FILM · 1968 · USA
Coogan's Bluff
30 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (30)
- #001
While Coogan (Clint Eastwood) searches for a New York City nightclub, a scene from Tarantula (1955), the "B" science-fiction film that was Eastwood's fourth movie, plays on a large screen.
- #002
According to screenwriter Dean Riesner, who held script meetings with Clint Eastwood in his hotel outside working hours, "I'd leave his suite, I'd be walking down the hall and a girl would come the other way down the hall and head for Clint's room." Riesner added, "There were always a bunch of girls around him, I'll tell you that. Girls from the office, girls around the set, girls in the picture."
- #003
Coogan's Bluff in New York City is the name of a large cliff in Manhattan that runs north from 155th Street, near the film's climax in Fort Tryon Park in Washington Heights. It overlooked the legendary Polo Grounds, home of the baseball team the New York Giants from 1890 to 1964 and the first home of the New York Mets before the Polo Grounds was demolished in 1964.
- #004
It is the first of five films that Eastwood and director Don Siegel would make together.
- #005
The helipad shown in the film closed in 1968, the year of the film's premiere. It reopened in 1973, but was permanently closed after a helicopter tipped over, killing several people on the roof and a woman in the street below.
- #006
This was the first of five Eastwood films to feature Albert Popwell; the other four were all "Dirty Harry" films. Oddly, he played a different character in each, most famously the bank robber who receives the original "Do you feel lucky?" speech.
- #007
The film inspired the television series McCloud (1970), starring Dennis Weaver. Herman Miller had written this film's story and later changed several details to create McCloud.
- #008
He appears uncredited as a man in the elevator.
- #009
Just before shooting, Clint Eastwood had never heard the name of producer and director Don Siegel, and Siegel had neither heard of nor seen any film starring Eastwood. So each of them watched several of the other's films on his own side.
- #010
(At about the 27th minute) The record changer briefly shown in Julie Roth's (Susan Clark) apartment is very rare. It is a General Electric Vacu-Magic model from around 1962. It was made specially for GE by the V-M Corporation and used one of its very common 1200-series mechanisms. These changers were supplied only in high-end model consoles. There is a small vacuum hose that runs through the tone arm and is claimed to collect dust near the point where the needle contacts the record. Part of the white hose emerging from behind the tone arm can be seen below the surface on which the record changer is mounted. It was mostly a useless gimmick. If there is a particle of dust large enough to actually be sucked up by the mechanism, that means the owner seriously neglected the care of his records in the first place. The gold-colored metal slotted opening on the front edge of the console cabinet was part of the Vacu-Magic package. It supposedly provided a holder for twelve-inch records that allowed the owner to remove and change the album cover without having to touch the record's surface.
- #011
It was Betty Field's (Ellen Ringerman) last cinema film.
- #012
Albert Popwell plays Wonderful Digby, whom Clint Eastwood comes down on top of with a broken bottle; in Dirty Harry (1971) he would again face a .44 Magnum.
- #013
Coogan is shown landing at what was then known as the Pan Am Building (since 1981 the Met Life Building) in a 1964 Boeing-Vertol BV 107-11, registration N108PA. It had originally been ordered by Pan Am but was operated under contract by New York Airways. As of 2022 it is still registered as airworthy and flies in Alaska under the registration N189CH.
- #014
In the final chase, Coogan (Clint Eastwood) rides a 650cc Triumph TR6 motorcycle while James Ringerman (Don Stroud) rides a 500cc Triumph T100 R Daytona, and in the photograph displayed in Ellen Ringerman's (Betty Field) apartment he appears together with Linny (Tisha Sterling).
- #015
It is one of the few films in which Clint Eastwood, who never smoked in his life, is seen regularly smoking.
- #016
Tom Tully, who plays Coogan's superior, played Dan Yates, Rowdy Yates's father, in an episode of Clint Eastwood's Rawhide.
- #017
While Julie Roth (Susan Clark) prepares dinner, she appears to hum the last verse of "Gloomy Sunday."
- #018
At the end of the film, Coogan is depicted taking off in a 1966 Boeing-Vertol BV 107-11, registration N107PA, owned by Pan Am and operated by New York Airways. As of 2022 it is still registered as N188CH and still flying. The helicopter shown landing on the Pan Am Building helipad is another 1964 Boeing-Vertol BV 107-11, registration N6682D. As of 2022 it is still registered with the FAA.
- #019
Although he is referred to in the film as both "boy" and "kid," the character "John, Young Hood" was played by Seymour Cassel. Cassel was 33 years old during production and, with his rugged features, could easily have played much older characters.
- #020
It is one of two films directed by Don Siegel in which Clint Eastwood starred as a police officer. The second was Dirty Harry (1971).
- #021
At the beginning of the film, Coogan drives a Jeep CJ-6.
- #022
The original director was Alex Segal, who was attached shortly before production began.
- #023
Clint Eastwood and Don Stroud both appeared in Joe Kidd (1972).
- #024
This was producer and director Don Siegel's second consecutive film after Madigan (1968), and a series followed.
- #025
Composer Lalo Schifrin also composed the Mission: Impossible theme.
- #026
The pinball machine visible in the background of the pool hall scene is "Thing," a 1951 table by Chicago Coin.
- #027
After landing on the helipad of the Pan-Am building, Coogan gets into a blue-and-white NYC taxi. The film was shot in late 1967, after the city had decided that year to paint all NYC taxis solid yellow, making this the last film to show a non-yellow taxi in NYC.
- #028
The Italian censorship visa # 52796 was issued on September 30, 1968.
- #029
For the Castilian Spanish version, Ernesto Aura dubbed the voice of Clint Eastwood.
- #030
The address Coogan gives the taxi driver in NYC — 177 East 104th Street — was an old New York City Police Department (NYPD) police station. The 28th Police Precinct Station House is now a New York City historic landmark. Since 1981 it has been owned by Hope Community Hall of Hope Community Inc., a non-profit housing organization.
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