Burt Reynolds on Screen

In a prolific career spanning six decades, actor Burt Reynolds was one of the world’s most famous stars of film and television. As much a folk hero as a Hollywood celebrity, he began as a stuntman and bit player in B Westerns and TV shows before landing a starring role on NBC’s Riverboat (1959-1961). His breakthrough role in Deliverance (1972) made him famous and the sleeper hit Smokey and the Bandit (1977) made his name a household word.

This first critical overview of Reynolds’ work examines his complete filmography, featuring candid discussions with costars and collaborators, exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and a wealth of film stills.

Wayne Byrne is an Irish author and film historian. He has written on film and music culture for a variety of notable publications and on subjects such as Tom DiCillo, Burt Reynolds, Nick McLean, Elm Street, and Walter Hill.

Wayne Byrne
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 314
Bibliographic Info: 98 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2020
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7498-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3811-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments   x
Foreword by Nick McLean Sr.   1
Introduction   5
Riverboat (TV Series, NBC, 1959–1961) 9
Angel Baby (1961) 12
Armored Command (1961) 15
Gunsmoke (TV Series, CBS, 1955–1975) 17
Operation C.I.A. (1965) 20
Navajo Joe (1966) 22
Hawk (TV Series, ABC, 1966) 25
Fade In (1968) 27
100 Rifles (1969) 29
Sam Whiskey (1969) 32
Impasse (1969) 33
Shark (1969) 36
Skullduggery (1970) 38
Hunters Are for Killing (Made-for-Television, 1970) 41
Run Simon Run (Made-for-Television, 1970) 42
Dan August (TV Series, ABC, 1970–1971) 44
Deliverance (1972) 46
Fuzz (1972) 49
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972) 52
Ask Me What I Am: An Interview with Bobby Goldsboro 53
Shamus (1973) 57
The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (1973) 59
White Lightning (1973) 61
The Longest Yard (1974) 65
At Long Last Love (1975) 69
W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975) 72
Lucky Lady (1975) 75
Hustle (1975) 78
Silent Movie (1976) 82
Gator (1976) 84
Nickelodeon (1976) 87
Smokey and the Bandit (1977) 89
Semi-Tough (1977) 93
The End (1978) 95
Hooper (1978) 97
Starting Over (1979) 101
Rough Cut (1980) 104
Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) 106
The Cannonball Run (1981) 108
Paternity (1981) 111
Sharky’s Machine (1981) 113
An Interview with Rachel Ward 116
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) 120
Best Friends (1982) 123
Stroker Ace (1983) 127
The Man Who Loved Women (1983) 130
Cannonball Run II (1984) 133
City Heat (1984) 137
Stick (1985) 140
An Interview with Michael D. ­O’Shea 146
Heat (1986) 150
Malone (1987) 153
Rent-a-Cop (1988) 156
Switching Channels (1988) 159
Physical Evidence (1989) 162
Breaking In (1989) 164
An Interview with Bill Forsyth 167
All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) 170
Modern Love (1990) 171
B.L. Stryker (TV Series, ABC, 1989–1990) 173
Evening Shade (TV Series, CBS, 1990–1994) 178
Cop and a Half (1993) 181
The Man from Left Field (Made-for-Television, 1993) 183
The Maddening (1995) 185
Citizen Ruth (1996) 188
Striptease (1996) 190
Frankenstein and Me (1996) 193
Mad Dog Time (1996) 195
Raven (1996) 196
The Cherokee Kid (Made-for-Television, 1996) 197
Meet Wally Sparks (1997) 198
Bean (1997) 199
Boogie Nights (1997) 200
Big City Blues (1997) 203
An Interview with Clive Fleury 205
Crazy Six (1997) 209
Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms and Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business (Made-for-Television, 1998) 210
Interview with Matt Battaglia 211
Hard Time Trilogy (Made-for-Television, 1998) 215
The Hunter’s Moon (1999) 217
Pups (1999) 219
The Stringer (1999) 221
Mystery, Alaska (1999) 223
Waterproof (2000) 224
The Crew (2000) 225
The Last Producer (2000) 227
Driven (2001) 229
Tempted (2001) 231
An Interview with Bill Bennett 233
Hotel (2001) 237
The Hollywood Sign (2001) 239
Snapshots (2002) 241
Time of the Wolf (2002) 242
Miss Lettie and Me (Made-for-Television, 2002) 2 43
Johnson County War (Made-for-Television, 2002) 244
Hard Ground (Made-for-Television, 2003) 246
The Librarians (2003) 248
Without a Paddle (2004) 249
The Longest Yard (2005) 250
The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) 252
Cloud 9 (2006) 254
End Game (2006) 255
Forget About It (2006) 256
Broken Bridges (2006) 257
In the Name of the King (2007) 259
Deal (2008) 260
A Bunch of Amateurs (2008) 262
Reel Love (Made-for-Television, 2011) 264
An Interview with Brian K. Roberts 268
Apple of My Eye (2017) 273
Hamlet and Hutch (2017) 274
The Last Movie Star (2017) 274
An Interview with Adam Rifkin 277
Afterword by C. James Lewis   283
Appendix 1: Additional Films:
Cameos and Appearances   289
Appendix 2: Recurring Players   290
Bibliography   293
Index   297

• “Informative and enjoyable… Scattered throughout the filmography are interviews with a number of Reynolds’ collaborators and costars that add depth [and] insight… Reynolds’ many fans will appreciate the care that went into this appreciation of the actor Byrne calls ‘the greatest movie star of them all.’”—Booklist
• “Wayne Byrne’s book on the cinematic and television career of Burt Reynolds is both entertaining and highly informative: this is a brilliant, professional biography of a sometimes misunderstood and underrated talent. If you think you knew Reynolds and his oeuvre, think again. Burt Reynolds on Screen is a definitive work that deserves to be read.”—Paul Farren, Film Ireland
• “Byrne’s book is a singular and compelling step towards establishing Reynolds as a true American Icon. His work is a clarion call for a revisionist project that will give this great actor the respect he has earned. This is not just a meticulously researched appraisal of a life’s work but a serious statement about Reynold’s importance to modern American cinema.”—Matthew Nolan, senior lecturer and subject expert in creative media, Dublin Business School.
• “Prolific author Wayne Byrne has penned a colossal contribution to the legacy of seven-time No. 1 box office star Burt Reynolds. His veracious attention to circumstance and detail is evident throughout the book. If you somewhat knew Burt Reynolds before the book, you certainly will know him after the book. I worked for Burt Reynolds as PR Director of his theater, appeared in two of his films, visited a dozen film sets, supported one of his protégés, and currently attend his Institute for Theatre Training Writing seminars. And yet this book tells me even more that I realized in my years of experiences. Once read, you will feel as if you were on the movie sets, too.”—Peggy Gossett-Seidman, former public relations director at the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre