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Was John Wayne Seriously Almost Dirty Harry? – My Blog

The world of film, much like comic books (and really any other media, not that I mention it) is a very much “monkey see, monkey do” deal, where one hit film can suddenly spawn a legion of imitators and that was certainly the case with 1971’s Dirty Harry, which starred Clint Eastwood as “Dirty” Harry Callahan, a “loose cannon” cop back when “loose cannon” cops were not actually a film genre of their own.

The film, which is primarily about Callahan hunting down a serial killer, is still extremely well known for a scene early in the film where Callahan breaks up a bank robbery while on his lunch break. He shoots one of the robbers and then trains his gun on the other robber, bluffing him into surrendering with the iconic lines, “I know what you’re thinking: ‘Did he fire six shots or only five?’ Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I’ve kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do you, punk?”
This started a whole new genre of action films starring loose cannon cops (four of the films in this genre were Dirty Harry sequels alone!) but the film had a surprisingly complicated pedigree and its complicated pedigree is what has made the question of who was offered the title role over the years very complicated, as well.
THE EARLY ORIGINS OF DIRTY HARRY

The finished film was directed by Don Siegel, who had directed Coogan’s Bluff, Eastwood’s first major American starring role (Eastwood famously was a TV star on Rawhide, a series about cattle drivers, for eight seasons, as well as doing a few supporting film roles and small Western films before becoming a major star in Italy for his “The Man With No Name” Western films with director Sergio Leone. He was one of the only American actors to already be an international film star before he did a single major starring role in an American film production, as the “Man With No Name” films had just been released in the United States before Eastwood returned to the States to continue his film career in his late 30s). Coogan’s Bluff was also a famously violent film, much like Dirty Harry, which is likely what got Siegel the gig. The film was based on a screenplay by husband/wife writing team, Harry Julian Fink and Rita M. Fink.
The Finks’ screenplay was called Dead Right, about a New York Cop named Dirty Harry Callahan who skirts the law in an attempt to bring a serial killer to justice. That’s basically the plot of Dirty Harry, as well, although Dead Right was much more about questioning where we draw the line in society when it comes to protecting ourselves – how willing are we to give into fascism if it keeps us safe? It was here where the role of Dirty Harry, then a much older detective at the end of his time as a cop, was offered to John Wayne, who turned it down.
Since producer Jennings Lang couldn’t get Dead Right produced, he ultimately cut a deal with ABC Television with the intent of turning the concept into a TV series. ABC Television, though, had too much trouble adapting the level of violence in the script into a regular TV series, so it then sold its option to Warner Bros., who again planned to turn it into a movie (as noted, by this point, Coogan’s Bluff had been a hit and the cultural zeitgeist was perhaps more accepting of a film this violent).
With Dirty Harry still an older man at the time, Warner Bros. approached Frank Sinatra, who had recently starred as a detective in the hit 1968 film, The Detective (as I noted in an old Legends Revealed, that film was based on a Roderick Thorp novel and Thorp’s sequel to that novel was also later adapted into a surprising hit action film). Sinatra turned the role down, as well.
It was then offered to a couple of other older actors (including Robert Mitchum) before the filmmakers decided to go younger and cast Eastwood and the rest, as they say, is history.
SO WOULD IT BE FAIR TO SAY JOHN WAYNE TURNED DOWN DIRTY HARRY?
However, this casting process has led to a number of confusing reports over the years over whether John Wayne turned down Dirty Harry or not. It is true that he turned down the character of Dirty Harry, but it was before the character had evolved to being the character that he became in the film, Dirty Harry, and Dead Right and Dirty Harry are two very different films and Wayne was never offered a role in the second film.
Wayne himself muddied the waters, as he was quoted in Michael Munn’s 2001 book John Wayne: The Man Behind The Myth as saying about Dirty Harry, “I turned it down for what seemed to me to be three very good reasons. The first is that they offered it to Frank Sinatra first, but he’d hurt his hand and couldn’t do it. I don’t like being offered Sinatra’s rejections. Put that one down to pride. The second reason is that I thought Harry was a rogue cop. Put that down to narrow-mindedness because when I saw the picture I realized that Harry was the kind of part I’d played often enough; a guy who lives within the law but breaks the rules when he really has to in order to save others.”
Sinatra was offered the role in the film Dirty Harry, but not Dead Right, so Wayne was recalling the timeline incorrectly. At the same time, people who say that Wayne was never offered the role in Dirty Harry, while correct, are still a bit inaccurate, in that Wayne WAS offered the role of Dirty Harry…just not in Dirty Harry.
Once Dirty Harry was a hit, Wayne did two “loose cannon” cop movies of his own, 1974’s McQ…

and then 1975’s Brannigan…

The legend is…
STATUS: False for Dirty Harry, but True for Dirty Harry, which is a hilarious sentence, right?
Be sure to check out my archive of Movie Legends Revealed for more urban legends about the world of film.

