Bandit Over and Out - Tribute and My Top 5 Burt Reynolds Films

I grew up in the late 1970's and the 1980's. Having four siblings who were 10 years or more older than I was, I watched a lot of inappropriate stuff for someone my age. For example, when we first got cable television, the first movie I watched was The Who's Tommy because The Who was one of my oldest brother's favorite bands. Right after that, we watched the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, a much better choice for a child my age.

Another film that I got to watch soon after we got cable was The Longest Yard -- yes, back to the inappropriate ones. At the time, I liked it; not sure I understood it all, but I liked it. Again, this may have been the influence of my oldest brother, because he loved it.

It was definitely around this time that Burt Reynolds was the number one box office draw. In 1974, he was so popular and such a sex symbol that he posed for the above photo, which was the centerfold for Cosmopolitan Magazine. In 1977, he solidified his place as Hollywood's leading, leading man when he took on the role of Bandit in Smokey and the Bandit.

His popularity could be measured by the fact that he won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Actor every year from 1979-1984, with the exception of 1981 when Clint Eastwood beat him out for the honor. He also tied with Eastwood for the title in 1984. Ironically, that was the year that they starred side by side in the film City Heat.

While I wouldn't say I was his biggest fan, I definitely liked him and a lot of the work that he did. I think it might explain a little bit of his influence on me by pointing out my first car was a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am complete with t-tops and a hood scoop. Of course mine was metallic blue instead of black, but that just made it even cooler.

Burt Reynolds had a very cyclical career. Once he got into acting, thanks to an English professor and some help from Joanne Woodward, he got some bit parts on TV. This led to being in one-off roles in anthology series likes Playhouse 60, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and even The Twilight Zone. Around that same time, he landed regular roles on shows like Riverboat and Gunsmoke. He caught on well enough that he was then given a couple of his own shows, playing the titular characters in Hawk and Dan August.

He then got his big break on the big screen with the 1972 film Deliverance. That began an almost two-decade long cycle of being a hunky Hollywood leading man. He then cycled back onto television. He was given another title role on B.L. Stryker, but that lasted just 12 episodes. After that he had a bit of a smaller role as the voice of Evie's alien father on the unusual show Out of This World which starred Donna Pescow.

Then he landed his greatest TV role as Wood Newton on Evening Shade. The character was a former professional football player who returns to his hometown after retirement and becomes the head football coach of the town's high school. The show lasted just four seasons but was a hit with fans and critics alike. The role would earn Reynolds a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, beating out TV comedy heavyweights John Goodman, Craig T. Nelson, Richard Mulligan, and Ted Danson.

His movie career then had a resurgence that began in 1996 when he played a senator who is infatuated with Demi Moore's character in the film Striptease. That role earned him his second Razzie Award win, shared with Moore for Worst Screen Couple. The following year, 1997, he actually earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his highly-acclaimed role as Jack Horner in the film Boogie Nights. It would prove to be a fitting swan song for his career. After that, he had dozens and dozens of smaller roles, but never achieved the huge successes he once knew.

One highlight of his later career was appearing in the remake of The Longest Yard, but this time around he was in the Coach Scarborough role rather than the lead, which went to Adam Sandler.

I suppose we should move on to my Top 5 Favorite Burt Reynolds Movies now!

#5: The End

This non-stop gag reel of a film had a serious underlying story line of a man who finds out he is dying and decides he wants to speed things along. He proceeds to attempt suicide in various ways. Oddly enough, they all result in hysterical twists and turns in the film. Two things generally made Burt Reynolds better and funnier: Dom DeLuise and Sally Field; this film had them both!

Here is the original trailer for the film, followed by a nearly five minute scene from the film where DeLuise is at his craziest.

#4: Smokey and the Bandit II

As I said above, when Sally Field and Dom DeLuise are alongside Reynolds, he is even better. Throw Jackie Gleason into the mix as his nemesis and you have a film I actually think I liked more than the original in some ways. I just didn't feel right ranking it higher than the original, so left it here at number four on the list. This one had everything the original had, plus a real live elephant and Dom DeLuise; how could it not be better?

