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126 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 While at Fort Ord, one of his assignments was as a projectionist for training films for his fellow soldiers. One movie he watched over and over from behind the projector was John Huston's 1945 war epic, "The Battle of San Pietro." "It was one of my favorites," Eastwood said. "I kept showing it and must have seen it 50 times over two years." He was subconsciously breaking down the mechanics of the film, storing away that knowl- edge for a future use he had no inkling of at the time. Eastwood never had to ship out overseas in his Army career, and after mustering out, made his way to Los Angeles. This was 1954, and young, rebellious actors like Marlon Brando were changing the tenor of Hollywood. A fresh face like Eastwood's soon attracted attention, and he was signed to his first acting contract to Universal Pictures. The first time his name appeared on screen was in the credits for "Francis in the Navy," the final opus of a forgettable movie series that featured a talking mule voiced by veteran cowboy actor Chill Wills and starring Donald O'Connor. Eastwood scored up parts in increasingly high- profile productions before landing the role that would truly launch his career, that of Rowdy Yates in "Rawhide," a TV series that ran from 1959 to 1965. That, in turn would lead to his big break into film in 1964: the role of the wander- ing, cigar chomping, poncho wearing, steely-eyed gunslinger Joe in Sergio Leone's masterful Italian film, "A Fistful of Dollars." Top: Eastwood is sworn in as Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea in 1986 in front of 1,000 onlookers. He served one two-year term. Bottom: Sergio Leone's "Spaghetti Westerns" gained Eastwood international fame. Photo: Ronald Grant Archive/Alamy Stock Photo Photo: Bettmann/Contributor