Dirty Harry, Don Siegel's classic 1971 cop and psycho movie, is totally faithful to San Francisco locations. Its wild goose chase scene, in which Harry must run from phone booth to phone booth, uses unusual locations to show off the city without resorting to San Francisco visual cliches.

Directed/Produced by Don Siegel
Screenplay by Harry Julian Fink,
Rita M. Fink and Dean Riesner

"Well I'm all broken up about that man's rights."

San Francisco is threatened by Scorpio, a killer who has vowed to kill a person a day until his demands have been met by the city. After escaping a trap that the police set for him, Scorpio decides to raise the stakes. He kidnaps a young girl and buries her alive, forcing the city into a race against time before the girl's oxygen supply runs out. After the mayor agrees to his terms, Harry Callahan is assigned the task of bagman. But Harry has his own ideas about what to take to Scorpio, and he'll see he delivers it- even if he has to make the case personal.

The Original Dirty Harry
The script, Dead Right, was first offered to Frank Sinatra and Paul Newman. Sinatra nearly had the role, but had to turn it down due to a wrist injury prior to filming. Newman was concerned about the political message of the film, and is said to have suggested Eastwood for the part.

It's also rumoured that the role was intended for John Wayne, but that he declined due to the violent nature of the film.

The original character of Dirty Harry was that of an older, New York cop nearing retirement. After the role went to Eastwood, the part was rewritten to accommodate more action sequences.

Eastwood approached Siegel with four drafts of the film- the original and three rewrites. (One of which is credited to Terrence Malick.)

John Milius has long maintained that he was asked to revise the script at the last minute. To this day, he claims credit for the version of the "Do I Feel Lucky" speech that appears in the film.

The first choice for director was between Irvin Kershner or Sidney Pollack. Kershner ended up being set to direct, only to be left out after Sinatra declined.

Eastwood and Siegel almost chose Seattle as the film's setting, but ultimately decided to change it to San Francisco. It seems they had both seen the San Francisco 49er's last game at Kezar Stadium, and decided it would be a perfect place to film a showdown.

Scorpio
The character was based on the Zodiac Killer, who terrorized San Francisco in the late sixties and was never caught. He once sent the city a note threatening to hijack and kill a busload of schoolchildren, which is where the inspiration for Scorpio's similar feat originated.

Audie Murphy was first approached to play Scorpio. He was killed in a plane crash in 1971, before his decision on the role was known.

Andrew Robinson was apparently a little too convincing as the mad killer, Scorpio. He received death threats after the film's release and eventually had to get an unlisted phone number. He also found trouble getting in to auditions- many producers really thought he was crazy.

Look carefully at Scorpio's outfit, and you'll notice a peace symbol belt buckle. While the press had their own interpretation of this, Siegel's explanation of it was simply, "It reminds us that no matter how vicious a person is, when he looks in the mirror he is still blind to what he truly is".

The original draft had Scorpio meeting his end at the hands of a sharpshooter- not Dirty Harry.

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