Harry Guardino

The film opens with a scrolling shot of a marble wall: a tribute to all the officers killed in the line of duty in the city of San Francisco. The shot of the wall fades into the silenced barrel of a rifle, and a long, dark-haired Caucasian man staring down it. Through the scope and the cross-hairs, we see his target: a young, beautiful blond woman, swimming in a rooftop pool. He follows her with his sights for a moment before pulling the trigger, hitting her in the back. She flails in agony in the water, and the pool slowly fills with her blood as she dies. Inspector Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) enters the rooftop pool area as the title cards roll. Harry inspects the dead body and looks up to the probable area of the shooter. He walks down the street to the building and up to the roof. He walks over to where he figures the shooter was stationed, looks down and across the street at the pool. Looking down, Harry finds a shell casing. Using a pen, he carefully picks it up and places it in an evidence bag. As he stands, he sees a piece of paper speared on a television antenna. He reads it and realizes what it is. In the mayor's office, the ransom note is blown up and put on a screen. The mayor reads out the demands of the sniper, dubbed "Scorpio". He demands $100,000 to stop his killing spree, or he "will target either a catholic priest, or a nigger". The mayor discusses his options with the police chief, and Callahan's superior, Lt. Al Bressler. The mayor calls Harry in, and immediately asks what he's been doing. Harry angrily responds that he's been sitting on his ass in the mayor's office, then lays out the plan of investigation so far. Lt. Bressler announces that he's arranged for helicopter surveillance in probable target areas. To Harry's disbelief, the mayor agrees to lead Scorpio on for the time being, to post a message in the newspaper (per Scorpio's instructions) as if they plan to pay him. Before leaving, the Mayor tells Harry that he doesn't want the same kind of trouble that Harry's caused in the past. Harry responds that he was trying to stop a rape, and, again with sarcasm, shoots down the Mayor. Across from a bank, Harry sits down for a hot dog lunch. He asks the cook behind the counter if the car across the street, in front of the bank, is still running. The cook says it is, and Harry tells him to call the police - there is an armed robbery in progress at that bank. No sooner does he say this than the banks alarms go off and gunfire erupts. Harry takes a bite of his hot dog, swears, and then heads out to face the robbers. He orders one man to freeze, and the man shoots at Harry with a shotgun, who returns fire. The men in the car speed toward Harry, but he shoots into the windshield, causing them to crash into a fire hydrant and flip the car over. One man jumps out and shoots at Harry, who shoots back and kills him. He looks down at his leg, shot and bleeding from buckshot, but he seems unaffected... still chewing on his hot dog. Harry strolls through the spraying water of the fire hydrant, to the wounded man by the entrance of the bank. The man's hand moves slowly toward his dropped shotgun, and Harry points his revolver at him and makes his famous "six-shots-or-only-five" speech with a hit of sarcasm in his voice: "I know what you're thinking. Did he fire six shots, or only five? Now, to tell you the truth, I forgot myself in all this excitement. But this here is a .44 Magnum Revolver, the most powerful handgun in the world and it'll blow your head clean off. You've gotta ask yourself one question: do I feel lucky? Well... do you, punk?" The man cowers and surrenders. Harry picks up the shotgun, and the robber stops him. "Hey I gots to know." he asks. Harry raises his .44 Magnum and pulls the trigger and smiles. Harry fooled the wounded robber into giving up. The gun is empty. In the hospital, Harry has his wounded leg looked at by a doctor. During the process of treatment, the doctor tells Harry to have his wife to help treat his wound, but stops himself mid-sentence and apologizes. In the air, a police helicopter is making the rounds over the city. The next day, Harry walks through the department and meets with the captain, who congratulates Harry on stopping the robbery. The captain announces that he's saddling Harry with a new partner, and introduces Chico Gonzales. Harry gripes about not wanting a partner, and that his partners always wind up in the hospital, or dead. But the captain is unmoved and tells Harry that he doesn't have a choice. Harry and Chico walk and talk for a while, before stopping to talk with another cop, DiGiorgio. Chico warily asks how Harry got his nickname Dirty Harry. DiGiorgio fills him in, explaining that Harry is an equal opportunity bigot, hating every ethnicity equally. Chico asks how he feels about Mexicans, and Harry responds that he hates them especially. Somewhere in the city, Scorpio