACKLETON'S ENDURANCE

In 1914, Ernest Shackleton set sail for his expedition to Antarctica and the South Pole.  But the Endurance got caught in the ice and had its hull cracked.  Shackleton and the crew escaped by making an 800 mile voyage in a lifeboat, but the whereabouts of his Endurance are not known.

5.  BON HOMME RICHARD

A French donation to the American cause under command of John Paul Jones.  In 1779, it captured 16 British vessels off the coast of England.  On September 23 it fought the British frigate HMS Serapis.  Jones had not yet begun to fight and won, but the Bon Homme Richard sank and no one has been able to find it.

--Cootship

Five Shipwrecks Waiting to Be Discovered-- Part 1: The Santa Maria and HMS Endeavor

From the April 29, 2021, History.com "5 famous shipwrecks still waiting to be discovered" by Evan Andrews.

Of course, it was always my plan that if I couldn't get some sort of a history job when I grew up, I'd start looking for sunken ships (and maybe treasure, who knows?).  Well, here are five shipwrecks still waiting to be found.

1.  SANTA MARIA

Columbus' flagship.  Sunk on a coral reef near present day Haiti on Christmas Day 1492.

2.  HMS ENDEAVOR

Carried James Cook around the world on his first voyage of discovery 1768-1771.  Once back in England,  sold o a private buyer and renamed the Lord Sandwich.  Used to ferry British troops to America during the Revolution.

While at Newport Harbor, Rhode Island, it was one of  13 vessels intentionally sunk to   to stop the approaching French fleet.

--CootWhere

U.S. Warships, USS Abraham Lincoln-- Part 3

Picture for the month of May on the Paralyzed Veterans of America 2021 calendar.

Ships from the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group assume formation for a phot exercise in support for dual-carrier sustainment and qualification operations with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).

In addition to demonstrating the Navy's inherent flexibility and scalability, this evolution provides the opportunity to conduct complex, multi-unit training to enhance maritime interoperability and combat readiness; prepare the Navy to protect our homeland; and preserve and promote peace anywhere around the world.

Boy, someone sure came up with some words in that last paragraph.

--Cooter

U.S. Warships, USS Abraham Lincoln-- Part 2

GENRAL CHARACTERISTICS

DRAFT:  38.4 feet

SPEED:   Over 30 knots

RANGE:  Unlimited distance; 20-25 years  (Nuclear Reactors)

CREW:  Ship approx. 3,200   Air Wing: 2,480

ARMAMENT:

To MK-57 Mod 3 Sea Sparrow launchers

Three 20 mm Phalanx CIWS Mk 15

Two Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Systems

AIRCRAFT CARRIED:  90 fixed wing and helicopters

--Cooter

U.S. Warships: USS Abraham Lincoln-- Part 1

From the Paralyzed Veterans of America 2021 calendar for May.

USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

BUILDER:  Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Virginia

LAUNCHED:  February 13, 1988

HOMEPORT:  Norfolk, Virginia

DISPLACEMENT:  approx. 100,000 tons full load

LENGTH:  1.092 feet

BEAM:  134 feet

--Cooter

Deaths: William 'Bill' Schulz, Member of Hebron 1952 State IHSA Basketball Champs-- Part 3:

Bill then received a scholarship to play basketball for Northwestern University.  he was co-captain of the team his senior year and a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.  he met his wife, Karin, at  Northwestern, and they married August 31, 1957.  

After living in Evanston for two years, they moved to Northbrook, Illinois, and lived there for 56 years.

Bill never waned in his support of Northwestern teams.  He was a loyal fan and season ticket holder for NU football and basketball game and he and Karin traveled to cheer the NU football teams in several bowl games.

Bill joined Motorola in 1957 and stayed with its Quasar  division after it was sold to Panasonic.

In 1987, he became the proud owner of a True Value Hardware store.

Quite a Man.  

What was That David vs. Goliath Stuff.  Hebron vs. Quincy.

Deaths: William 'Bill' Schulz, Member of IHSA 1952 State Basketball Champs-- Part 2

By the 1951-1952 basketball season, Bill Schulz stood at 6-foot-10 and played center for the Alden-Hebron Green Giants.  That school had just 98 students and just five players on its basketball team.

That year, the team went 35-1 and won the 1952 IHSA Basketball Tournament by beating Quincy in overtime 64-59, with Bill as the leading scorer.

Alden-Hebron is the smallest school ever to win the IHSA (Illinois High School Association) Tournament in the old one-class system where all schools are in the same class regardless of size.

In 2017, Bill was inducted into the Illinois Coaches Association Player Hall of Fame.  Today, the Hebron water tower is painted to look like a basketball in honor of the 1952's team accomplishments.

(Today, Quincy, Illinois, has a population of 40,000 and Hebron 1,200.)

May 1, 1931: New York City's Empire State Building Officially Opens, The 'Empty State Building'

Just over 90 years ago.

In its first year, only 23% of the available space was sold.  The lack of tenants led New Yorkers to dismiss the building as the "Empty State Building."  Why, even King Kong had not yet climbed it.

On its first year, the Observation Deck pulled in approximately $2 million in revenue, equal to what the owners collected in rent.

Perhaps that little ol' Great Depression had something to do with it?

The building first turned a profit in the 1950s.

Where was the Donald when he was needed?

--CooterState

Deaths: William Schulz, Member of Illinois 1952 Basketball Tournament Champs, Hebron ( a 'Hoosier' Moment')

From the January 30, 2021, Northwest Herald (McHenry County, Illinois).

WILLIAM SCHULZ

Born:  November11, 1934

DIED:  January 21, 2021

A well-known Illinois high school basketball player, F. William "Bill" Schulz, 86, of Kenilworth, Illinois, passed away due to complications related to leukemia on January 21, 2021, with his family by his side.

He was born on November 11, 1934, in Harvard, Illinois.

Raised on a dairy farm in Hebron, Illinois, Bill attended Alden-Hebron High School (98 students) where as a lanky 6-foot-five freshman, he was recruited by Coach Russ Ahearn to play on the Green Giants basketball team.  Before this time, Schulz had never played basketball and had to ask his father's permission to be released from his after-school farm chores.

He worked hard to develop his skills, and by his junior year, he had grown to 6-foot10 and played center for Hebron's varsity team which only had five players.

And, Then.....   It was the movie "Hoosiers" all over again.

Survived Two Pandemics a Century Apart: Anna & Helen

From March 23, 2021, ListVerse "Top 10 Luckiest Unlucky  People Whose Luck Nearly Killed Them" by Jonathan H. Kantor,

 As we all know now, surviving a pandemic is no walk in the park.  Well, how about surviving two of them, a century apart?  Getting infected can be deadly.  It certainly was with the influenza strain A/H1N1 that devastated the world between 1918 and 1920.

The Spanish flu killed  some 20-100 million people, thanks to the fast spread and speed  at which the virus killed infected people.

Two people who were infected back then and managed to survive that first pandemic were Anna del Priorie and her sister Helen, who were young children in that first one.  

While they weren't the only ones to survive that one,  they are among a small group to survive both of them.  Anna and Helen  were 105 & 107 years old respectively when they were infected by COVID-19.  Despite their advanced age the second time they both managed to beat the odds and survive a second time.

--Cooter