Below is the original trailer for the film, followed by the climactic showdown scene which I previously featured in my The Most EPIC Movie Chase Scene List Ever - My Favorite 30! Part 1 of 2 (30-16) post. Part 2 of this post actually got me my first-ever Curie upvote.

#3: The Longest Yard

Coming in at #3 is the first Reynolds film I ever watched, a true classic. Part of its strength is the ensemble cast which included many professional and semi-pro football players. It really does give the film an air of reality. There are so many funny moments in this film, with some tragic moments also sprinkled in.

Here is one of the most memorable moments of the film. Number 61 in this clip is portrayed by legendary Green Bay Packer and NFL Hall of Famer Ray Nitschke.

Here is a great bit of commentary on the film from producer/story writer Albert S. Ruddy, Reynolds, other cast members, and more. It's a great look at what went into making the film.

#2: Smokey and the Bandit

I think it is safe to say that when most hear the name Burt Reynolds, this is the film they instantly think of. It truly is a cinematic classic that will live on for decades. While a lot of it is definitely 70's in nature, it also stands the test of time in many ways. Everything just came together so perfectly for this film: Jackie Gleason, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Reynolds, and even Mike Henry, who portrayed Junior. If you remove one of them from the cast, it likely would have ruined the perfect chemistry the film had. I do suppose I should have listed that black Trans Am as a cast member as well. While you may have been able to replace it with some other American-made muscle car or something similar, I think it was the perfect choice for this film.

While writing this post I did learn that this film is returning to theaters from September 12 - 20 to pay tribute to Reynolds. It will be showing in 240 AMC theaters across the U.S.

Here is the original trailer from the film, followed by the full song "Eastbound and Down" sung by Jerry Reed, accompanied by clips from the film.

#1: The Cannonball Run

Now finally, my #1 Burt Reynolds film, The Cannonball Run. I know many will think it is blasphemy to rank this ahead of Bandit, but for me, it is a much better movie. Of course this could have a lot to do with the fact that I was an adolescent boy when I discovered the film. It had great cars - Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin. It had incredibly sexy women, iconic sex symbols of the time - Farrah Fawcett, Adrienne Barbeau, and even the lesser-known Tara Buckman. I do, however, think it again came down to a great ensemble cast that played extremely well off one another.

There was the team of Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr., made even funnier by dressing them as priests and putting them in a Ferrari. Jamie Farr was a ridiculously famous sheik. Jackie Chan was driving a fully computerized Subaru that I think could have driven itself. Mel Tillis and Terry Bradshaw paired together, and George Furth gave a perfect portrayal of prudish A.F. Foyt. The list literally goes on and on.

The core of the film is of course Reynolds and DeLuise again playing off one another the way that only they know how. Mix in Jack Elam as the very unusual Doctor Nikolas Van Helsing, Proctologist, and Fawcett as Beauty, the patient all loaded into an ambulance, and you have the makings of the perfect cross-country road trip. Oh, and don't forget: DUN DUN DUN - Captain Chaos!

Here is a link to Daily Motion where you can watch the full movie. For some reason we can't embed Daily Motion videos on here like we can with YouTube videos.

https://dai.ly/x1rvw4t

And here is a hilarious blooper reel from the film.

Trivia Time

1. Burt Reynolds was nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards as a producer for what game show, which he also co-created?

2. What was the name of the elephant in Smokey and the Bandit II?

3. Besides The Bandit franchise and The End, in what other film did Sally Field portray Burt Reynolds's onscreen girlfriend?

4. What were the names of Sheriff Buford T. Justice's brothers in Smokey and the Bandit II?

5. Which team winds up winning the race in The Cannonball Run?

Answers at the end of the post.

In Closing

Of course many of the themes in these films just simply wouldn't work today - excessive womanizing, suicide, abuse, some underlying racism/stereotyping by culture or race, drinking and driving. Regardless, these films do stand the test of time. Burt Reynolds will always be remembered fondly by many fans and friends, but all we need to do to bring him back a bit is look at his body of work and laugh along with him.

Trivia Answers

1. Win, Lose, or Draw

2. Charlotte

3. Hooper

4. Gaylord Justice and Reginald van Justice

5. Marcie and Jill (Barbeau and Buckman)

Image/Video Sources: Cosmopolitan.com / YouTube