Clint Eastwood talks about his 'Rawhide' clip in 'Jersey Boys' movie

NEW YORK, June 15 (UPI) -- Director-producer Clint Eastwood says he had a "Hitchcock moment" when a short clip featuring him as an actor in his Rawhide days was shown on a television set in his movie musical Jersey Boys.

The film is about real-life rock 'n' roll icons Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, and their rise to fame in the 1950s and '60s. Eastwood's unexpected appearance in the picture occurs when band member and songwriter Bob Gaudio, played by Erich Bergen, is watching TV.

"You're talking about my Hitchcock moment," Eastwood teased a reporter who asked him about the memorable scene at a recent press conference in New York. "That was actually Erich's suggestion. We were sitting there talking about doing the scene where he is going to be sitting there, watching television, when this woman walks into the room and he said, 'I'd be sitting there watching Rawhide.' And I started thinking, 'Yeah, could be.' Because, after all, that was about the era, about the right timing. But, then, I put it out of my mind and somebody who works for me -- a woman who handles all of our television stuff -- just went ahead and did it. So, afterwards I just said, 'OK, I'll live with that.' But Hitchcock moments are distracting. He managed to disguise himself -- some of the time -- until he became a television star later on."

So, could the 84-year-old filmmaker relate to the musicians in Jersey Boys, who were struggling to succeed right around the time he was trying to make it as an actor?

"Yeah, it was about the same time," Eastwood acknowledged. "Around 1959-60, [Rawhide] was my first break after years of doing bit parts and unappealing roles. So, it was a chance to gain a lot of experience and spend five or six years with various directors before Sergio [Leone] and [Don] Siegel, and all of those guys."

Co-starring John Lloyd Young, Christopher Walken, Vincent Piazza and Michael Lomenda, Jersey Boys is to open nationwide Friday.