is on another rooftop, across from a church, reading the personal ad that contains the city's response to his ransom. Unhappy with the "be patient" message, he tears up the paper, and walks to the roof's ledge. He opens his rifle case and begins spying down on the neighborhood through his scope. He sees a black man walking on the street and places the cross hairs on him. Scorpio follows him for a while, and then hastily puts his rifle together. Before he can take his shot, though, the police chopper spots him and he is forced to retreat. That night, Harry and Chico are riding through the city, complaining about how the chopper cops lost Scorpio. Over the radio, they hear a description of the sniper, and Chico immediately spots a man fitting the description and carrying a tan suitcase. They turn around to follow him, but eventually split up, with Harry inconspicuously pursuing him on foot. Harry walks down an alley and spies the man walking into an apartment. He climbs up on a trashcan and looks into the apartment window. The man's suitcase is only holding lingerie for his girlfriend, Hot Mary, who is walking around the apartment topless. Harry realizes this is not Scorpio, but is suddenly attacked from behind by a couple of men who thought he was a peeping tom. They smack Harry around a bit, before Chico stops them. Harry tells him to let the guys go, though, and Chico jokes about why the other officers call him Dirty Harry. Back in the car, Harry and Chico get a call from an officer who spots a man on a roof, and they take off in that direction. It turns out the man is not Scorpio, but instead, he's a suicidal jumper. Without much hesitation, Harry climbs into a crane bucket and rides up to the roof, to confront the man. The jumper immediately tells Harry to stay away, and Harry tells the man he's going to keep his distance: jumpers sometimes decide to take someone with them when they die. A grotesque story follows, about a fellow officer who was killed like that. Harry includes all the gory details causing the man to become sick. Angered, he attempts to grab at Harry, but Harry's quicker and punches him out, cuffs him to the rails on the crane bucket and brings him down. On the street, Harry tells Chico he got his nickname by taking "any dirty job that comes along". The next day, Harry and Chico are called to the site of a dead body: a young black kid is found shot in the head. As Harry and Chico are looking over the crime scene, the boy's mother tells them her son was only ten years old. Another officer finds a shell casing that confirms the boy was killed by Scorpio. Harry has a meeting with the chief, and they discuss the plan to capture Scorpio. They will post highly-visible policemen all over the city at high probability targets, but no policemen near the site where the chopper had spotted him the day before. Harry and Chico will stake out the area, armed and ready to take Scorpio down if he appears. Chico expresses his doubts that Scorpio will target the same area twice, but Harry explains that he believes the sniper will want to take out a priest now. That night, the two detectives are watching over the church. Harry tells Chico that the priest of the church volunteered to be bait for the murderer. With binoculars, Harry spies on the entire neighborhood, including a nude woman and her two male companions. As he's watching the party, he notices that one of the nearby roof doors is now open. Harry and Chico prepare to throw the spotlight on Scorpio, and Harry takes aim with his rifle. He fires, but misses. Scorpio fires on them with a machine gun but misses, destroying the lights. He laughs gleefully as he fires. Harry and Chico rush downstairs, and across the street, where DiGiorgio kneels over the body of an officer that Scorpio apparently killed in his escape. The next day, their captain tells Harry and Chico that Scorpio has kidnapped a 14-year-old girl, Ann Mary Deacon. His ransom note says that he's buried her alive, and has raised his ransom to $200,000, demanding it by 9pm. He threatens to let the girl suffocate to death if he's not paid. Harry insists that the girl is probably already dead, but Lt. Bressler tells him that the mayor has agreed to pay. He asks Harry to drop the money off, and tells Chico he's not allowed to help. Chico responds, 'No wonder they call him Dirty Harry. Always gets the shit-end of the stick.' Harry prepares for the drop by getting a microphone to put under his shirt, so that Chico can furtively follow him. Harry gets the money from the mayor's office. While the captain tells Harry that Scorpio will probably run Harry all over town before he drops the money, Harry tapes a switchblade to his ankle. The captain tells Harry to play it straight and not to try anything funny. Harry arrives at the marina, the designated drop point, and answers a nearby payphone. Scorpio tells him he's going to give Harry a little exercise and intends to