Any Which Way You Can
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| Any Which Way You Can | |
|---|---|
 Movie poster by Bill Gold Illustrated by Bob Peak |
|
| Directed by | Buddy Van Horn |
| Produced by | Fritz Manes |
| Written by | Stanford Sherman |
| Starring | Clint Eastwood Sondra Locke Geoffrey Lewis Ruth Gordon William Smith |
| Music by | Ray Charles Clint Eastwood Glen Campbell Jim Stafford Fats Domino John Durrill |
| Cinematography | David Worth |
| Editing by | Ron Spang Ferris Webster |
| Studio | The Malpaso Company |
| Distributed by | Warner Brothers |
| Release date(s) | December 17, 1980 |
| Running time | 116 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Gross revenue | $70,687,344 (domestic) |
| Preceded by | Every Which Way But Loose |
Any Which Way You Can is a 1980 action comedy film, starring Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis, William Smith, and Ruth Gordon. It is directed by Buddy Van Horn. The film is the sequel to the 1978 hit comedy film Every Which Way But Loose.
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[edit] Plot summary
After throwing his fight with Tank Murdock at the end of Every Which Way But Loose, Philo Beddoe is still fighting in underground bareknuckle boxing matches to make money on the side. Philo decides to retire, however, when he realizes that he has started to enjoy the pain. Philo and Orville decide it's time to end his career.
The problem is Jack Wilson—a new breed of East Coast brawler who mixes martial arts with boxing and is so effective at maiming his opponents that his handlers cannot book him a fight. During a conversation after a fight between a mongoose and a rattlesnake, one of the handlers realizes that Philo, the king of the West Coast brawlers, might not only agree to the fight with Wilson—it would be the biggest draw in the history of modern bareknuckle fighting. The Handlers, in conjunction with the mafia kidnap Philo's former love interest Lynn Halsey-Taylor in order to coerce Philo into agreeing to the fight.
Wilson is a prize fighter with a sense of right-and-wrong, however. After learning of the plot and helping Philo and Orville in rescuing Lynn, he decides that they really need not fight to prove who is the best. On the other hand, the personal pride of both fighters cause them to wonder who actually would have won the fight. The long brawl between the two characters does end up taking place, but it is punctuated by pauses and personal reflections on their mutual admiration for each other. Near the end of the fight, Wilson breaks Philo's arm and offers to end the fight, but the two men end up continuing the brawl. At the end, Philo knocks Wilson out long enough to qualify for a win. Wilson helps Philo to the hospital to have his arm looked at, and the fighters and their friends end up sharing beer at a bar.
As for the Black Widows, a biker gang that has a grudge against Philo, they make their return in a row with Philo, still wanting revenge for the destruction of their bikes last time. However, Philo bests them when they, in an effort to chase him, run through an asphalt machine during a road paving project, resulting in them losing their hair and wearing wigs and penciled-on eyebrows to camouflage their appearance, which is so galling that rather than scare people, they end up getting laughed at and ridiculed.
Despite the rivalry, the Black Widows bet everything they have on Philo as they know he is the better fighter. When the mobsters decide to kill Philo once he gains the upper hand, the Black Widows protect their investment by beating up the mafia men. After collecting their winnings, the Black Widows declare a truce with Beddoe.
[edit] Production
The film was filmed in the California communities of Sun Valley, North Hollywood, and Bakersfield, and in picturesque Jackson, Wyoming.
Clyde is much physically different in the film than in Every Which Way But Loose. This is because the original orangutan, Manis, had matured too much since the first film and was too large and possibly dangerous. The ape who played Clyde in the second film died of a cerebral hemorrhage two weeks after the film wrapped.[1]
Glen Campbell performed the "Any Which Way You Can" title song track in the final scene of the movie, but while the song was a Top 10 hit on the country music charts, the song never reached the pop charts the way the previous "Every Which Way But Loose" title song track did earlier, which was performed by the late Eddie Rabbitt.
[edit] Cast
- Clint Eastwood as Philo Beddoe
- Sondra Locke as Lynn Halsey-Taylor
- Geoffrey Lewis as Orville Boggs
- Ruth Gordon as Senovia 'Ma' Boggs
- William Smith as Jack Wilson
- Barry Corbin as "Fat" Zack Tupper
- Harry Guardino as James Beekman
- Michael Cavanaugh as Patrick Scarfe
- Roy Jenson as Moody, Black Widow
- Bill McKinney as Dallas, Black Widow
- William O'Connell as Elmo, Black Widow
- John Quade as Cholla, Black Widow Leader
- Al Ruscio as Tony Paoli Sr., also known as Big Tony
- Dan Vadis as Frank
- Jack Murdock as Little Melvin
- George Murdock as Sergeant Cooley
- Dick Durock as Joe Casey
- Camila Ashland as Hattie (as Camila Ashlend)
- Anne Ramsey as Loretta Quince
- Logan Ramsey as Luther Quince
- Jim Stafford as Long John
[edit] Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 20% of critics gave the film a positive review based on a sample of 10 reviews, with an average score of 4.9/10.[2] In the film's opening weekend, it grossed $8,024,663 in 1,541 theaters. Any Which Way You Can has had total gross receipts of $70,687,344 in the U.S. and Canada.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/petidol/2007/display.var.1645081.0.screen_pet_idol.php
- ^ "Any Which Way You Can (1980)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/any_which_way_you_can/. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
- ^ "Any Which Way You Can". Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=anywhichwayyoucan.htm. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
