DIRTY HARRY
Harry's Hometown
After visiting the scene of Charlie
Russell's murder, Harry and Chico drive around Potrero Hill questioning the
residents. As they continue to be greeted with suspicion from everyone, Harry begins
to talk about how the people are raised mistrusting cops. He tells Chico that he
grew up in Potrero Hill, and learned at an early age not to depend on the police. He
soon decides that this case is not one that will be solved by the usual methods of
policework, and that Scorpio will not be satisfied until he has made good on his threat to
kill a priest. This scene was most likely included as part of Harry's character
while he was still written as an older, disillusioned cop. As Harry gets his leg
bandaged, listen for Steve to confirm the Potrero Hill background with the line, "We
Potrero Hill boys gotta stick together."
The Airport Hijacking
One of the original ideas for the film's
ending included a sequence with Scorpio kidnapping a group of schoolchildren at an
airport, then attempting to hijack a plane. When the studio decided that the whole
thing would be too expensive to film, it was Eastwood who suggested using the rock quarry
for the ending. He remembered it from his childhood; having lived nearby, he passed
it often on drives with his parents. The airport sequence eventually found its way
into the series, being worked into the plot of
Magnum Force.
The Badge Toss
The ending of the film, with Harry tossing
his badge off the pier, originally didn't appeal to Clint Eastwood. He worried that
the scene depicted Harry as somewhat of a 'quitter', and asked Don Siegel about changing
it. Siegel suggested an alternate ending from one of the earlier drafts, in which
Harry replaces the star in his wallet upon hearing the approaching police sirens.
Eastwood put off filming the scene, ultimately deciding to perform the toss. This
presented a new problem for Siegel, however, since he had only ordered one badge for the
scene. Luckily, Eastwood nailed the take on the first try. (Just in case, a
large black cloth was placed in the pond in the hopes that they could have recovered it.)
If used, the alternate scene would have at least cleared up one thing that has
often been asked of the sequel: How did Harry get back on the force?
MAGNUM
FORCE
The Clothing Store Robbery
Before arriving at the scene of the Ricca murder, Harry and Early are driving around the
city. As Early talks, Harry notices a group of teens carrying a large bundle of
clothes that appear to be brand-new. They approach the group, but are not greeted
very warmly. As Early tries to question the suspects, Harry pulls one aside into an
alley. When Harry returns with the suspect, he is much more willing to admit the
clothes are stolen.
Here we see Harry upholding the law, as
well as his reputation for being "Dirty". It's possible that the scene was
cut to avoid showing Harry taking too many liberties with the law, given the nature of the
villains in the film.
Pigs On Stakeout
While staking out Palancio, Harry and Early exchange
a little small talk. Harry complains about the rats that are making noise while he
tries to rest. Early begins telling him about a guy he knew that kept pigs under his
bed in order to know when they were fat enough to sell. (When the bed started to
rise, it was time to sell.) This is what Early is talking about when he says, "You
know, I knew an old boy once, he used to keep pigs under his bed."
Davis' Speech
After leaving Charlie McCoy's family
at the airport, Harry and Davis drive back together. Davis needs
cigarettes, so they stop off at a bowling alley and decide to grab a
beer. As they enter, a group of young people leave and are quickly
followed by two guys in work uniforms. Davis suspects something
and follows them around the building. He arrives to find the two
guys beating the lone black teen of the group. As he begins fighting off one of the
attackers, the other charges with him a knife.
Harry appears, beer in hand, only to smash the charging
attacker's head with the bottle. He then rushes to the young man's aid and attempts
to revive him, but he is already dead. (The teen's friends have informed them that he
has a heart condition.) Turning his attention back to the struggle, he sees Davis
slam the other man's head into a car fender. When Harry points out that the man was
already unconscious, Davis simply smiles, "I know,". By now,
several onlookers have gathered around the young man's body.
Davis addresses the crowd, asking
them how much longer they will tolerate this sort of criminal
behavior in their city. As his speech becomes more heated,
Harry stands back, taking it all in curiously. One of the
largest scenes to be cut from the series, it was likely trimmed for
time and to avoid giving Harry another clue he didn't really need.
A little hint of the sequence can still be seen in the film:
As Harry and Early enter police headquarters, they pass the rookie
cops- bowling bags in hand- on their way out.
Checking Up On the Rookies
After Harry examines the bullet from Davis'
gun, his suspicions lead him to research the Rookies' backgrounds by taking a peek into
their files. He discovers similarities between their origins as well as some very
pro-law essays written by the Rookies themselves. This scene would have occurred
after Harry declines Early's dinner invitation, opting instead to go to Personnel.
Harry and Carol
After dinner at Carol McCoy's house, Carol surprises Harry by inquiring why he has
never made a pass at her, then attempts to kiss him. In the film, she is interrupted
by her children arguing, and Harry is saved from an awkward moment. However, an
alternate version of this exchange, with a very comfortable-looking Harry completing the
kiss, exists in stills from the film.
