80/80 - A man's gotta know his limitations

"Macho is probably one of the mis-used words in the language. I think most macho guys on the screen are sensitive. I think Bogart and Cagney and Wayne could all portray great sensitivity." Clint Eastwood, Cosmopolitan interview 1980

Clint already knew what his next project would be while he was filming Tightrope - Kansas City Jazz would be directed by Blake Edwards and see Clint teamed up with fellow superstar Burt Reynolds. However trouble was brewing largely because whilst Reynolds got on with director Blake Edwards, Clint couldn't stand the man. There several arguments and in Feb 1984, just before cameras were due to roll, the studio put out an announcement stating that Blake Edwards was no longer on the project. The reason given was creative differences.

Richard Benjamin was hired as director, on Clint's suggestion, and the title of the movie was changed to City Heat.

The shoot was a nightmare - Burt Reynolds was ill for much of the time and also fractured his jaw when a stunt men accidentally hit him with a real chair.In fact so ill was Reynolds that there were reports in the press that he had AIDS but this thankfully proved to be false.

Clint had been tinkering with the script, putting in slapstick scene after slapstick scene. The star thought he was improving Edward's script but many felt that he was taking away all of the subtle comedy that made the script so exciting. Clint claimed that he only made slight alterations but they were enough for Edwards to have his name removed from the scripts and the pen name Sam O. Brown substituted.

"City Heat" opened at Xmas against "Beverly Hills Cop" and new star Eddie Murphy wiped out old stars Eastwood and Reynolds . Reynolds would never be a top star again. Adding insult to injury, the ad tag line "The Heat is On!" first used by "City Heat" was shifted to "Beverly Hills Cop" when "City Heat" disappeared from theaters.

It is no surprise that the film was dismal and a rare mis-fire for Clint. It did however, thanks to the pulling power of the two stars, manage to take in $50 million. Financially it was a success but this is one of the few Eastwood films that doesn't really have a cult following.