Dirty Harry

Clint Eastwood features large in Vanessa Clark's February article on famous catchphrases (Spotlight 2/2010). He created the iconic macho persona of Inspector Harry Callahan, aka Dirty Harry, who makes smart-ass comments and can turn a gunfight into a dramatic and philosophical game of chance:

Transcript:

"I know what you’re thinkin'. 'Did he fire six shots or only five?' Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I've 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 you, punk?" (Dirty Harry, 1971)

That catchphrase was frequently adapted, for instance by Google in their "I'm Feeling Lucky!" ("Auf gut Glück!") search button, which automatically takes you to the first result and gives your search a shot of audacity.

But Dirty Harry's most famous phrase is certainly "Go ahead: make my day!" (meaning: "do it to please me") from Sudden Impact. This week, study that movie scene and meet Clint Eastwood himself to find out what he thinks of Dirty Harry today. Practise listening comprehension and spoken grammar.

Anne Hodgson