Marshal Jed Cooper

I have always wanted to meet Clint Eastwood. My father worked with him in White Sands, New Mexico on a film called Hang Em High. That was 3 years before Dirty Harry, I don't think Eastwood was a household name yet. My dad came back from that film with a cowboy tan. Very dark arms, tanned face but with legs whiter than Will Ferrell. I can't remember any stories about the movie or Clint. I wish the hell I could. My dad died about 11 years later.

The Clint story I have is second hand. I heard it from Brian Helgeland, one of the top screenwriters in town, who was working with Eastwood on Mystic River. Helgeland has a quiet, very smart way about him. His Payback Straight Up Interview reveals a man who can not only write well but tell great stories during interviews.

Mystic River. Directed by Clint Eastwood, the mysterious drama Mystic River is based on the novel by Dennis Lehane and adapted by screenwriter Brian Helgeland. Set in an Irish neighborhood in Boston... I think Helgeland had to do some cajoling to get Clint to shoot in Boston. I don't know how much, and I don't know for sure if that's what went down. But Helgeland and Eastwood were scouting neighborhoods in Boston. It was a hot summer night. Insurance wise you have a Film Corporation and a twice nominated Oscar screenwriter walking by themselves in a neighborhood where they could have been hurt. As Helgeland described Eastwood he explained that Eastwood is a man of few words. He's incredibly thoughtful and when he speaks everybody listens. So they were walking quietly down the street at Eastwood's deliberately slow pace. They walked to the early evening sounds, getting the feel and maybe considering images for the film. Or maybe they were just walking off dinner.

Because of the summer heat everyone had their windows open. It was around 7 pm. Helgeland said they walked down a row of houses and as they passed one house he heard a man yelling to his wife. "Hey, Come to the window. You won't believe it! Clint Eastwood just walked past our house!" They kept walking. The wife's angry voice said "Shut Up! I told you, you drink too much." Helgeland and Eastwood were nearly at the end of the block. The Husband, "No I'm tellin ya it's goddamn Clint Eastwood! He walked right past our house!" As Helgeland told it they kept walking. Quietly. While the house with the angry couple yelled at each other, Eastwood's face didn't crack a millimeter.

A few weeks back, at night - I was hanging alone on a quiet street near The Blue Whale (The Pacific Design Center) It was a strangely sad night. I stared up at the building as it changed colors. I reviewed things as you do when you can think without distractions. Then I saw the unmistakable outline of Marshal Jed Cooper. It was goddamn Clint Eastwood. He was walking a young woman to her car. She was a film director by the way they spoke. She thanked "Mister Eastwood" for watching her movie. He wished her luck and walked down Melrose. By himself. Slowly.

And I wanted to yell at my dad and tell him that I just saw goddamn Marshal Jed Cooper.

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Clint Eastwood, Brian Helgeland, Mystic River, Payback Straight Up, Hang Em High,Marshal Jed Cooper