Burt Reynolds on Letterman, December 11, 1984

unless you're paperwork I want everything to be just so for for our first guest so let me out of the way I believe we're ready it's truly a pleasure to welcome my first guest of this program he is currently co-starring with Clint Eastwood in a film called city heat please welcome Burt Reynolds nice to meet you all right sir nice to see you thank you very much for being here thank you what do you think the audience loves you that makes you feel great doesn't it it makes me feel wanted yeah how long ago did you actually live in New York City I lived here I came here in 1957 56 and I was here about two years but I didn't live here I just kind of existed on pigeons whenever I could grab one rip the head off one yes I lived a Rip Torn mm-hmm which is a strange existence and its own right yeah what was this was this fun at all or was it just overwhelmingly peculiar it was it was both which has been the story of my life an overwhelmingly peculiar and fun we had I was going to acting schools and which I got kicked out of most of I went to the would they kick you out of an acting school because I couldn't act Oh [Laughter] that's a dumb question like that you're gonna get it yesterday and then I went to still add her she was terrific I liked her a lot you just kind of sit on the floor and stare at her knees she praises July yeah but I never acted yeah then I finally ends up with Wynn Hammond who was wonderful he was very kind and I was I was real real shy in those days and I was I was really shy and in my class which is kind of astounding really was Carol Lawrence who nobody knew red buttons Jan Murray who was doing a treasure hunt show yeah I wanted to be an actor yeah the treasure girl please they say that's not in the scene Jim and Frank Frank Gifford who was a plane for the Giants at the time and was gorgeous yeah I really resented that and I was real I was just so shy and we get these improvisational scenes going and and slowly I sort of came along I guess and that was the days of live television and a friend of mine was doing a show called the frontiers of faith never heard of that I have heard of that treasure hunt thing though well that was because of the treasure girl the punches of faith with a live show on Sunday morning and this guy was the assistant producer on the show and he said that they needed some guy to throw through a window and because it was live and they'd never thrown anybody through a window cuz you wouldn't do that on frontiers of faith but there's a story about a gangster who had you know suddenly found it on God right after you threw the guy out about 12 stories and they said where we gonna find a guy and I said how much do you get for that and they said 150 bucks and I said hey I'm young man yeah and so I came down and but because it was live you had to play the part of the guy you know say a few lines you know few lines and then out the window and so I came out I was too dumb to be scared and I I did the part and they threw me out the window and got 150 had my card my after card and as those things happened this guy went right from there to craft theater and I went to the craft theater and a lot of other shows but I was they always asked for whenever they wanted to sit someone on fire you know or say we got it's tear fall here about a 70 foot stair fall I said get that Reynolds kid this kid's got a brain about the size of a pea but I was in there I was really trying to act you know and my mom I used to call it god bless her I'd say yeah I'm on a show next week and you're gonna be sure and watch and she said how are you gonna die I'm telling you I got a really great part and I had a terrific part it was one of those scenes I infected I was going right for the Emmy make it look big for me yeah and I had they set me on fire and they threw me out of a window and landed in an alley and they throw water on me and I'm dying and the chief of the fire department comes up to this detective and the detective says that anybody live and he says he did now we rehearsed and a page and a half you know good stuff you know when he when you know at the very end when you go so I I saw and I'm there's no question about it an Emmy for sure so I called mom she had the whole I mean the whole neighborhood came over and Paul Ford who started acting very late in life uh was rather nervous because it was live you remember Paul Ford from he's uh among other things he was on sergeant bilko well that's right yeah sweet man and then looked a little bit like a frog you know he had feel funny little face a likable nice low yeah lovely man well he's standing there and they set me on fire put the glue on my back and let me up threw me out the window crashed down in the alley doused the water on me the detective walks up to Paul for it and says anybody live and he looks over at me and says nope [Laughter] we have to do a commercial here we'll be right back with Burt Reynolds folks [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] thank you folks so so how much more of this did you take before you you headed west I had West right soon after that and did you have a deal to go out if somebody say yeah you'd be great for the film come on out or did you just pack