Clint Eastwood drops in on Michael Savage

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Thursday, October 30, 2003 | By Art Moore

[JohnHuang2]

HOLLYWOOD VS. AMERICA
Clint Eastwood drops in on Michael Savage
Hollywood icon concerned about backlash from patriotic Americans

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Posted: October 29, 2003
5:00 p.m. Eastern

By Art Moore
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

An impromptu telephone call yesterday from director Clint Eastwood shows Hollywood is concerned about the impact of millions of patriotic Americans who listen to talk radio, says Michael Savage, who engaged in the surprise conversation on his nationally syndicated show.

In an interview with WorldNetDaily, Savage noted the call came amid furor over the upcoming CBS miniseries "The Reagans" which apparently has prompted network chief Les Moonves to order some changes.

Clint Eastwood

"They're terrified of the boycott that is rolling along like a snowball," Savage said. "And Clint is a wise enough businessman to understand that movies build by word of mouth. They can also die by word of mouth."

The call was prompted by Savage's suggestion people might be ignoring Eastwood's new film "Mystic River" because it features two of Hollywood's most outspoken critics of the U.S. and its policies, Sean Penn and Tim Robbins.

Penn made a controversial three-day "fact finding" trip to Baghdad last winter. He then paid to have a massive, rambling essay published in the New York Times defending his visit after he was accused of being a tool for Iraqi propaganda. Robbins, in a speech to the National Press Club in April, said the United States is now viewed by much of the world as the Soviet Union once was, "as a rogue state."

"When [Eastwood] heard me bashing his movie he probably got afraid that I might keep a million or two million people away from the theater and could keep another million or two away who might otherwise make a discretionary decision," Savage said.

The talk host said Eastwood was very courteous and insisted the film was doing much better than it was being portrayed.

"I thought it was a very good interchange, and it indicated Hollywood is listening to conservative talk radio," he said. "They understand that we are conservative and that we go to the movies."

Savage said the point he was making before Eastwood called was "maybe the people are finally waking up, and they are not going to the movies of these anti-American, anti-war actors who shoot their mouths off and then think people are too stupid to remember when their movies come out."

The radio host said he told Eastwood, "Irrespective of the fact that I like every movie you've ever made, I will not bring myself to go to a movie with Sean Penn, after what he's done to our troops."

According to Savage, the director replied, "Well that's certainly your prerogative."

Eastwood said he just happened to tune in the show yesterday as he was driving around, but Savage, citing a mutual friend, says the Hollywood icon is a regular listener.

"As I understand … he loves it," Savage said. "But he can't admit that. He's a good politician, a very wise politician."

Among Eastwood's first words when he called were "Arnold didn't call you, but I will," Savage related.

The reference indicated Eastwood's knowledge of Arnold Schwarzenegger's willingness to come on nearly every radio show in California during his gubernatorial campaign, except for the Michael Savage Show.

Savage said Eastwood gave no indication of his political leanings, however.

"He's a director, has a lot at stake here," Savage said. "He's just trying to protect his investment. I tried to treat him with dignity, because he treated me with dignity."

[lorrainer]

He then paid to have a massive, rambling essay published in the New York Times...

How 'bout if he goes back, just to FIND some facts???

No, I want an essay, too. ;o)

[Future Useless Eater]

Clint:

• I loved your dirty harry movies
• loved your spagetti westerns
• loved your hogsbreath restaurant
• hated your disgusting Mystic River movie because you used repulsive, ugly, America-haters for the lead roles.

Luckily, after walking out, the manager said we could sit in on a different movie that was just starting. Bless his heart!

[Eagle9]

"Ah uh ! I know what you're thinkin', punk ! You're thinkin' ............"

[pbmaltzman]

I was given to understand that Eastwood's political leanings aren't any secret... he's allegedly something of a libertarian-leaning conservative.

[tkathy]

The last I heard, there are no big federal government laws passed, forcing people to attend movies against their will.

[GailA]

DITTO: I even turn off FREE TV movies when these hate America, Hate Bush fanitics are on.

[Ben Chad]

I even turn off FREE TV movies when these hate America, Hate Bush fanitics are on.

BUMP

[SwatTeam]

I read the book and thought it was really good. I have a hard time watching a movie made from a book I've already read because sometimes it isn't even recognizable. So I will miss this movie mainly for that reason.

[Wallace T.]

I heard the exchange between Eastwood and Savage. It appears that Savage overstressed the low audience response to the movie, stating that it was 17th, that is, close to the bottom, on its opening weekend. Eastwood pointed out that it is currently fifth in box office receipts. He also claimed that Kevin Bacon, the third principal actor in the film, was a Republican, an assertion which he didn't back up.

