Dead Right
The script, Dead Right, was written by the husband-and-wife writing
team of Harry and Rita Fink. The storyline centered around an
aging, New York cop named Harry Callahan who became obsessed with
catching a sniper- even at the expense of his own career.
The Finks had just finished working with John
Wayne on Big Jake, and initially had him in mind when attempting
to sell the script. They presented it to Wayne's production
company, but he declined over the film's graphic violence. Wayne
later regretted the decision, which is one reason why he chose to star in
1974's urban cop thriller, McQ. (Ironically, the latter was set in Seattle- a
city which was also an early contender for Dirty Harry.)
The script was then picked up by Universal, where Clint Eastwood was
under contract. Eastwood was interested in starring, but Universal
stalled and eventually lost the option.
Sinatra
Dead Right soon found its way to Warner Bros., where it was
regarded as a potential vehicle for Frank Sinatra. This decision
was primarily based on the success of Sinatra's The Detective a
few years earlier.
Prior to meeting with Sinatra, Warner asked John Milius if he could
do a quick rewrite of the script. He agreed, in
exchange for $35,000 and a $2,000 Purdy shotgun.
Milius created a new opening for the film that was inspired by the
opening sequence of Patton. It featured Harry Callahan
giving a lecture to a roomful of cops, and demonstrating various
firearms. It was in this same vein that the famous "Do I Feel
Lucky?" speech originated.
Warner met with Sinatra and he agreed to star in the project.
However, he had undergone wrist
surgery a few months earlier, and the lingering injury would ultimately force him
to back out prior to filming.
The first choice for director was between Irvin Kershner or Sidney
Pollack. Kershner ended up being set to direct, only to be left out after Sinatra
exited.
A New Star
and Script
Warner then offered the role to Paul Newman, but he turned it down
over concerns about the film's political message. Newman is said
to have suggested Eastwood for the role, but Warner's next choice was Steve
McQueen- who also passed.
Eastwood was finally approached by Warner and he made two requests:
He wanted a rewrite for the script and Don Siegel as director.
During its long journey to a studio and star,
Dead Right had undergone multiple drafts. Eastwood felt that
its current state- which featured an overblown climax involving police
snipers, a helicopter, and an airport hijacking- had lost the intent of
the original. As a result, he wanted a return to the Fink's
smaller, more personal conflict.
Siegel was under contract to Universal, and didn't think he would be
able to direct. Eastwood personally asked Universal to let him
hire Siegel for the project.
Eastwood approached Siegel with four drafts of the film- the original and three
rewrites. (One of which was credited to Terrence Malick.)
The sniper villain in some of these early drafts was not a psychopath
attempting to blackmail the city. Instead, he was a vigilante
concerned with eliminating wealthy, influential criminals (ie. mafia;
lawyers; etc.) that the police had been unable to prosecute. This
idea would later provide the basis for the sequel, Magnum Force.
Dean Riesner was hired to rewrite the earlier drafts to suit
Eastwood's younger portrayal. Don Siegel ended up finishing
Riesner's draft by writing the showdown at the rock quarry himself.
Riesner's draft included a variation of Milius' "Do I Feel Lucky?"
speech, and the famous scene also ended in a dramatically different way:
Instead of firing at the wounded bank robber, Harry held the .44 to his own temple. After the click of the empty gun, Harry
simply laughed and walked away.
Siegel wanted to change the film's New York setting, having already
used the city for both Madigan and Coogan's Bluff.
He briefly considered Seattle before choosing San Francisco. Both
Eastwood and Siegel had watched the San Francisco 49er's
last game at Kezar Stadium, and felt it would be a perfect place to film a
dramatic showdown.
Scorpio
The character was based on the Zodiac Killer, who terrorized San Francisco in the late
sixties and was never caught. He once sent the city a note threatening to hijack and
kill a busload of schoolchildren, which is where the inspiration for Scorpio's similar
feat originated.
Audie Murphy was first approached to play Scorpio. He was killed in a plane crash
in 1971, before his decision on the role was known.
James Caan was also an early consideration, while Sinatra was still
attached.
Eastwood and Siegel discovered Andrew Robinson performing in a live
production of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Idiot.
Robinson was a pacifist and required a week of intensive firearm
training just to be able to handle a gun realistically. When
Robinson later asked Don Siegel why he had been chosen for the role,
Siegel replied, "Because you have the face of a choir boy".
Andrew Robinson was apparently a little too convincing as the mad killer,
Scorpio. He received death threats after the film's release and eventually had to
get an unlisted phone number. He also found trouble getting in to auditions- many
producers really thought he was crazy.
Look carefully at Scorpio's outfit, and you'll notice a peace symbol belt buckle.
While the press had their own interpretation of this, Siegel's explanation of it was
simply, "It reminds us that no matter how vicious a person is, when he looks in the
mirror he is still blind to what he truly is."
Cameos
Character actor Albert Popwell had a total of four roles throughout the
series:
Dirty Harry- The bank robber who doesn't feel lucky.
Magnum Force- J.J. Wilson the pimp
The Enforcer- Big Ed Mustapha
Sudden Impact- Horace King
Director Don Siegel can be seen walking by Harry's car, as Harry and Chico return to
headquarters. Siegel's son, Kristoffer Tabori, also appears briefly as a
hippie. The two previously shared a scene with Eastwood in the Siegel-directed
Coogan's
Bluff. (They had cameos as passengers on the escalator.)
After the sequence where Harry disrupts a bank robbery- by four black
men- Siegel wanted to suggest a more tolerant side of the character. He devised a follow-up scene where Harry's injuries are treated by a black intern that appears to be an old friend of
Harry's. When the studio refused to okay the short scene, Siegel was forced to film
it quickly, using Second Assistant Director Charles Washburn as the intern.
Two actresses were used to portray Anne Mary Deacon. The photographs that are
sent to the mayor feature Melody Thomas Scott, who had previously appeared with Eastwood
in The Beguiled. However, the body that Harry witnesses being lifted out of
the ground was played by Debralee Scott, (no relation).
The role was Debralee Scott's acting debut, and was filmed
shortly before her 18th birthday. Scott later became a familiar
face on television, in shows such as "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman",
"Welcome Back, Kotter", and "Match Game".
Harry drives a 1968 Ford Galaxie 500.
The opening scenes in the Mayor's office were filmed in then-Mayor Alioto's office.
A section of the Philippine police force requested a print of the movie
for use as a training film!