up and go out on your own I tested for a film called but not for me with Clark Gable and this is a huge break for you then at that time if you get this part you're in a huge test a huge test not a break I flew out to California with George Maharis and we were he and I and another guy tested and we walked in and I saw Clark Gable Wow I mean these gorgeous dogs women man everybody looked at this guy so we were standing this big room and in those days you watch the other people test you know you didn't go out I guess you could walk outside but we all watched and George did his test with Clark and Gable said you Jakarta and George says what George said oh my okay you know duck God yeah so I thought to myself if he asked me that I'm gonna come up with a clever answer and you know I'll be in that's the way my mind worked so I went up to test Nix meanwhile the guy that was sitting next to me was so good-looking I mean it's real scary mm-hmm and I wanted to you know hit him in the face with a monkey wrench or something but I got up and I'm standing next to mr. gable who was really something and he said ma four minutes have come says he said right on cue you and I said I can't shoot anything since I saw Bambi and mr. Gable went so we did that scene I came back and the other guy went out and he said to this other guy mr. gorgeous you duck out and this guy says I got it over and under it's I don't know whether it Smith & Wesson I think I like to shoot a duck and geese mostly but I usually get doubles and I told to turn to George and I said George we are on our way back to New York that guy got the part and that guy today is mr. Goodwrench which is alright because he's still gorgeous yeah and still and the work but do you suppose he ever actually went duck-hunting with this guy oh sure yeah I would do yeah yeah whatever listen man I would have dug for whatever he said he dug for about that time I decided that I would make my move out to California so you stayed out there what year was this you remember off yeah went out in 57 or 58 and it sort of bounced around and didn't do too well but I met a little starlet yeah now that's what I was gonna ask you about do you do you remember your first I don't know how to put this exactly but but you're you're out there and you're you're dating the first actual physical encounter with a starlet is that what you're trying to say yeah this is this a starlet or a movie star there was a well yeah there is now give us the breakdown movie star starlet what how does that work well I'll give you a break alright yeah Elizabeth Taylorism movies tear a starlet is if one bad performance she's on her way to Pomona yeah but she's real pretty and you know very visible and built like you know the Trump Tower and and on her way hopefully if everything goes everything goes right okay but everybody knew this girl because she had a t-bird decorated with chicken feathers oh that's nice she had kind of a low flow profile anyway I went out with her and everybody knew her and everybody and Y knew in college knew her and I went out with her and I I got lucky you know that's the saying goes and I remember driving home and I've often wondered if people do this today when they you know I mean if some young lady and I were to you know have a a lingering kiss yeah I stopped at a red light I'm just gonna say one bad word but it's not a real bad word I said we'll be right back after station identification I thought they was caught in the middle [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] later in this program Herbie Hancock will be here also tomorrow actress Marilu Henner you don't marry Luanne are you were in a film with her a to film three films genom yes she's a very nice woman she's sensational woman and I might add the best-smelling guest we've ever had I noticed that too she has smells unbelievable also tomorrow we have this man on because Mary Lou asked for him came are the magician that'll be tomorrow Oh came are the magician that's tomorrow know what the connection is well I think they're working together now now tell me about what speaking of work and tell me about working with Clint Eastwood now what is this like is this fun is he tough is he is he nasty a nice guy is it can you joke around with this guy he's a barrel laughs you know I'm doing Clint for 25 years and we were fired the very same day from universal 25 years ago fired from from what and how how do it from a studio they called us both in this office and this guy said to Clinton your Adam's apple sticks out way too far and you've got a chipped tooth we got those squinty eyes and you talk too slow and I said what's the matter with me and he said you can't act [Applause] they've been telling me and telling me and I'm still here yeah anyway we we got up and we walk down the street which was a long street Universal and Clint who only says about 25 words a year anyway didn't didn't say anything and I said Clint you're in big trouble he said why is that I said because I can learn how to act but you're never gonna read of that damned Adamson anyway he went on to make mini-mill and come back a universal and that guy who fired us is now spinning in a grave somewhere yeah he was just terrific to me was I adored him before I did