Eastwood is more a libertarian than a conservative. The Outlaw Josey Wales clearly showed the malevolence of the Federal government, specifically the Union Army, which is portrayed as brutal as Stalin's Red Army or Hitler's SS. In the second Dirty Harry movie, the lead character was fighting a secret unit in the San Francisco police department that was using vigilante tactics. In the view of that movie, these law 'n' order cops were as bad as the criminals and more dangerous than the liberals at City Hall.

I also suspect Eastwood, not unlike Sandra Day O'Connor, has past the "three score years and ten" marker and may want to leave a positive legacy. He also recognizes that liberals write the history books, especially the history of movies. If his health holds out, Eastwood may fear that some leftist filmmaker in 2020 will do an attack movie on him, much as former President Reagan. Unlike the Gipper, Eastwood may have his faculties with him when he is 90. As a result, he may want to build up some sympathy from the liberal elite. Using two actors who are not just limousine liberals, but leftist radicals, may be a form of protection from insults in his declining years and slander or relegation to the "memory hole" after his death.

I have heard it said that Eastwood is spending the second half of his filmmaking career apologizing for the first. It is likely that he wants to be remembered in a positive light and is therefore inclined to compromise with the powers that be.

[giotto]

Using two actors who are not just limousine liberals, but leftist radicals, may be a form of protection from insults in his declining years

Since when did appeasing liberals ever pay off? Eastwood would have been wiser to cast two actors who had never made horses @sses out of themselves, or even two relatively unknown actors. I don't care how great Eastwood is, I will never see another movie with Robbins or Penn, and that includes movies that are on TV. It may be impossible to have any control over Hollywood, but I can sure as hell control what I spend my time watching, reading or listening to. Maybe if enough people let Eastwood and others like him know how passionately conservatives feel about this, they would stop using idiots like Penn and Robbins.

[bmwcyle]

Maybe he can detect mines for the Children.

[John O]

I know most Freepers won't be interested in it because of Penn and Robbins, but that doesn't mean it's not a good movie.

Yes it does. The projectile vomiting reflex which happens any time penn or robbins appears really detracts from the movie experience.

One blatant communist can ruin a whole movie and this movie has two of them.

[Wallace T.]

Eastwood stayed in the good graces of the liberal media by not challenging liberals' opinions or their underlying presumptions, at least directly. Those who are upfront and vocal conservatives, like Charlton Heston or Tom Selleck, get dropped from the "A" or "B" lists and transferred to the "Do Not Call" list. Mel Gibson, who kept his traditionalist Catholicism low key and private and who never made political statements, remained in the liberals' good graces because his movies made money for them. When Gibson decided to make a movie on the Crucifixion that apparently depicts the Gospels accurately, the liberals turned on him with full, unrelenting ferocity. His mainstream movie career is now as dead as those of Gary Cooper or John Wayne, conservative men who died before liberalism became the monolithic ideology in Hollywood.

Clint Eastwood is not the fearless "Dirty Harry," just a man who knows who butters his bread and who supplies both the bread and the butter. Unfortunately, the "who" are not conservatives.

[Semper Paratus]

If MR tanks maybe Producers like Eastwood will think twice when they cast for actors/actresses.

[The Green Goblin]

Mystic River" is a feel nothing go nowhere movie that never needed to be made. I haven't seen it, but that is what everybody who have seen it has told me.

It was an outstanding movie. I'm going to see it agian, and plan on getting it when it comes out on DVD.

[bert]

Clint made a strategic business error when he hired sean and tim. Many will just not contribute to the livelyhood of America bashers.

[LLBeet]

I am not going to waste my money and time seeing a movie where the main actor is one who has bashed this country while consorting with one of the most vile dictators on the planet. I usually like Eastwood movies, but will never see this one, in a theater or on DVD.

[The Green Goblin]

Using two actors who are not just limousine liberals, but leftist radicals, may be a form of protection from insults in his declining years and slander or relegation to the "memory hole" after his death.

He used Robbins and Penn because both men are great actors, fit the roles perfectly and turned in stellar performances in that movie.

[The Green Goblin]

I am not going to waste my money and time seeing a movie where the main actor is one who has bashed this country while consorting with one of the most vile dictators on the planet. I usually like Eastwood movies, but will never see this one, in a theater or on DVD.

That's certainly your prerogative, but the movie itself is excellent and well worth watching.

[Axenolith]

Whats really funny is a couple of years ago I was headed to San Diego for a few weeks of work when I stopped at a gas station on I-5 and Penn was in front of me at the pump in a BMW 740 and his wife was to the right of me in an Excursion...

Oil apparently ISN'T the problem, its availability to us commoners is...