have him travel all over the city on foot to make sure he's not being followed. Hidden nearby in his car, Chico listens in. Scorpio instructs Harry to run to a nearby railroad station. He makes it and answers the Scorpio's call. Harry next has to make a train that is leaving the station immediately. Barely making it, he jumps on and rides to the next checkpoint. Chico continues to follow. Harry answers the next call, and Scorpio laughs as he tells Harry that he's going to have a long run now. While running, Harry is accosted by three thugs who try to take the money bag. It's a short delay, but Harry can't afford it, and he quickly beats the three goons down. He sprints to the phone, but a man answers it before Harry can. Scorpio hangs up, but calls back immediately, giving Harry instructions to run to Mission Davis Park and meet him there at the foot of the cross. Chico follows but keeps a safe distance. Harry walks through the park, taking a look at everyone he passes. A young man that Harry thinks may be Scorpio turns out to be a male hustler, so Harry runs him off. He makes it to the top of the hill in Mission Davis Park, at the foot of the large stone cross. Scorpio shows up wearing a ski mask. Scorpio disarms Harry and starts to beat him. He tells Harry that he changed his mind and has decided to let the girl die, and now he's going to kill Harry, too. Before he can, though, Chico shoots at him, but misses. Scorpio and Chico exchange fire, and Chico is hit in the chest. Harry pulls the switchblade from his leg and plunges it deep into Scorpio's leg. Scorpio screams and limps off. Harry tries to shoot at Scorpio, but misses and then passes out from the beating. Scorpio makes it to a hospital. In his office, the hot-headed Bressler is talking to the chief on the phone; the chief is not happy that Harry and Chico disobeyed orders. Harry tells Bressler he'll quit when this is over, if that's what the chief wants. They get a call from a doctor at an emergency room: the doctor reports treating a man with a stab wound in the leg. Harry and DiGiorgio talk to the doctor who isn't very helpful at first. But he does remember that he had seen the man before. After a few moments he remembers that the man works as a groundskeeper at a nearby stadium. Harry and DiGiorgio climb the fence outside the stadium, and inspect the grounds in the dark. Scorpio spies on them and eventually takes off running. Harry chases him while DiGiorgio looks for a way to turn on the lights. Scorpio is running/limping across the football field, when Harry finally catches up to him, and DiGiorgio hits the floodlights. Harry has his gun on Scorpio and fires, hitting him in the leg. Scorpio sobs for help and Harry demands to know where the girl is. Scorpio yells that Harry tried to kill him, but Harry replies: "If I was trying to kill you, your head would be splattered all over this field!". Harry again demands to know where the girl is. The psychopathic Scorpio yells that he has rights and he wants a lawyer, but Harry angrily grinds his foot into the wound, as the scene pulls up and away from the two men in Kezar Stadium. At dawn, Harry stands on a hilltop overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Behind him, officers are pulling the dead body of Ann Mary Deacon out of the ground. Harry is called to a meeting with William Rothko, the Assistant District Attorney. He is shocked and disgusted that the DA is going to release Scorpio, because Harry's search of the killer's home was illegal (the issue of probable cause is never brought up) and the rifle that is the murder weapon is inadmissible as evidence. Bannerman, a local by-the-book judge, backs up Rothko's claim, and the D.A. condescendingly chastises Harry about the suspect's rights. Harry fumes and wants to know about the rights of the victims, but the arrogant and unfeeling D.A. does not care. "That's the law", he says, and Harry retorts: "Then the law is crazy!" As he's leaving, Harry says that as soon as Scorpio slips up, Harry will be there to arrest him. The D.A. warns that he won't stand for harassment. Harry says that Scorpio is a sociopath con artist and he will not stop his killing spree, as "he likes it too much". Scorpio walks into a park in the middle of the day, and immediately notices Callahan following him. Sitting in a stag bar, he sees Harry watching him. The next day, Scorpio meets with a tough looking black guy in a run-down factory. The other man makes sure Scorpio wasn't followed and then leads him to a back room, where he takes payment from Scorpio: $200 for the man to beat Scorpio to a pulp. He sits him in a chair and then begins punching him in the face. He lands several heavy blows, but eventually grows dubious and stops. Scorpio taunts him with racist remarks and the black man kicks him in the face. Realizing that his victim is insane, he kicks Scorpio out. The next scene shows him being wheeled down the hall of a