Every Which Way but Loose (1978)

The San Fernando Valley adventures of trucker turned prize-fighter Philo Beddoe and his pet orangutan Clyde.

Director:

James Fargo

Writer:

Jeremy Joe Kronsberg

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	Philo Beddoe
Sondra Locke	...	Lynn Halsey-Taylor
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Orville
Beverly D'Angelo	...	Echo
Walter Barnes	...	Tank Murdock
George Chandler	...	Clerk at D.M.V.
Roy Jenson	...	Woody
James McEachin	...	Herb
Bill McKinney	...	Dallas
William O'Connell	...	Elmo
John Quade	...	Cholla
Dan Vadis	...	Frank
Gregory Walcott	...	Putnam
Hank Worden	...	Trailer Court Manager
Ruth Gordon	...	Ma

Storyline

Philo Beddoe (Clint Eastwood) is an easy-going trucker and a great fist-fighter. With two friends, Orville (Geoffrey Lewis), who promotes prize-fights for him, and Clyde (Manis the Orangutan), the orangutan he won on a bet, he roams the San Fernando Valley in search of cold beer, country music, and the occasional punch-up. But he is floored by dainty little country and western singer, Lynn Halsey-Taylor (Sondra Locke), who gives him the slip when she realizes he's getting too serious. Phil, Clyde, and Orville set off in pursuit, pestered by bikers.

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Plot Keywords:

orangutan | biker leader | headband | outlaw gang | ape | 

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Taglines:

Clint Eastwood will turn you Every Which Way But Loose

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Genres:

Action | Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Popi", the orangutan who played Clyde's girlfriend, now lives at the same ape sanctuary as Michael Jackson's chimpanzee, Bubbles, along with many other retired show business apes.

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Goofs

The fighter Philo beat up at the meat packing plant can later be seen among the men at the Tank Murdock fight.

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Quotes

Herb: [to himself, about Putnam] My white boy's one crazy motherfucker!

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Connections

Referenced in Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1984)

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Soundtracks

Six Pack To Go
Written by Hank Thompson (as Thompson), Johnny Lowe (as Lowe) and Dick Hart (as Hart)
Sung by Hank Thompson

User Reviews

There's just something endearing about this orangutan and his truck-driving best buddy; an unexpected joy.

Sure, 'Every Which Way But Loose (1978)' is silly, but there's just something inherently endearing about seeing an orangutan and his truck-driving best buddy drink beer, get laid (yes, the ape sees some action) and bare-knuckle brawl their way through bent coppers and members of a Nazi biker gang as they traipse across the country after a girl who's up and vanished with both Eastwood's heart and a fistful (seven thousand) of his Dollars. It is a delightfully light flick, the brazenly bizarre core concepts are gleefully glossed over to the point of pure passive acceptance on the part of the audience, and as such is highly entertaining throughout, settling into its loose plot with a relaxed pace that pushes it from fun set-piece to fun set-piece while constantly keeping a smile on your face and burrowing its own private place within your heart. An unexpected joy. 7/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 December 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Coming of Philo Beddoe

Filming Locations:

Cottonwood Court, 1742 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,272,294, 24 December 1978

Gross USA:

$85,196,485

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$85,196,485

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., The Malpaso Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1