Any Which Way You Can

Any Which Way You Can
Directed by Buddy Van Horn
Produced by Robert Daley, Fritz Manes
Written by Stanford Sherman
Jeremy Joe Kronsberg (characters)
Starring
Cinematography David Worth
Edited by
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • December 17, 1980 (1980-12-17)
Running time
 116 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $15 million[1]
Box office $70.7 million (North America)[2]

Any Which Way You Can is a 1980 American action comedy film, starring Clint Eastwood, with Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis, William Smith, and Ruth Gordon in supporting roles. It was directed by Buddy Van Horn. The film is the sequel to the 1978 hit comedy Every Which Way but Loose.

Plot

Two years after throwing his fight with Tank Murdock, Philo Beddoe is still fighting in underground bare-knuckle boxing matches to make money on the side. Philo decides to retire when he realizes that he has started to enjoy the pain. Philo and his manager Orville decide to end his career. The problem is Jack Wilson, a new breed of fighter from the east coast who mixes martial arts with boxing. He is so effective at maiming his opponents that his handlers cannot book fights for him.

The Black Widows, the biker gang with a long-running grudge against Philo, make their return. They still want revenge for the destruction of their bikes. However, Philo bests them in a chase that runs through an asphalt machine during a road-paving project. They lose their hair and must wear wigs and penciled-on eyebrows to camouflage their appearance.

After a fight between a mongoose and a rattlesnake, one of the handlers realizes that if Philo, king of the west coast brawlers, agreed to fight Wilson it would be the biggest draw in the history of bare-knuckle boxing. The Handlers, led by handicapper Jimmy Beekman, in conjunction with the Mafia, kidnap Philo's love interest, country-western singer Lynn Halsey-Taylor, in order to coerce Philo to agree to the fight.

Wilson, however, is a prize fighter with a sense of right and wrong. After learning of the plot, and helping Philo and Orville rescue Lynn, he decides they really don't need to fight to prove who is best. On the other hand, both fighters' personal pride makes them wonder who would have won. The brawl between the two characters ends up taking place, but is punctuated by pauses and personal reflections on their mutual admiration. Wilson breaks Philo's arm and offers to end the fight, but the two men continue the brawl. Meanwhile, the Black Widows bet everything they have on Philo because, despite their rivalry, they know he is the better fighter. When the mobsters decide to kill Philo once he gains the upper hand, the Black Widows protect their investment by beating up the Mafia men. After a long fight, Philo knocks Wilson out long enough to qualify for a win. Wilson helps Philo to the hospital to have his arm looked at, and the fighters and their friends have a beer at a bar.

Cast

Production

Any Which Way You Can started filming in summer 1980.[3] The film was filmed in the California communities of Sun Valley, North Hollywood, and Bakersfield, and in Jackson, Wyoming.[3]

Glen Campbell performed the "Any Which Way You Can" title song track in the final scene of the movie, and the song was a Top-10 hit on the country music charts.[4]

Animal Cruelty

The orangutan that portrayed Beddoe's sidekick, Clyde, was beaten to death with an ax handle by its trainer for stealing doughnuts from the set. Buddha the orangutan died of a cerebral hemorrhage.[5]

Reception

Box office

Any Which Way You Can was the 5th highest-grossing film of 1980.[6] The film has had total gross receipts of $70,687,344 in North America.[2][7]

Soundtrack

The Sound Track Music From Clint Eastwood's Any Which Way You Can
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released 1980
Genre Country
Label Viva Records (U.S.)
Warner Bros. Records
Producer Various Artists
Singles from The Sound Track Music From Clint Eastwood's Any Which Way You Can
  1. "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma"
    Released: January 1981

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Beers to You"Steve Dorff, John Durrill, Sandy Pinkard and Snuff GarrettRay Charles and Clint Eastwood2:42
2."Any Which Way You Can"Milton Brown, Steve Dorff and Snuff GarrettGlen Campbell3:13
3."You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma"Larry Collins and Sandy PinkardDavid Frizzell and Shelly West3:21
4."Whiskey Heaven"Cliff Crofford, John Durrill and Snuff GarrettFats Domino3:00
5."One Too Many Women in Your Life"John Durrill and Phil EverlySondra Locke2:06
6."Cow Patti"Jim StaffordJim Stafford3:12
7."Acapulco"Larry Collins and M. LeathJohnny Duncan3:31
8."Any Way You Want Me"L. OffmanGene Watson2:49
9."Cotton-Eyed Clint" (Instrumental)Adapted by Steve Dorff and Snuff GarrettThe Texas Opera Company1:42
10."Orangutan Hall of Fame"Cliff Crofford and Snuff GarrettCliff Crofford1:00
11."Too Loose"Milton Brown, Steve Dorff and Snuff GarrettSondra Locke1:58
12."The Good Guys and the Bad Guys"John Durrill and Snuff GarrettJohn Durrill2:34

Chart performance

Chart (1980) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums 5
U.S. Billboard 200 141
Canadian RPM Country Albums 7

References

  1. ↑ Box Office Information for Any Which Way You Can. The Wrap. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Any Which Way You Can". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  3. 1 2 Hughes, p.127
  4. ↑ The Clint Eastwood Handbook - Everything you need to know about Clint Eastwood
  5. ↑ "'Every which way but abuse' should be motto". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ↑ 1980 Yearly Box Office Results Box Office Mojo
  7. ↑ Hughes, p.128

Bibliography

  • Hughes, Howard (2009). Aim for the Heart. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84511-902-7.
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