Entertainment

Woman Attempting To Sleep With One Person From Every Country Shares The Worst Nationality In Bed

A woman has opened up about her sexual escapades and which country had the best (and worst) lovers

An adult entertainer who has slept with men from all over the world has spilled the tea on her worst and best lovers (so far).

Adult entertainer Coco Bae has slept with men from over 40 countries and counting.

Some of these include America, Canada, the UK, Israel, Australia, Haiti, and Coco wants to eventually cover all 195 countries.

As her mission continues, the adult star has been ‘collecting flags’ from each nationality she’s slept with to keep track of her sexual escapades.

“My rules are to count the country on his passport, not where the dude happens to be living at the time of our encounter,” she said.

Listing off the countries she’s ‘visited’ (if you get me), Coco went on to tell PerthNow:

“I’ve had men from America, Canada, the UK, Israel, Australia, Haiti, El Salvador, Holland, Norway, Greece, France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Belize, Djibouti, Nicaragua, Italy, Guatemala, Switzerland and Argentina.”

“And then Honduras, Costa Rica, Thailand, Russia, Columbia? I’m not sure. Albania, Brazil. India, Spain, Peru, Lebanon, Algeria, Croatia, Serbia. Armenia, Scotland, Ukraine and New Zealand.” Impressive.

Coco also answered the question on everyone’s minds: which countries have so far been the best and worst in bed?

According to the adult star, Latinos are the most ‘intense’ in bed.

“My lovers from Brazil were the most enjoyable to be with,” she said.

“They were just up for having fun, whichever way it happens.”

Coco also revealed that men from more conservative countries are quite experimental when it comes to sex.

“Many of the conservative cultures enjoy the most ‘out there’ acts. For example, I have come across many Arab and Indian dudes who really like booty action in various forms,” said Coco.

As for the worst country in bed, apparently her most boring partners have been from Germany.

While they weren’t the best, Coco did praise German men being eager to please and how they apparently ask for feedback.

She also chatted to Australian radio hosts Kyle and Jackie O, where she shared what her experiences with Aussie men has been like.

“Australian men need to step it up a little bit,” she shared.

“You’re just not putting in any effort. And you need to wash your hands.”

Speaking of how much she loves a tradesman – a popular vocation in Australia – Coco encouraged guys to make sure they ‘scrub behind their fingernails’.

A fair point, if you ask me.

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Entertainment

Kanye West Shares Provocative Video Of Wife Bianca In Bed And Fans Can’t Stop Pointing Out How Big It Is

It’s pretty common for Kanye West to post photos of his wife, Bianca Censori, and for fans to go wild over them.

The ‘Golddigger’ rapper has shared a lot of pictures and videos of his Australian wife.

These range from her daring, barely-there outfits to her strange, all-in-one body stockings.

Kanye is also known for making bold comments to get attention, like speaking out against critics.

Recently, the couple has stirred up even more buzz with a new social media post.

They shared a video from their bedroom, and there’s one detail that fans just can’t stop talking about.

On Instagram, Kanye posted a video showing Bianca lying on a bed surrounded by pillows.

She was dressed in all white, including white heels and a tight-fitting outfit.

It looked like she was on her phone, not paying much attention to Kanye, who was breathing heavily behind the camera.

The fans overlooked Bianca’s outfit and focused on the enormous size of the bed she was on.

It looked twice the size of a Super King bed, with enough room for more than five pillows.

One fan commented, “Bed can fit 5 [families] with 6 individuals.”

Another added, “It’s gotta be a nightmare trying to find a fitted sheet for that!”

A third fan mentioned that the huge bed resembled the one from Kanye’s 2016 music video for ‘Famous’.

Kanye soon deleted the video without giving any reason.

Even though the video is no longer available, Kanye is no stranger to sharing provocative content featuring his wife, whether in revealing outfits or suggestive poses.

Bianca seems to be on board with her husband’s posts.