hospital, enthusiastically talking to reporters and blaming the San Francisco police for his beating. He falsely singles out Harry as the main culprit. The chief meets with Harry, but Harry says he looks "too damn good" to have caught a beating from Harry himself. The chief orders Harry to stop tailing Scorpio. Harry leaves with a scoff. Harry visits Chico at the hospital, where he is sitting outside with his wife. Chico tells Harry that he's not coming back to the department. He is going to be a teacher instead. Chico is wheeled off to physical therapy, leaving Harry and Mrs. Gonzalez to chat for a while. They walk out of the hospital, and Chico's wife tells Harry that she feels responsible for his leaving. She tells him that she got nervous every time Chico left, and asks Harry if his wife felt the same. Harry says no. He tells her that his wife died in a drunk-driving accident some years ago. Harry tells Chico's wife that he understands why Chico is leaving the police force. When she asks him why he stays in the job, Harry says, "I don't know. I really don't". Later that night, the killer Scorpio enters a liquor store and chats with the shopkeeper. To explain his beaten face, he makes up a lie about hitting his wife and being beaten by her brother. He asks the owner about his being robbed before, and the owner admits to shooting and killing the last two robbers. He brags and shows off his pistol to show Scorpio. Scorpio instantly smashes a bottle over the shopkeeper's head and takes the gun. The next scene shows a school bus dropping children off at the end of the school day. Scorpio climbs into the bus pretending to be a school bus inspector. When the driver tries to stop him, Scorpio pulls the gun on her. He tells her to start driving, he'll direct her. He then turns his attention to the kids, making them sing. At city hall, Harry's captain watches as Harry arrives. As he and the captain walk up to the mayor's office, they discuss a new note from Scorpio. They enter the mayor's office, while the mayor is preparing a jet for the killer. The mayor then takes a call from Scorpio, who informs them of the bus hostage situation. He forces the bus driver to confirm. He demands his jet and $200,000, and tells mayor he intends to take the bus to the airport. The mayor foolishly tells Scorpio that he won't be harmed. The chief asks Harry to take the money, but when they order him to just make the drop without trying to stop Scorpio, he refuses, telling the arrogant mayor, "Go find yourselves another delivery boy". Back on the bus, Scorpio has the children maniacally singing "Row, row, row your boat", but eventually the children become whiny, wanting to get home. Scorpio quickly loses patience, slapping one boy, and scaring the children even more. He gives the bus driver more directions, and has her exit the highway. They are headed for an underpass, and Scorpio panics when he sees Harry standing on top of the bridge, waiting for him. Harry jumps on the roof of the moving bus, and Scorpio starts shooting up at him, causing the bus driver to faint. Scorpio takes the wheel, and swerves the bus all over the road, trying to throw Harry off. He crashes the bus through a fence, sending Harry flying into a mound of sand. Scorpio jumps out of the back emergency exit and flees to a nearby mill. Harry chases him. While running, they exchange gunfire, and once again, we lose track of how many shots Harry has fired. Harry is gaining on Scorpio, so he tries to ambush him, but Harry ducks and Scorpio misses. Scorpio runs out the back of the mill, and to a small dock, where a young boy is fishing. With Harry not far behind him, Scorpio (ruthless to the last) grabs the boy and puts the gun to his head, yelling at Harry to drop his gun. Harry drops his arm to his side, but quickly brings it back up and shoots Scorpio in the shoulder, knocking him backwards. The boy escapes and quickly runs away. Scorpio tries to reach for his gun, but Harry stops him and points his revolver at the killer. He repeats his speech from earlier, but his wry grin is gone this time, replaced with dead-serious fury. "I know what you're thinking, punk! You're thinking, did he fire six shots, or only five?! Now, to tell you the truth, I forgot myself in all this excitement. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and it'll blow your head clean off! You've gotta ask yourself a question! Do I feel lucky? Well, do you, punk?!" Scorpio thinks for a moment, then giggles madly and reaches for his pistol. Harry fires, shooting Scorpio in the chest. The psychopathic killer falls into the water and floats there, dead. Scorpio had unwisely called Harry's bluff - and paid for it with his life. Sirens wail in the distance. Harry takes out his badge. He pulls his gold star out of the leather fold and looks at it for a moment before throwing it into the water. The camera pans away from Harry as he walks away and the credits roll.

