When I saw the above picture of Clint Eastwood in ‘Paris Match’ magazine (February 12, 2020 issue), I was deeply affected for many reasons. The photos of Clint and Kyle Eastwood as father and son and the interview made with both of them seemed very intimate to me.
I remember Clint Eastwood as the hero of the western films I used to watch with my family in my childhood on Sundays. I still regret that I had not been able to go to a live performance by him in San Francisco while I was there in year 2001.
No need to introduce Clint Eastwood in detail. He is an American actor, filmmaker, musician and he is a living legend with numerous splendid films he either directed or starred in and which he has gifted to the world cinema. In 1960s he was the “Man with no Name” in ‘A Fistful of Dollars‘, ‘For a Few Dollars More‘, ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly‘; in 1970s and 1980s he was “Inspector Harry Callahan” in the five ‘Dirty Harry‘ films. Some of his other well-known films are ‘Escape From Alcatraz‘, ‘Firefox‘, ‘Unforgiven‘, ‘The Bridges of Madison Country‘, ‘Mystic River‘, ‘Million Dollar Baby‘, ‘Letters From Iwo Jima‘, ‘Invictus‘ and ‘American Sniper‘. He received several rewards such as Academy awards of ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Director’ for his epic works. In 2007, he was awarded the ‘Legion of Honour’ medal in France. In 2000, he was awarded the Italian Venice Film Festival ‘Golden Lion’ for lifetime achievement. Elected in 1986, Clint Eastwood also served as the mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California for two years.
I have learned from my research that during his mayorship, Clint Eastwood preserved and restored the Mission Ranch in Carmel – hotel and restaurant known for its American cuisine and Piano Bar, with views of Carmel River Beach and the Pacific Ocean where you can watch the sheep graze in the meadow – where the above beautiful photo is taken. (missionranchcarmel.com). The beauty of this place is one of the reasons that the photo above has affected me.
Carmel-by-the-Sea is a pretty seaside town known for its breathtaking beauty and scenery. Carmel had been home to several artists and writers like Jack London, Upton Sinclair and Henry Miller besides Clint Eastwood. Carmel is also known by its unique local architecture, charming homes and cottages.
(You may check here in Amazon for the book “Cottages by the Sea, The Handmade Homes of Carmel, America’s First Artist Community” that drew my interest. You may also check here for the book “Historic Homes and Inns of Carmel-By-The-Sea” and here for the book “Historic Buildings of Downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea“.).
‘Mission Ranch’ in Carmel, California (missionranchcarmel.com)
Another reason I was affected by the photo was to see a living legend healthy, peaceful and happy with his son. Clint Eastwood is still productive and has genuine social responsibility. As I have read in the article in ‘Paris Match’ magazine, he directed and produced the film “Richard Jewell” last year when he was 89 years old. The film is based on the real life story of security guard Richard Jewell who saved hundreds of lives during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta by alerting the authorities to evacuate the area where he had found a bomb yet later was wrongly accused by FBI of having placed the bomb himself. Having lead a life under pressure, Jewell died at 44 years old of heart attack, ten years after the facts were revealed. Although the film drew reactions, Clint Eastwood defended his work and stood against the injustice made against Jewell. In the interview, his other latest film “The Mule” -released in December 2018- directed by himself where he also plays the lead role is also mentioned. He says that he liked to play in “The Mule” based on the story of a veteran who became a drug courier for a cartel. The film was thought to be a self-portrait of Clint Eastwood and Kyle Eastwood states in the interview that there are elements of his father’s life in the film.
Kyle Eastwood is the oldest son of Clint Eastwood from his first wife Maggie Johnson. He lives in Paris. He is a musician – a contrabass player- and has recently issued a new album ‘Cinematic‘, a jazz album of some of cinema’s classic soundtracks. Clint Eastwood had directed and had starred with his son in the film “HonkyTonk Man” in 1982. However, Kyle Eastwood chose music as a carrier also with the effect and support of his father. They worked on several projects together including the soundtrack of ”Mystic River” in 2003.
Clint and Kyle Eastwood (Photo from: Paris Match)
I learned from the article and the interview in Paris Match magazine that music -especially jazz- is the common passion of the father and son. It is stated that being a musician was the dream of Clint Eastwood who was born in Oakland. He used to listen the blues radio and was going to the places and clubs where extraordinary jazz musicians used to play. He took lessons of piano in his childhood and played in some concerts with his fiends in his youth. Yet he had to depart from his musical track when he was called by the army in 1951. I was also surprised to learn that Clint Eastwood had never thought of becoming an actor at all. He took evening courses for becoming an actor with his military pension while he was in Los Angeles which started a completely different career for him.
Clint Eastwood tells in the interview that when Kyle Eastwood was in his 20s, he used to take Kyle to a club in Los Angeles where bassist Bunny Brunel and Bill Watrous– -one of the best trombonists- used to play. He tells that when Kyle, who used to play the guitar until then, told him that what he wanted was what those people did in that club, he called Bunny by phone to ask him if he knew a bass prof. He tells that Bunny Brunel answered him back that the prof was Bunny himself thus the route of Kyle has started, which is a pleasant anectode showing the support of Clint Eastwood for his son. Kyle Eastwood tells that his parents used to listen to jazz basically in 1970s thus he had a good ear for jazz.
(Paris Match) 
Eight children of Clint Eastwood at the preview of his film ‘The Mule’ (Paris Match)
I did not know that Clint Eastwood was born in Oakland – just the right and perfect place for jazz. I still remember the live jazz concert of David Benoit I went to at Yoshi’s Jazz Club in Oakland. The place was very cute of many small tables facing the scene where we enjoyed our drinks while listening to the concert. The performance of David Benoit was excellent. The concert was such an unforgettable experience for me that I still keep the ticket and the card of the place where I strongly suggest especially for jazz lovers. While I was in the US, I used to enjoy the free jazz concerts of students held in UC Berkeley as well which were very pleasant.
I am a jazz lover. I especially like soft jazz. I think jazz music is not something that can be told but must be lived and experienced. That is why I loved the words of Kyle Eastwood that I read in the interview in Paris Match magazine. I want to finish this post with this quote -first the original, then the translation:
”L’AMOUR DU JAZZ NE SE TRANSMET PAS UN JOUR EN BOUT DE TABLE. C’EST UNE ACCUMULATION DE SOUVENIRS ET D’ENVIES.”
”THE LOVE OF JAZZ IS NOT TRANSMITTED ONE DAY AT THE END OF THE TABLE. IT IS AN ACCUMULATION OF MEMORIES AND DESIRES.” (Kyle Eastwood)
Notes: You may check here in Amazon for the albums of Kyle Eastwood including “Cinematic”. The books “Sittin’ In: Jazz Clubs of the 1940s and 1950s” here and “The Great Jazz Interviews” here also drew my interest.
You may check here for “40-Film Collection (Collector’s Edition) of Clint Eastwood“, and here for “Clint Eastwood 6-movie Western Collection“. Alternatively, you may check here for “Clint Eastwood Director’s Collection (Blu-ray)” and here for “Clint Eastwood 20 Film Collection (Blu-ray)“.
