DIRTY HARRY

Copyright Warner Bros. Pictures

One of the iconic movies of the 1970s is Dirty Harry, which was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2012 by the U.S. Library of Congress for meeting the criteria of being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant." "Dirty Harry" refers to the character Harry Callahan, played by Clint Eastwood. Callahan is the stereotypical politically incorrect San Francisco police detective who gets the job done by playing by his own rules, defying authority, shooting bad people, etc. etc.

Callahan, however, does not have the leading role in the film. That honor goes to the sidearm he carries--a Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 magnum revolver with a six-and-half inch barrel. At the time, the .44 magnum was the one of the most powerful commercially available handguns and packed substantially more energy than its more popular rival, the .357 magnum. Yet, until the movie was made, the Model 29 was relatively obscure and rarely encountered. In fact, the factory suspended production due to lack of demand. The weapon's high price, bulky dimensions, heavy weight, expensive ammunition, over-penetration, and abusive recoil did not appeal to most shooters. Once the film was released, however the Model 29 achieved fame and popularity and sales skyrocketed--and surged again each time one of the four sequels to the picture was released and even each time one of the movies was shown on prime-time television.

Countless males who have suffered when ensnared into enduring estrogen-engorged epics such as The Notebook, Sleepless in Seattle, or the deceptively disguised chick flic, Pearl Harbor, have been able to obtain partial relief during their ordeal by replaying in their minds the witty and urbane dialogue from Dirty Harry, including the following cerebral observations made by Detective Callahan to a suspect after Callahan had emptied several rounds from his revolver during a gunfight. It is pertinent to the discussion to understand that Callahan was covering the wrongdoer with his .44 while the bad guy was obviously contemplating lunging for a nearby weapon on the ground:

“I know what you’re thinking. ‘Did he fire six shots or only five?’ Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?*"

Clint Eastwood was not an original candidate to star in the movie. Warner Bros. purchased the screenplay specifically with Frank Sinatra in mind for the character of Harry Callahan. Sinatra was enthusiastic about the role until he became more acquainted with his co-star--the Model 29. Ol' Blue Eyes had injured his wrist in filming The Manchurian Candidate, and the .44 magnum was simply too heavy for him to handle. Steve McQueen, John Wayne, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, and Burt Lancaster also turned down the part, and studio executives were forced to turn to Clint Eastwood instead. The rest is history.

Finally, the .44 magnum is no longer king of the Smith & Wesson line. S&W now makes a Model 500 .50 caliber magnum revolver suitable primarily for hunting Tyrannosaurs or winning magnum-measuring contests. Several jurisdictions have attempted to ban it, notwithstanding the fact that most street thugs do not favor a hard-to-conceal 15-inch-long $1500+ handgun for use in robbing liquor stores or otherwise plying their trade.

*To find out if the punk felt lucky, please click here.