THE
ENFORCER
The Alternate Liquor
Store
The original sequence where Harry
interrupts the liquor store hold-up was slightly different from the one that ended up in
the film. Originally, it consisted of pages of dialogue and was more of a
negotiation-type scenario. It was Eastwood's idea to scrap the dialogue in favor of
the more direct approach, with Harry driving the car through the store. The result
was one of the most memorable scenes in the film.
Harry and the Hooker
As Harry enters the police station, en route to his first
day in Personnel, he sees some hookers being led away. One of the girls calls out to
him, and he recognizes her as Jenny, a witness from an old case. They exchange a
little small talk which ends with an offer for him to make use of her services someday
soon. Harry points out that it's unlikely, as he doesn't have the back for it.
A little Eastwood-style comic
relief that appears in the novel. If it ever appeared in a
draft of the script, it was probably cut as Harry's
session in Personnel already contained several moments of humor. It's worth noting,
however, considering the nature of the Enforcer case ("It
keeps comin' up hookers"). Perhaps Jenny was, at some point, intended to
provide Harry with information, in the same way that Mustapha assisted him.
Beers To You
Eastwood originally wanted an improvised barroom scene for Harry and
Kate. The scene was filmed with Eastwood and Tyne Daly ad-libbing
their dialogue- and consuming several pitchers as the shooting
progressed. The scene ended with Daly suddenly standing and
revealing (in character): "Excuse me, Harry, I have to pee."
After viewing a rough cut, Fargo and Eastwood decided that the
scene just didn't work. The improvised dialogue had made
editing the footage nearly impossible. Fargo then scripted the scene where
Harry and Kate grab a drink from a vendor near Coit Tower.
This is why Harry asks Kate if she wants to "go have a few beers",
yet they end up settling for apple juice.
Harry's Landlady
Attempting to get in touch with Harry following
his suspension, Bressler and McKay go to Harry's apartment. They encounter his
landlady who informs them that Harry isn't home. As they leave, McKay notes that the
landlady isn't very friendly or big on conversation, to which Bressler responds, "Why
do you think Harry lives here!" Here we see how Bressler and McKay found
Harry in the bar.
SUDDEN
IMPACT
Wilburn is Disowned
After arriving in San Paulo, Harry visits
the home of Wilburn, who has been murdered in San Francisco. He attempts to question
Wilburn's Mom, but she informs him that she has no son, despite Harry's attempts to reason
with her. She continues to tell him about the devil taking her son from her, so
Harry decides to try one of the neighbors. He talks to the lady next door, and
learns that Wilburn used to hang out at Ginley's Bar. This would explain how Harry
knew where to look for friends of Wilburn.
Jennifer at Tyrone's
Before Jennifer confronts Tyrone in his
garage, she first attempts to kill him at his hardware store. She arrives as the
store is about to close, and hides in the restroom until she is sure everyone has
left. Assuming that only Tyrone has remained behind to close out the register, she
quietly exits her hiding place, pausing to notice her reflection in the bathroom
mirror. Just as she is about to reveal her .38, the figure at the counter turns and
she sees that it isn't Tyrone, but a young employee. He informs her that they are
closed, and she hurriedly leaves the store.
Back in her car, she nervously
reflects on the incident. She considers what would have
happened if he had seen the gun, or if she had killed an innocent
man. She is shaken to realize that she can't decide which
scenario is worse- having her plan discovered, or being responsible
for an innocent death. As she goes to drive off, she again
notices the look in her eyes, this time in the rearview mirror.
An interesting scene, as we see
Jennifer being confronted with her actions, and the person she is
becoming as a result of them.
The Coffee Room
Not so much one particular scene, but
rather a recurring setting for several scenes. In the novelization, Harry and Bennett meet
several times in the coffee room, and Harry's outsider status with the department is more
clearly shown. In the film, it appears that more footage was originally shot of at
least one of these meetings. Watch for the only scene of them in the coffee room,
and note how quickly it jumps right into the middle of the conversation.
The Clown's Dance
After Harry and Jennifer share a drink at
the restaurant, he begins to escort her out. On the way, they encounter a clown
entertaining a small crowd, who attempts to get the two of them to dance. Jennifer
reluctantly begins to go with the clown, but Harry is not as willing. The clown
finally gives up, but not before arranging their arms so that they are locked in an
embrace. They spend a brief, awkward moment in each others' arms, then Jennifer
breaks away and leaves.
Essentially an opportunity to
throw Harry and Jennifer together, (literally), it provides further
hint at their budding romance. Watch carefully for a
glimpse of the only part of the scene that made the film. As
Harry and Meathead walk up the sidewalk towards the cafe, you can
see the clown visible in the background.
