The 1980s was a heady time that found Bill Murray first experimenting (unsuccessfully) with dramatic acting. After SNL, Caddyshack, Meatballs, and 1981's Stripes launched him into stardom, Murray took a chance with an elevated project of sorts: an adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's 1944 novel, The Razor's Edge. The film was a box office bomb, making just half of its budget, and was derided by critics. Murray wouldn't give another dramatic lead performance in years. But there's an alternate timeline in which Murray leads a blockbuster war movie directed by Clint Eastwood in the '80s.

Murray, who can be seen in the new films Riff Raff and The Friend, went on the Howard Stern Show on Siriux Xm and shared the surprising story of his close call with a Clint collaboration. "A long time ago, I was watching the Clint Eastwood movies of the day, like Thunderbolt and Lightfoot,...