Partners
It is a recurring theme in the Dirty Harry movies that Callahan has a high turnover of partners; most are killed or wounded while working with him. In Dirty Harry he mentions two unseen partners named Fanducci and Dietrich; Dietrich is in hospital having been shot while Fanducci is dead (in "The Enforcer" is it referenced that Fanducci was killed in 1968). His partner in Dirty Harry, Chico Gonzalez, is shot by Scorpio and though he survives, he decides to quit the police (in "Magnum Force" Harry remarks that Gonzalez became a college teacher after leaving the police force). His partner in Magnum Force, Earlington "Early" Smith is killed by a bomb planted in his mailbox. Kate Moore in The Enforcer is killed by terrorists while saving Callahan's life, after citing to him the names of previous dead officers (Fanducci and Smith) to demonstrate that she is aware of the risks of being his partner. In Sudden Impact Horace King is murdered by criminals who were waiting for Harry in his hotel room. Occasional Callahan partner Frank DiGiorgio was also killed, albeit whilst working with another officer. Of all Callahan's partners seen on screen, Al Quan and Gonzalez are the only two to survive.
Another theme explored in several movies is Callahan being assigned a partner he would instinctively resent being paired with, Chico Gonzalez because he is a rookie college graduate, and Kate Moore because she is a woman. However, they eventually earn his respect and both go on to save Harry's life.
| Partner | Movie | Portrayed By | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Fanducci | Unseen | Unknown | Killed. |
| Fred Dietrich | Unseen | Unknown | Wounded. |
| Frank DiGiorgio | Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, and The Enforcer | John Mitchum | Stabbed in the back. |
| Chico Gonzalez | Dirty Harry | Reni Santoni | Wounded by Scorpio and resigned. |
| Earlington "Early" Smith | Magnum Force | Felton Perry | Killed by a mail bomb. |
| Kate Moore | The Enforcer | Tyne Daly | Shot with an M16. |
| Horace King | Sudden Impact | Albert Popwell | Throat slit by a gang. |
| Al Quan | The Dead Pool | Evan C. Kim | Survived an explosion. |
Read more about this topic: Harry Callahan (character)
Famous quotes containing the word partners:
“I have had, and may have still, a thousand friends, as they are called, in life, who are like one’s partners in the waltz of this world—not much remembered when the ball is over.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)
“Let’s face it. With the singular exception of breast-feeding, there is nothing about infant care that a mother is innately better qualified to do than a father. Yet we continue to unconsciously perpetuate the myth that men just don’t have what it takes to be true partners in the process.”
—Michael K. Meyerhoff (20th century)
“And one of his partners asked “Has he vertigo?” and the other glanced out and down and said “Oh no, only about ten feet more.””
—Ogden Nash (1902–1971)