the film but now I have to work when I like him even more before we started to do the film I said let's do a film where we don't say one you know bad word no four-letter words and and and he said great and so we did yeah picture I gotta clarify something because I saw the film and there are a couple in there but never the S word or the or the word you said earlier tonight on yes but you and I didn't have an agreement before the show that's right wait the picture the picture would have AG rating except for the fact that Clint kills and maims and strangles 147 feet and it really was fun to make it was the most fun I've had ever making a picture and and he's such a sweet guy and I just I just love the guy it's a you know it has a good look to the film it's a very nice it's a it's a period they call these period pieces don't period pieces yeah but it has a you you successfully captured the flavor of the period yes the 1920s and the jazz period which I I loved anyway that's why I loved the fact he got every Hancock and I mean I'm a jazz freak also I like cars with the feathers on I just for a second this woman now I'm gonna get surly yes early she did she go on to be a star a movie sir yeah now what was her name what would give us a give us a picture that she was in that we you know maybe noir three women in that we we know cuz I hate guys that do that nothing more slimy I hate I hate those kind of books that come out and say I went to bed with though Warren Beatty and he gets a 10 and you know I hate that kind of yeah if a woman or a man give themselves to each other in a loving way and a nice way I think that that's something very well it was a loving relationship based on you and when dev the screaming well I win at the time I thought I was in ecstasy yeah so it was a loving way give us a little hint I know it stinks I know it's ugly give us a little alright she was in a movie that had a lot of underwater sequences I know who this is [Music] okay that's good that's helpful information thank you very much thank you thank you mr. Reynolds you can go back to your home now and no further questioning we are not John Hall this is exciting huh I'm excited about that you'll be calling me from time to time just to update sure we want to look at some footage here from the from the movie city heat with Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood you want to tell the folks what we're gonna see yeah this is the very first scene in the picture and I play a private detective and he plays a cop and we were cops together and then I decided to become a gumshoe and he doesn't like me too much and so I get in trouble and he does his usual silent thing do drinks coffee and watches me get killed all right from the if the film city heat it's all over the country now isn't it I'm coming Murphy is [Music] then we left the cage door open our hoshi hi it on [Music] [Music] you're gonna do anything [Music] I'm not disturbing you am I she joins you there [Music] [Music] [Music] city heat well I'm sure that'll do very well for both you and mr. Eastwood thank you you guys own part of that don't you I saw the credits it was you and you and him have something you own in addition we produced it yeah that means huge show business dollar yeah you know I means that a restaurant you also have a rest I have a restaurant that's true but the deal was structured in such a way that I don't I don't get quite as much as Clint yeah let me ask you we're running out of time let me just ask you one thing about this restaurant because a lot of time guys will sell their name to a restaurant they open it up and they don't know anything about it really we have a menu where's your restaurant my restaurant is in Fort Lauderdale it's a most beautiful spot Berlin Jack Burton Jeff here's a menu current menu I'm gonna ask you a couple of questions about the moon what appetizers appetizers appetizers what oh you're gonna have some stuff out of the sea all right let me know what let me ask you though let me ask you let me ask you the price of the stuffed jumbo clam sometimes we like to lower that price right down and sometimes we like to Jack that baby right up on the weekend so that would just depends on where somewhere between six dollars and two dollars that's right it's just dead center $3.99 out them let's try just one more Oh desserts I don't see desserts on here No now one more one more here fresh vegetables the category is fresh vegetables bird 450 sauteed mushrooms you've never eaten this in your life sauteed mushrooms and pea pods I haven't ever even but isn't it interesting that they they serve it separately right and well I get a little portion of peas and sauteed mushroom G pods I would say somewhere between the price of $4 and something else I would say $4 or over Oh Bert this is a bargain ladies and gentlemen when you go out on a half no no here's what you load up on these sauteed mushrooms and pea pods Santa vaca put them in your pocket 275 Kurt thank you very much for your time nice to meet you [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Don Giller

Views: 612,976

Rating: 4.8247051 out of 5

Keywords: Burt Reynolds

Id: GVBdfe4a_Tw

Length: 23min 38sec (1418 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 10 2016