However, not everyone is thrilled, especially her father, who has previously voiced his concerns about the content.

According to a source speaking to DailyMail.com, Bianca’s father, Leo, has asked Kanye to meet with him to talk about the explicit content being shared.

The source said, “Kanye has been invited to go to Australia, and Bianca is hesitant to allow this to happen because she knows how her father will react.”

“Her dad still plans to have a sit-down with Kanye, and Leo will not be intimidated by Kanye’s power or control. No one is expecting this to be all rainbows and family portraits.”

Despite this, Bianca is reportedly more than happy to go along with her husband’s ideas.

An insider told PageSix, “People are confusing Bianca’s creativity. She is a phenomenal personality, a phenomenal actor, who can entertain the public.”

“She’s a performance artist. Bianca is as much a performer as Ye is.”

Bianca and Kanye have been married since 2022, following Kanye’s high-profile split and divorce from his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian. Kanye has four children with Kim: North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm.

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Entertainment

Singer turns 58, people barely recognize Samantha Fox

If you are someone who was attuned to the celebrity scene in the 1980s, then you might remember Samantha Fox. She started out as a model, and by the end, her career had led to her becoming a musician.

While she was incredibly famous at one point, she is not in the mainstream these days. She was at one point the most photographed woman in the UK.

Keep reading to learn more about it.

From days when she was a staple on page 3 to then becoming a globally recognized music star, Samantha Fox is still loved by millions around the world. She was born in North London on April 15, 1966. She was born to parents were Carole Fox and Patrick Fox. She had a younger sister named Vanessa, who sadly passed away in 2023.

Her mother, Carole Ann was an actress, and father, John Patrick was a carpenter. They were married from 1965 to 1988. Her mother passed away 2013, while her father passed in 2000.

Samantha Fox began her career when she entered a modeling competition when she was 16 years old. Her mother entered her in the Sunday People’s ‘Face and Shape of 1983’ competition. She ended up being one of the finalists, and the photographer was impressed by her ‘unusual’ proportions and natural beauty.

He said, “face of a child and the body of a woman”, and told her to do some topless shots. She agreed, and that lead to her becoming a regular Page 3 girl in The Sun newspaper from 1983 to 1986.

In the 1980s, she was one of the most photographed people in the UK, and in 1986, she began her music career.

She debuted with her single Touch Me (I Want Your Body) which helped her shoot to fame. She then released more songs like Naughty Girls and more all of which only increased her celebrity. In her personal life, she had her fair share of problems, including a legal battle with her father over mismanagement of her earnings.

Despite all of the issues in her personal life, she wanted to make sure she still released music throughout it. She was always a big advocate for the LGBTQIA+, having married Linda Olsen in 2022. Now at 58 years old, she is still busy in her career.

Over the years she has had several transformations. Her talent has helped her persevere and reinvent herself. Samantha Fox initially started out as a model with a provocative image.

She remained active in the 1980s and 1990s. Apart from her music, she has made appearances in films and TV shows. She also participated in reality TV over the years.

Her father oversaw her career until she found out that he had taken more than £1 million from her income. She decided to pursue legal action against him in 1991. She won the lawsuit in 1995 and received a settlement of £363,000. The two of them never reconciled and he passed away in 2000.

In 1988, she received a nomination for Best British Female Artist at the Brit Awards. She collaborated with other artists which include the legends Freddie Mercury. She is even working on music now, releasing her latest album in 2023 produced by Ian Masterson.

She married her Norwegian wife, Linda Olsen in 2022 in a ceremony in Essex. The couple had been engaged since February 2020. They met at a concert and Olsen was a fan of the singer. They now live together in East London with Olsen’s son Adam and their two pet cats.

Before marrying Olsen, the singer had dated many people which included men and women. She dated the infamous Peter Foster in the 1980s but did not accept his proposal. She publicly came out as gay in 2003. At the time she made her relationship with then-manager Myra Stratton public. The couple were together for 16 years until Stratton passed due to cancer in 2015.

Samantha Fox later revealed she knew she was gay but did not want to admit it because of the stigma surrounding it.

Fox has said that she knew she was gay before meeting Stratton, but she was afraid to admit it because of the stigma and the pressure from the media.

She described herself as a “very happy woman” who is “very much in love” with Olsen.

It is wonderful to see how Samatha Fox is doing these days. Share this with other fans of the singer so they can see what she has been up to.

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