Small squad must hold off German attack. World War II drama where the action centers around a single maneuver by a squad of GIs in retaliation against the force of the German Siegfried line. Reese joins a group of weary GIs unexpectedly ordered back into the line when on their way to a rest area. While most of the men withdraw from their positions facing a German pillbox at the far side of a mine-field, half a dozen men are left to protect a wide front. By various ruses, they manage to convince the Germans that a large force is still holding the position. Then Reese leads two of the men in an unauthorized and unsuccessful attack on the pillbox, in which the other two are killed; and when the main platoon returns, he is threatened with court-martial. Rather than face the disgrace, and in an attempt to show he was right, he makes a one-man attack on the pillbox. —alfiehitchie

In April 1953 at Panmunjom, Korea, a conference between American and Communist North Korean and Chinese forces convenes to discuss halting their three-year conflict. Meanwhile an area in the neutral zone, dubbed Pork Chop Hill by the Americans, is retaken by the Chinese at the cost of the entire American infantry company. Soon after, "K" Company commander Lt. Joe Clemons (Gregory Peck) meets with division commander Col. Davis (Barry Atwater) to receive orders to retake the area and is assured that "L" Company will protect Clemons' flank. Knowing that Pork Chop Hill holds no strategic value, Clemons surmises to friend and co-commander Lt. Suki Ohashi (George Shibata) that the action will underscore the Americans' strength while the peace negotiations continue. Clemons divides the company into three platoons, leading the first, placing Ohashi in command of the second and holding the third in reserve. As the two platoons ascend the hill at dusk, American artillery bombards the crest but the men are nevertheless unnerved to hear a Chinese propaganda broadcaster in the central command bunker calmly call out criticism of their foolhardiness and list statistics of American losses. Unknown to Clemons, back at division headquarters, Davis learns that "L" Company has been delayed getting into position because they have misconstrued their orders to provide support for Clemons' company. Once the American shelling stops, Clemons' men fall under an increasingly heavy enemy barrage and the soldiers are then shocked when bright spotlights from their own position abruptly shine down upon them, escalating enemy fire. The lights go off, and moments later, the radio man informs Clemons they have received an apology from the American group responsible for the spotlights who mistook their location for another. At dawn, still some distance from the enemy trenches and with his platoon severely depleted, Clemons is unable to rouse Ohashi on the radio and sends a messenger in search of the second platoon. Meanwhile, Clemons' men are startled to hear the sound of trumpets blaring, heralding a ferocious assault by the Chinese. When the fighting slows, Clemons finally reaches Ohashi by radio and demands assistance, but Ohashi reports he has lost a quarter of his men and cannot hold his position near the crest if he divides them. Dismayed by the lack of promised support along the hill's left flank, Clemons orders a small squad to provide machine gun cover there. Later, when the nearly decimated squad returns to report to Clemons, he contacts Davis to complain bitterly about the lack of assistance. Davis insists that the crest be taken as soon as possible and ignores Clemons' protest that he has too few men to accomplish the task. Ohashi reports that he has lost nearly half of his platoon and requests the third platoon be activated, but Clemons believes they should be held in reserve as long as possible. Disheartened, Ohashi nevertheless agrees and returns to maintain his position as Clemons is joined by a handful of soldiers dashing up the hill. Clemons is stunned to learn the 12 men are the only survivors from "L" Company, whose two platoons were slaughtered in their attempt to provide delayed assistance to "K" Company. The remainder of Clemons' platoon, joined by the additional men, then rush the next line of trenches and bunker and are relived to find it has already been secured by Ohashi's men. While the soldiers greet one another, the bunker is suddenly hit by numerous artillery shells. Although severely shaken, most of the men survive and angrily insist the shells came from their own side. Realizing the exhausted, demoralized men are correct, and fearing a revolt, Clemons lies, countering that the artillery came from a nearby, Chinese-held mountain. Anxious over the long silence from Davis, Clemons meets with Ohashi to decide upon their next action. Clemons summons Lt. Waldorf (John Alderman) and the third platoon and declares the crest must be taken to avoid the continued attrition of the remaining American forces. Knowing that Waldorf is