The Good, the Bad, and the Very Ugly: A Hollywood Journey | 
| Author: Sondra Locke
Publisher: William Morrow & Co
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy Used: $1.28
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Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 56792
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 371
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3
ISBN: 068815462X
Dewey Decimal Number: 791.43028092
EAN: 9780688154622
ASIN: 068815462X
Publication Date: November 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In this jaw-dropping account of Sondra Locke's thirteen-year relationship with Clint Eastwood, the actress reveals not only the good, romantic times with the legendary actor but also the bad times, when he controlled her career and manipulated her into being the perfect little woman at home. Locke also unveils the explosive details of what led them into the courtroom, and finally, shares the story of her triumph over breast cancer. of photos.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 28 more reviews...
 Speaking truth to power April 17, 2009
Peter Baklava (Charles City, Iowa)
I'm sure it must rankle Clint-worshippers, but "Old Squint" doesn't even get star billing in this entertaining memoir.
Instead, the honor goes to Gordon Anderson--an eccentric, gifted, and (ultimately) gay childhood friend of Sondra Locke, who kindled her acting ambitions and piloted her towards her first starring role in Hollywood.
Locke, a product of small town Tennessee, won a national talent search to be able to portray "Mick Kelly", a small town girl in Carson McCullers novel "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter". She received an Oscar nomination for her performance in this lovely, underrated film.
Carson McCullers might have been appreciative of the fact that Sondra Locke, although she pursued a Hollywood career, never lost her small town values. Thus, most of her autobiography is an appreciation of her lifelong friendship with Gordon, who so greatly shaped her life.
It was when she won a role in "The Outlaw Josey Wales" that Locke fell in love with the tight-lipped, business-minded Eastwood. They shared a relationship in life and in film, much like Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland. Though for a dozen years the relationship was productive for both of them, the partnership unravelled when Eastwood's paranoia got the best of him. Levelling false accusations, and driving Locke from her home, Eastwood succeeded in "deep-sixing" her career through a contrived settlement which rested on a deceitful contract with Warner Brothers. In the midst of all this, Locke developed breast cancer.
Nevertheless, she was tough enough to emerge a survivor. When the courtroom confrontation occurs, Locke makes her case with infallible, winning logic. The rest of the book is a very entertaining, colorful narrative of a person with a "Southern Gothic" outlook. It's a clash between true theater people and the hard-line powers of Hollywood, and in this case, the human values triumph, the false friendships are shed, and the true friendships remain. Bravo, Sondra!
Subtitle: Dirty Harry's Heart is a Predatory Hunter? April 12, 2009
Alexandra Roberts (Albuquerque, NM)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have to admit that when the Locke vs. Warner Bros. / Eastwood suit first hit the news, my first thoughts were that she had a hell of a nerve in having been a still-married woman involved with a still-married (in the beginning) man, suing for palimony and damage to her career, after the dissolution of the relationship. So, this only proves we should never take press reports about celebrities, at face value - ever! Especially press reports that favor the power-holder's perspective and only lightly touch on the opposing party's perspective.
After reading this book, I feel I owe Sondra Locke an apology for having had a poor opinion of her that played right into Eastwood's egotistical determination to emerge public winner - at all costs. While I agree with a previous reviewer's assertion that it is still possible to admire an artist's work, despite of their personal dysfunctions. Eastwood, in having claimed that many of his films were supportive of feminists and their ideals, while carrying on like a covert polygamist in private life, was really pushing even his artistic credibility to absurd and unnecessary extremes.
Most famous artists, who are also womanizers, don't bother with trying to take on hypocritical pretenses of being supportive of women's emancipation from exploitation by men. The caveats, for involvement with, for example, actor George Clooney, are up front and not lurking behind some false claim of him still being in quest of the right woman to marry. I may not respect men who are sexual consumers of women, but I have a bit more respect for those who are honest about their motives, than men like Eastwood who apparently blamed every woman in his life for his failure to remain faithful to her.
That aside: I was most fascinated with Sondra's loving details about her gay husband Gordon. It is obvious they are true soul mates in many ways, short of having sexually consummated their marriage. I don't entirely understand this marriage, but I do see why she is profoundly attached to this complex, man-child mystic, who brilliantly supported her in attaining her first major film break, in "The Heart is the Lonely Hunter." It's worth reading this book, just to learn how clever and spookily prescient Gordon helped Sondra bypass backstabbers and sabotage in pursuit of her dream goal! Even though I knew ahead of time that she got the part, as Sondra detailed their perilous odyssey, I found myself rooting for them at each point along the way.
