Dirty Harry Goes to War Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lafayette Escadrille

"Lafayette Escadrille" has been criticized as more of a love story than a war movie. It follows the tale of American pilots, played by Tab Hunter, David Janssen, Will Hutchins, and Clint Eastwood in an early supporting role, as they join the the famous Lafayette Escadrille, a unit of the French Air Service made up mostly of Americans.

The war is merely the backdrop for the love story between Tab Hunter's character, Thad Walker, and the French girl he falls for. The 2006 movie "Flyboys" follows much the same plot but is much more of a war movie than "Lafayette Escadrille".

Answer: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

"The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" was the third movie in Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy, featuring Clint Eastwood as the 'Man with No Name'. The other two were "A Fist Full of Dollars" and "For a Few Dollars More". Although the three main characters are not participants in the Civil War in the traditional sense, the war does intersect the movie often and in important ways. Eastwood is 'The Good', Lee Van Cleef is 'The Bad', and Eli Wallach is 'The Ugly'. They are all three after stolen Confederate gold.

The soundtrack, by Ennio Morricone, for the film was released in 1966, along with the movie. The soundtrack reached number four on the US Billboard 200 album chart and number ten on the R & B album chart. A cover version of the main theme by Hugo Montenegro reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968.

Answer: Where Eagles Dare

The movie is based on a novel by Alistair MacLean, who also wrote "The Guns of Navarone" and "Force Ten From Navarone", both of which were turned into movies. Richard Burton is the commander of a squad of British commandos. Eastwood is an American Lieutenant attached to the unit at the last minute. During the raid things go bad because there is a double agent on the team.

Answer: Kelly's Heroes

"Kelly's Heroes" had an all-star cast along with Eastwood, including Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, Don Rickles, Carroll O'Connor, and Gavin McLeod. Eastwood's character finds out about a bank, 30 miles behind enemy lines, that has a stash of German gold.

He devises a plan to go after the gold to keep for himself and gets the rest to go along with the scheme, so they can all get rich.

Answer: The Beguiled

"The Beguiled" was based on a novel of the same name by Thomas Cullinan. The movie is set towards the end of the war in Louisiana. Eastwood plays the wounded soldier. Because of the war, men have been scarce and Eastwood charms the girls and women of the school with tragic results.

The movie originally had a happy ending but Eastwood and the director, Don Siegel, thought it should stay truer to the novel and end badly. Siegel also directed Eastwood in "Two Mules for Sister Sara", "Coogan's Bluff", "Dirty Harry", and "Escape from Alcatraz".

Answer: The Outlaw Josey Wales

"The Outlaw Josey Wales" is considered a classic by many and was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation because of its significance. Eastwood plays the title character, a Missouri farmer whose family has been killed by raiding pro-Union Jayhawkers from Kansas.

He joins forces with 'Bloody Bill' Anderson and fights for the Confederacy. After the war he refuses to surrender and heads to Texas, pursued by Redlegs, Union cavalry who used to be Jayhawkers.

Answer: Heartbreak Ridge

"Heartbreak Ridge" tells the story of Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Highway, a tough as nails career Marine, played by Eastwood. The movie also stars Mario Van Peebles as one of the Recon squad members. Highway is haunted by what happened in the Korean War, a place where he won the Congressional Medal of Honor.

He takes a group of undisciplined soldiers and turns them into a top-notch Recon team. They get the chance to prove their mettle when the Invasion of Grenada happens.

Answer: Firefox

"Firefox" is based on a novel of the same name by Craig Thomas. The movie surrounds the fictional MiG-31 Firefox, a Soviet fighter with stealth technology and the capability of going Mach 6. Eastwood's character, Major Gant, is tasked with stealing it from a Soviet base and flying it back to friendly territory.

There is a real MiG-31 but it is called the Foxhound, not the Firefox. It does not have any of the capabilities of the fictional MiG-31.

Answer: Flags of Our Fathers

Eastwood directed "Flags of Our Fathers", based on a book of the same name written by James Bradley and Ron Powers. It follows the story of the seven Marines who raised the flag over Iwo Jima. These men were Sgt. Hank Hansen, Sgt. Mike Strank, Cpl. Harlon Block, Pfc. Rene Gagnon, Pfc. Ira Hayes, Pfc. Franklin Sousley, and Pfc. Ralph Ignatowski.

The movie not only chronicles their combat exploits but also the aftermath in their lives. "Letters from Iwo Jima" was a companion to the movie, taking a look at the battle from the Japanese side.

Answer: Letters from Iwo Jima

"Letters from Iwo Jima" was a companion to "Flags of Our Fathers", both of which were directed by Eastwood. This movie however looks at the battle from the viewpoint of the Japanese and is filmed almost entirely in Japanese. The film is based on two nonfiction books, "Picture Letters from the Commander in Chief" by General Tadamichi Kuribayashi and "So Sad To Fall In Battle: An Account of War" by Kumiko Kakehashi.