inexperienced, Ohashi volunteers his men to make a risky bayonet charge against the crest. Clemons promises a diversionary action as well as support and the move is successful. Afterward, Clemons radios Davis' headquarters, which have now come under an intensive enemy barrage. Cut off after hearing Pork Chop Hill has been taken at last, Davis is unaware of Clemons' desperate plea for supplies and ammunition. Soon after, "K" Company's last radio is destroyed, but Clemons is pleased by the arrival of his brother-in-law, Lt. Walt Russell (Rip Torn), commander of "G" Company. The men's reunion is short-lived, however, when Russell reveals he has been assigned to perform a "mop-up" action and not to reinforce "K" Company. Russell is horrified to learn Clemons and Ohashi have only 35 men left from their entire 100-strong company. Moments later, a messenger arrives with news from Davis that "G" Company has been recalled, as Davis believes the hill secured. Clemons sends a terse return message insisting that without Russell's men, the area cannot be held. At division headquarters, Gen. Trudeau demands to know whether his superiors intend to hold the hill, but nevertheless supports the recall of "G" Company. Russell departs, taking Clemons' wounded and leaving as much ammunition as possible. Clemons orders his 25 remaining men to spread out along the crest as the Chinese radio broadcaster informs the Americans they have 45 minutes to surrender or they will be destroyed. Using the radio left by Russell, Clemons contacts Davis to declare that unless they are provided reinforcements, they must withdraw, but Davis responds that he has received no further orders. At the Panmunjom peace conference, the American representative angrily concludes that the Chinese refusal to give up the strategically useless Pork Chop Hill serves as a test of American character, and contacts American Infantry Division headquarters. That night, as the Chinese begin their final assault on Clemons' position, Ohashi is wounded bringing Clemons a report that "L" Company's surviving platoon is providing support. The strength of the Chinese attack forces the Americans into bunkers that they frantically seal against enemy flamethrowers. The tide then abruptly turns when a reinforcement division arrives to clinch the taking of Pork Chop Hill. The film ends with Clemons and the rest of his exhausted men walking down from the hill towards their own front lines as American troops walk up Pork Chop Hill to relieve them.

Danny Kaye cuts loose with his trademark musical clowning. Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong plays his horn and croons in that famed gargling-granite voice. Big Band icons Bob Crosby, Ray Anthony and Shelly Manne join the fun. Loring "Red" Nichols is a cornet-playing country boy who goes to New York in the 1920s full of musical ambition and principles. He gets a job playing in Wil Paradise's band, but quits to pursue his dream of playing Dixieland jazz. He forms the "Five Pennies" which features his wife, Bobbie, as vocalist. At the peak of his fame, Red and Bobbie's daughter, Dorothy, develops polio. Red quits the music business to move to Los Angeles where the climate is better for Dorothy. As Dorothy becomes a young teen, she learns of her father's musical past, and he is persuaded to open a small nightclub which is failing until some noted names from his past come to help out. —Ray Hamel <hamel@primate.wisc.edu>

A widower, his three young children, and an Italian nanny get to know each other better when circumstances have them living together aboard a badly neglected houseboat. Widower Tom Winters is trying to understand and raise three precocious children alone. He gets unexpected help from beautiful stranger Cinzia when the children decide that she is to be the new maid. She is actually an Italian socialite who is trying to get away from her overprotective father. —Brian W Martz <B.Martz@Genie.com> Upon the sudden death of his estranged and nearly-divorced wife, absentee father Tom claims ownership of his three children, seemingly more from spite against his in-laws than out of consideration for his kids. When youngest son Robert runs off in reaction, he's returned by spoiled socialite Cinzia, who's been itching to escape her orchestra-conductor father's dictates. Being a willful child herself, she harmonizes immediately with the kids and, needing a hideout, agrees to be hired on as their nanny. Finding their new house destroyed by a lustful, careless irresponsible Italian handyman, the five decide to live on the man's neglected and dilapidated houseboat rather than rightfully sue him and take rooms at a hotel. As Cinzia bridges the gap between Tom and his kids while starting to learn how to cook and clean, Tom's newly-divorced sister-in-law Carolyn makes a play for him. He accepts her proposal, but as Cinzia draws men in like a dog in heat, he realizes that he's more interested in Cinzia. —statmanjeff