In Gordon having selflessly supported Sondra in her career goals, I also couldn't help noting that this gay husband manifested more real love and respect for his wife, as a talented person apart from himself, than did Eastwood in the entire 13 years they were together. Whatever Gordon gave to Sondra remained her gifts from him. Whatever Eastwood gave to Sondra while allegedly in love with her. he demanded back as having been his, all along, after his affections for her had evidently petered out and moved on to other fertile ground.
I too would trust Gordon for the long-haul, over cheapskate, Mr. Make My Day and his bait-and-switch, anytime.
I would say Sondra's near-fatal flaw in all this revolved around the fact she's an exceptionally intelligent and gifted woman who took on Hollywood minus yet another requisite trait for making it in that town: a killer instinct. Yet thanks to shaman Gordon and one brave attorney, she did succeed in setting a legal precedent that has hopefully made attempts to get ahead in The Industry, just a tad bit less treacherous for others.
Oh, I never really was a big fan of Eastwood's film work, in particular not his 'feminist' films despicting women as prostitutes and psychopaths. Or I didn't need to read Sondra Locke's autobiography -- including the egregiously memorable bit about how Eastwood let a drunken Jane Brolin do his dirty work in severing his ties with Locke -- to tell me that this man had definite problems with respectfully relating to any woman as a worthy partner or peer. One only hopes that all changed by the time he married his current wife.
 The Good, the Great and the Very Interesting March 24, 2009
T Donovan (Dallas, TX USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I happened to come across this book recently after watching The Gauntlet -- I was mildly curious about what had happened to Clint and Sondra's relationship. However, what really got me to get the book was reading some reviews remarking how the real character in the book is Gordon Anderson - not Clint Eastwood. From the reviews, it sounded like the book was going to start with the homey feel of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and progress as a true soul-searching biography with Gordon as a real-life guardian angel to Sondra. I was not disappointed! I felt Clint was really a minor story in this - a rather undeveloped character (himself to blame) whose purpose in Sondra's life was to help her release some physical attachments due to an unloving childhood. The result - her chance to find real joy.
I was very impressed at Sondra's colorful and flowing writing style and her vibrant descriptions of her childhood and meeting Gordon. The real underlying story is Gordon's unique and well-documented abilities to connect with God, the miracles they experienced together and how it helped guide Sondra's life (including encounters with well-known people like Marianne Williamson). His talents and abilities are truly magical and impressive.
I didn't feel the story really knocked Clint - let's face it, most of what Sondra mentioned is basically common knowledge (his unfaithfulness, the trials, etc). The uniqueness of the story really would make an excellent movie (particularly the part about Sondra and Gordon growing up together). It almost seemed fictional it was so good, but then real life is often more interesting than fiction. A great read overall!
 Doesn't reflect well on either Clint or Sondra February 28, 2009
WaterWinterWonderland (Wixom, MI)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
The book is entertaining on some level, providing a behind the scenes look at the underbelly of Hollywood. Locke paints Clint as pretty much a heartless, stingy, egomaniacal liar and herself as the victim. But an honest reading would also reveal that Locke left herself open to be hurt and had some "issues" as well.
The fact that she was married to an openly gay man (a childhood friend) prior to and during the entire time she was with Clint gives one a clue as to the level of mind we are dealing with. Then we have the detailed accounts of supposedly supernatural events that began to wear on me after awhile. Most of these incidents could be explained away yet they are given enormous significance as if they are some sort of prophecy.
I came away from the book liking Clint somewhat less, and thinking Ms. Locke was a few cards shy of a full deck. I also expected more detailed accounts of the films she and Clint made together, there isn't much about that at all. Hollyweird indeed...
Good Read After You Give It A Chance February 7, 2009
Lartrainer
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Initially when starting this book I would have agreed with the most critical review on here. However, I gave it a go for a few more chapters and found myself sucked in to the story and actually sympathizing with Sondra (something I never thought I would do). There is a lot of insight to Sondra and Clint Eastwood's relationship and how talented she really is. I'm very glad I stuck with it and read the story through. It was a very good read!
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