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- BURT REYNOLDS SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT LEGENDARY MOVIE
- BURT REYNOLDS SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT LEGENDARY DRIVER
BURT REYNOLDS SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT LEGENDARY MOVIE
"I read it and I said, 'Hal, if you can get somebody to give you the money, I'll star in it and you can direct it,'" the movie star wrote. The idea of smuggling Coors beer across the country sparked Hal's imagination for Smokey and the Bandit, and Burt loved it. īack then, Coors was not available east of the Mississippi River and could only be sold in 11 western states because it didn't have preservatives in it and had to be kept cold, The New York Times reports.
BURT REYNOLDS SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT LEGENDARY DRIVER
Over time, he realized that the driver was "bootlegging" the beer and the maid was stealing it. Hal wrote on Fortunethat he was inspired to pen the film after a driver captain on set of Burt's 1976 movie Gator brought some Coors beer with him from California and asked Hal to hold a few cases of it in his hotel room. The late, and often times great, stuntman-turned-director Hal Needham guided 1977’s Smokey and the Bandit to become the second highest grossing film of the year, just a bit behind a little known film by the name of Star Wars. And there's one thing they can never take away: Nobody had more fun than I did."īurt turned to acting after promise of a career as an athlete was shattered by injuries after he earned an athletic scholarship to Flora State University.The story goes that Hal approached him with the "script" for the flick, which was handwritten on yellow pads. In the final paragraph of his 2015 memoir, Burt wrote: "I always wanted to experience everything and go down swinging. He was even rumoured to have been one of the top choices to play Michael Corleone in The Godfather.
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Jack Nicholson won an Oscar for his part in Terms of Endearment, and Burt also said he had been the first choice to play the main character in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, another Oscar-winner for Jack.
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I’ll never forget how much that meant to me.”īurt was also famous for many high profile movies which he didn’t end up starring in, having notably turned down the roles of Han Solo, Garrett Breedlove in Terms of Endearment, and John McLaine in Die Hard. “He took me under his wing when I was first starting out as an actor and offered friendship, advice and guidance. "My family and I appreciate the outpouring of love for my uncle, and I ask that everyone please respect our family’s privacy at this very difficult time."Īctor Paul Wesley also paid tribute, saying: “Burt Reynolds was one of the kindest and most generous people I have ever worked with. "I want to thank all of his amazing fans who have always supported and cheered him on, through all of the hills and valleys of his life and career. "So many people have already contacted me, to tell me how they benefitted professionally and personally from my uncles kindness. My uncle was looking forward to working with Quentin Tarantino, and the amazing cast that was assembled. Anyone who breaks their tail bone on a river and finishes the movie is tough. "He has had health issues, however, this was totally unexpected. "My uncle was not just a movie icon he was a generous, passionate and sensitive man, who was dedicated to his family, friends, fans and acting students. He said: “No comment, just heartbreaking.”īurt's niece Nancy Lee Hess told .uk: "It is with a broken heart that I said goodbye to my uncle today.