Clint and the Great Movie Ride
When Diz was creating The Great Movie Ride for Hollywood (then-MGM) Studios, WDI had to ask the actor or actor’s family to sign off on their likeness for the Audio-Animatronic figures. Though they were able to obtain the likeness of John Wayne, they couldn’t get Lee Marvin, for his family did not want him to be forever associated with the role of a drunken gunslinger for ages to come.
President Frank Wells told WDI to quickly throw together a Clint Eastwood AA as The Man With No Name from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly to replace him. Wells was good friends with Eastwood but put off contacting him until 10 days before DHS opened to the public. They rode the ride and when they got to the end, Eastwood looked at the figure with a big goofy smile and happily exclaimed, “Hey that’s me!”
Wells asked him if he liked it. When Eastwood said yes, Wells pulled out the release form and got Clint to sign off on it on the spot.
