Any Which Way You Can
| Any Which Way You Can | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Buddy Van Horn |
| Produced by | Robert Daley, Fritz Manes |
| Written by | Stanford Sherman |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
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| Cinematography | David Worth |
| Editing by |
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| Studio | The Malpaso Company |
| Distributed by | Warner Brothers |
| Release date(s) | December 17, 1980 |
| Running time | 116 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $70,687,344 |
Any Which Way You Can is a 1980 American 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.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
After throwing his fight with Tank Murdock, Philo Beddoe keeps fighting in underground bareknuckle matches. Philo decides to retire when he realizes that he has started to enjoy the pain.
The problem is Jack Wilson, a new breed of fighter who mixes martial arts with boxing. He is so effective at maiming his opponents that his handlers cannot book fights for him. One of his handlers realizes that if Philo agreed to the fight Wilson it would be the biggest draw in the history of bareknuckle fighting. In conjunction with the Mob, they kidnap Philo's love interest Lynn Halsey-Taylor in order to coerce Philo to agree to the fight.
Wilson, however, is a fighter with a sense of right-and-wrong. After learning of the plot, he helps Philo and Orville rescue Lynn, and he and Philo decide they really do not need to fight to prove who is best. On the other hand, both fighters' personal pride makes them wonder who would have won. The brawl between them ends up taking place, but is punctuated by pauses and personal reflections on their mutual admiration. Wilson breaks Philo's arm and offers to end the fight, but the two men continue. In the end, Philo knocks Wilson out long enough to win. Wilson helps Philo to the hospital, and the fighters and their friends share a beer.
The Black Widows, the biker gang with a long-running grudge against Philo, still want revenge for the destruction of their bikes. However, Philo bests them in a chase that runs through an asphalt machine during a road paving project.
Despite the rivalry, the Black Widows bet everything they have on Philo because 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 Philo.
[edit] Cast
- Clint Eastwood as Philo Beddoe
- Sondra Locke as Lynn Halsey-Taylor
- Geoffrey Lewis as Orville Boggs
- Ruth Gordon as Zenobia '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] Production
Any Which Way You Can's filming started in summer 1980.[1] The film was filmed in the California communities of Sun Valley, North Hollywood, and Bakersfield, and in picturesque Jackson, Wyoming.[1]
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.[2]
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] 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.[3] 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.[4][5]
[edit] Soundtrack
| Any Which Way You Can | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
| Released | 1980 |
| Genre | Country |
| Label | Stage & Screen |
- Beers To You
- Written by Steve Dorff (as S. Dorff), John Durrill (as J. Durrill), Sandy Pinkard (as S. Pinkard) and Snuff Garrett (as S. Garrett)
- Sung by Ray Charles and Clint Eastwood
- Any Which Way You Can
- Written by Milton Brown (as M. Brown), Steve Dorff (as S. Dorff) and Snuff Garrett (as S. Garrett)
- Sung by Glen Campbell
- Whiskey Heaven
- Written by Cliff Crofford (as C. Crofford), John Durrill (as J. Durrill) and Snuff Garrett (as S. Garrett)
- Sung by Fats Domino
- Cow Patti
- Written by Jim Stafford (as J. Stafford)
- Sung by Jim Stafford
- Acapulco
- Written by Larry Collins (as L. Collins) and M. Leath
- Sung by Johnny Duncan
- Any Way You Want Me
- Written by L. Offman
- Sung by Gene Watson
- One Too Many Women In Your Life
- Written by John Durrill (as J. Durrill) and Phil Everly (as P. Everly)
- Too Loose
- Written by Milton Brown (as M. Brown), Steve Dorff (as S. Dorff) and Snuff Garrett (as S. Garrett)
- Sung by Sondra Locke
- Cotton-Eyed Clint
- Adapted by Steve Dorff (as S. Dorff) and Snuff Garrett (as S. Garrett)
- Instrumental by The Texas Opera Company
- You're The Reason God Made Oklahoma
- Written by Larry Collins (as L. Collins) and Sandy Pinkard (as S. Pinkard)
- Sung by David Frizzell and Shelly West
- Orangutang Hall Of Fame
- Written by Cliff Crofford (as C. Crofford) and Snuff Garrett (as S. Garrett)
- Sung by Cliff Crofford
- The Good Guys And The Bad Guys
- Written by John Durrill (as J. Durrill) and Snuff Garrett (as S. Garrett)
- Sung by John Durrill
[edit] Chart performance
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 141 |
| Canadian RPM Country Albums | 7 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Hughes, p.127
- ^ 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.
- ^ Hughes, p.128
[edit] Bibliography
- Hughes, Howard (2009). Aim for the Heart. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 9781845119027.
