The studio REALLY wanted Clint Eastwood to turn his wild 1977 action movieThe Gauntletinto a newDirty Harrymovie, but he knew that was a terrible idea. The first threeDirty Harrymovieswere incredibly popular during the 1970s, and while neitherMagnum ForcenorThe Enforcerwere as successful or well-received as the original, they proved audiences would turn up for a new Harry Callahan adventure. It was also the rareClint Eastwood franchise, as the actor/director often preferred to move on to new projects rather than return for sequels.
Case in point was 1977’sThe Gauntlet, a project that was originally earmarked as a two-hander between Steve McQueen and Barbra Streisand. This was Eastwood’s follow-up toThe Enforcerand cast him as Shockley, a cop tasked with escorting an important witness (played by Sondra Locke) to a key trial; during their eventful road trip, everything from biker gangs to the entire Phoenix police force tries to kill them.The Gauntlet’sShockley isDirty Harry’soppositeand the furthest thing from a supercop imaginable, which is why Warner Bros wanted to replace him with Harry instead.
Clint Eastwood Refused To Turn The Gauntlet Into Dirty Harry 4
Clint refused to make Warner Bros' day
Shockley is an alcoholic, self-pitying cop who is barely holding on to his career when the story begins. It’s thanks to dodging bullets with Locke’s Gus that he comes to life again, and is determined to see his assignment through to the end - even if it kills him. Part of what attracted Eastwood toThe Gauntlet(aside from the action spectacle involved) was that Shockley was a very different character from Harry. However, inConversations with Clint: Paul Nelson’s Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979-1983, the star reveals Warner Bros mulled turning the film intoDirty Harry 4.
There were suggestions here at the studio that we could make it a Dirty Harry character, and I just felt that it would never work with Dirty Harry. I felt that Dirty Harry would never have allowed himself to do the things that the guy in The Gauntlet allowed himself to do. He would’ve headed off the situation and come to a much better conclusion earlier.
There was also the fact that Eastwood had starred in threeDirty Harrymovies in the span of five years, and was feeling burnt out on the role. Eastwood had already become somewhat typecast in the part, so had he played Harry again only a year after his last appearance, this could have hurt his career in the long run.Eastwood stuck to his guns as actor and director, insistingThe Gauntletonly worked with a more flawed protagonist like Shockleyfronting it.
The Gauntlet Would Never Have Worked With Dirty Harry
Dirty Harry 4 would only be 30 minutes long with the San Francisco detective
The Gauntletended up grossing over $35 million worldwide on a $5.5 million budget (viaThe Numbers). That’s a shade under $180 million when adjusted for inflation, and by any metric, it was a big hit. Maybebeing part of theDirty Harryseries would have givenThe Gauntletan extra bump, but it would have hurt the film too. Harry is way sharper and more capable than Shockley, and wouldn’t have allowed himself and Gus to get into the messes they often find themselves in.
ForThe Gauntletto work, Shockley needs to be underestimated and, at times, a tad dim. Harry is neither of those things, and the screenplay would have needed to make him a dumber character for the plot to function. Audiences would have been rooting for Harry to take down the bad guys alright, butShockley managing to get Gus to the courthouse feels like far more of a triumph; with Harry, it would have just been a given.
Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke were romantic partners in real life and worked on six movies together:The Outlaw Josey Wales,The Gauntlet,Every Which Way but Loose,Bronco Billy,Any Which Way You CanandSudden Impact.
There’s also the fact that Shockley never kills anybody throughout the entire movie and gets badly beaten up after being attacked by bikers; neither would be true if the film was calledDirty Harry 4.The Gauntletwould have been a fine and entertainingDirty Harryinstallment, but it worked better as a standalone offering.
Clint Eastwood Eventually Made Two More Dirty Harry Movies
Dirty Harry 4 hit with a Sudden Impact in 1983
Not only was Eastwood not interested in makingThe Gauntleta newDirty Harrythriller, he sounded done with the character, telling journalist Paul Nelson, “…I’d done as much as I could with the Dirty Harry character at that time — and probably at the present time.” It’s telling that playing a part that was a total 180 from his most famous cop role was part of the appeal ofThe Gauntletto Eastwood.
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Six years afterThe Gauntlet, Eastwood picked up the .44 magnum again forSudden Impact- a sequel that proved to be the most successful of the series. It also spawned the most famous catchphrase in “Go ahead, make my day.” Eastwood closed the book onDirty Harryfor good with 1988’sThe Dead Pool, where he chases a serial killer targeting celebrities and famous public figures, with Harryalsobeing on the kill list. The final sequel is arguably the weakest of the bunch, sadly, but Harry still remains one of Eastwood’s most enduring characters.
Source: Conversations with Clint: Paul Nelson’s Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979-1983,The Numbers
The Gauntlet
Cast
The Gauntlet is a 1977 American action thriller directed by and starring Clint Eastwood as Ben Shockley, a down-and-out cop tasked with transporting a witness, played by Sondra Locke, who is pivotal in a major trial. As they make their way to the courthouse, they face numerous obstacles and intense threats. The film is known for its high-octane action sequences and the dynamic between the lead characters.
Dirty Harry
Clint Eastwood stars in the western Dirty Harry as a no-nonsense San Francisco cop who takes the law into his own hands in pursuit of a serial killer, Scorpio. Directed by Don Siegel and featuring a memorable score by Lalo Schifrin, the film is known for its iconic catchphrases and intense action scenes, and has influenced countless films and TV shows in the years since its release.
