Fresh Air

Film Icons: Clint Eastwood / Eli Wallach & More

Aug 30, 2024

Clint Eastwood, the legendary actor and director, shares insights on his rise to fame and how the infamous squint in his performances was more about the heat than character. Eli Wallach reminisces about his joyful experiences on set while filming iconic Westerns. Christopher Frayling reveals how Sergio Leone redefined the Western genre, blending European influences with American storytelling. Meanwhile, Hal Needham takes us through the thrilling, high-risk world of stunt work in Hollywood, sharing daring tales from his adventurous career.

47:22

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Intro

2min

Memorable Lines and the Evolution of the Western

10min

Cowboy Songs and Cinematic Tales

5min

Behind the Scenes of a Western Classic

6min

Eli Wallach and the Magic of Spaghetti Westerns

4min

Transforming the Western: Eastwood and Leone

9min

The Thrilling Journey of a Hollywood Stuntman

2min

The Thrill and Trials of Stunt Work

13min

Celebrating Cinema: Iconic Collaborations and Staying Informed

2min

The 1964 spaghetti Western A Fistful of Dollars turned Clint Eastwood into a star. He had a famous squint in his closeups, but he told Terry Gross in 1997, it wasn't necessarily character driven. "They bombed me with a bunch a lights, and you're outside and it's 90 degrees, and it's hard not to squint."

We'll also hear from Eastwood's co-star in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Eli Wallach, who went on to play a bandit in several Westerns. Cultural historian Christopher Frayling tells us how the Italian director Sergio Leone broke the conventions of the Hollywood Western, and stuntman Hal Needham describes his most daring feats.

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