This Moviedrome Monday entry is a double bill consisting of two chase thrillers.

Coogan’s Bluff (1968)

Not only could I not find a youtube video link to Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox’s introduction to director Don Siegel’s 1968 action thriller Coogan’s Bluff, but the transcript page for it could not be found (read here). The episode’s original airdate was June 5, 1994 (read here). Coogan’s Bluff is not only a highly entertaining chase film in it’s own right, but considering that it is directed by Siegel and starring Eastwood as a cop (the first of their five collaborations), it may also serve as something of a dress rehearsal (as others have implied) for Dirty Harry three years later in 1971 – arguably their most financially successful teaming. Given the cowboy hat that deputy sheriff Walt Coogan (Eastwood’s character) wears in the film, some others have also implied that it is an intriguing blend of the cop thriller with the western. If any of you readers are interested, here is a link to my favorite Don Siegel films (read here).

Update: 11/17/2022: Here is a youtube video link to Alex Cox’s Moviedrome intro to Coogan’s Bluff

Here is a youtube video link to the film’s original theatrical trailer

The Narrow Margin (1952)

Since I could not find a youtube video link to Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox introducing director Richard Fleischer’s 1952 film noir gem The Narrow Margin, readers will have to rely on Cox’s intro transcript here. The episode’s original airdate was June 5, 1994 (read here). Cox’s thoughts are always insightful, though I may be a bigger fan of the film than he is. Fleischer delivers a tightly paced low-budget thriller (set mostly on a train) that surprises viewers every step of the way. Equally inspired was the idea of casting unknowns in the roles. If any of you readers are interested, here is a link to my favorite Richard Fleischer films (read here).

Here is a youtube video link to the film’s original theatrical trailer