Burt Reynolds Got Lucky With A Hollywood Star | Letterman

Burt talks about his early days in show business, his relationship with Clint Eastwood and more.
(From "Late Night," air date: 12/11/84)
#burtreynolds #hollywood #letterman
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Welcome to the Letterman KZbin Channel, home to all your favorite clips from Late Night and Late Show - as well as conversations with the writers, producers and performers who helped make it all happen. These highlights have been artisanly-produced, carefully-curated, and chosen completely at random by an old computer that used to pick numbers for the New York Lotto back in the 90’s.

[@johnhaxby306]

watching his comical gum chewing I now totally understand Norm McDonalds imitation of him.

[@nickajk1]

@john haxby Norm MacDonald's impression of Burt Reynolds was second to none rest in peace both of these Legends

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

It's hard to believe people go on TV and chew gum. Dave hated it and used to put his hand out to collect the person's gum and dispose of it. I saw it more than once and it always got a big laugh. He wouldn't dare with Burt Reynolds.

[@JohnSmith-wp2yu]

This guy did a great impression of Norm MacDonald.

[@tomcollins3137]

exact same delivery-- dappleganger.

[@1nvisible1]

*That's Mr. Ferguson to you, pal!*

[@laraoneal7284]

Doppelgänger

[@NetCerpher]

Exactly

[@Trampus002]

I listened to his book, “But Enough About Me,” on audible. He narrated it. Close to the end of his life. Wow! What a listen. I recommend it highly to anyone. Memorable! RIP Burt! Love ❤️

[@robatsea2009]

Burt was always one of the best talk show guests - a great storyteller with a dry, self-deprecating sense of humor that was always on point. On the occasions he hosted he likewise showed how adept he was at keeping the conversation interesting and lively. As for his memory-making starlet encounter I suspect that was Lori Nelson.

[@stephenolaughlin6595]

I feel that he’s referring to Jaclyn Bisset. If that’s the case good on you Mr Reynolds 😛👍

[@robatsea2009]

@@stephenolaughlin6595 At the time Burt's talking about Jacqueline Bisset would have been around 13, 14, maybe 15, living in Europe and the better part of a decade away from making her film debut. Lori Nelson was a Universal contract player who drove a T-bird and had co-starred in "Revenge of the Creature", significant portions of which take place underwater.

[@wonderrob3225]

@@robatsea2009 OK i was thinking Esther Williams when he said she was in underwater movies.. Then I also thought Jacqueline Bisset from "The Deep", You are right , though, the timeframe does NOT add up.

[@ejseabury]

Burt Reynolds, a true legend.

[@djmattn]

Burt had a great sense of humor along with being totally cool...

[@wonderrob3225]

My Mom had a naked Picture of him from Cosmopolitan magazine ! 🤣

[@1nvisible1]

*Blonde bombshell Sandra Gils and the 1958 Thunderbird was covered with fur.*

[@rhondafortson5205]

BURT is a Natural Comedian, great conversationalist, charming guy...who really could ACT!!! Love him!

[@cameronpickard7456]

we know he could act seeing deliverance

[@rauljwmm]

Thanks , 2 legends are here!

[@garywidom]

:23 Dave looks thrilled when Burt tries to rearrange the furniture.

[@lewhite99]

Burt was always entertaining. He told stories as only Burt could tell them

[@marksamuelsen2750]

Burt was a really good guy. A mans man with a great sense of humor.

[@ProfessorCockrum]

Burt was the COOLEST man on the planet for a few years

[@wonderrob3225]

My Mom had a naked Picture of him from Cosmopolitan magazine ! 🤣

[@mikebrooks2095]

hes' funny and extremely knowledgable about hollywood

[@PatrickOCnMD]

Terrific entertainer, actor, man. RIP.

[@news603redux]

Imagine twenty minutes of solid conversation today where the host mostly shuts up and listens. No fawning laughter, no celebrity games and, best of all, not ONE word about politics! Thank god we lived when we did.

[@sharonjones9769]

Totally Agree!!

[@dianewinters8628]

Exactly

[@Redmenace96]

Great comment! Wasn't even thinking about why I haven't watched late night TV in 12 years. You nailed it.

[@blueberrycobbler]

@@patreekotime4578 You do realize the OP was talking about the general rule of talk shows back in the day was to let their guests speak more and avoided the games? Pointing out an exception doesn’t negate how it was almost 40 years ago and beyond.

[@robiny.4395]

He is such a kick, I always loved the guy. Great sense of humor.

[@Darryl6636]

What an entertaining and fascinating interview

[@tadkingsbury9364]

Mr.Reynolds was a helluva gotta FUN !!!

[@danadominguez5760]

Clicked and got exactly what I was expecting in the first 15 seconds: Swagger, bubble gum chewing, and finger guns. Love it!

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

A walking cliché.

[@Zig_Was_Here]

What an interview. Makes me nostalgic as hell.

[@burmashave]

I'd forgotten how funny he was.

[@manofiske3318]

I'd forgotten how forgettable he was _except for_ this anecdote about banging some bimbo in his early "Hollywood" days; a page torn from Tony(alias "Bernie Schwartz") Curtis' playbook...or who knows , perhaps inveterate b.s. artist Curtis incorporated a similar tale into his memoirs later on

[@sirprancealott2003]

Pure class

[@Scotpatriot]

I'm a life long Burt fan they broke the mold after him.

[@goodbarbenie5477]

What a great guy, what an actor a real Mucho man...I just Luved his style...and style of dress...R.I.P. my Mon Ami...hah.

[@vin7786]

Legend!!!

[@paulgrimm]

Burt was a gentleman,and had a great sense of humor 😅

[@audieconrad8995]

Reynolds seemed to never take himself too seriously...

[@rustymertz]

Marlon Brando said Burt “worshipped at the temple of his own narcissism”. There’s an easily findable clip of him saying it. There’s also stories of him physically fighting PT Anderson because he didn’t like his portrayal in his Oscar nominated performance in Boogie Nights. I like Burt, but I think he took himself very seriously.

[@jacktorrance9973]

Burt reynolds leggend ❤️

[@vrvaughn]

That’s why Burt had such an affinity for stuntmen…

[@roxxy9906]

He was a stuntman.

[@UberLummox]

And also Charles Nelson Reily. They were very close.

[@vrvaughn]

@@UberLummox Great friend to have I’m sure. I liked Charles Nelson Reilly.. he went through some tough times in his life but survived it.

[@UberLummox]

@@vrvaughn Yup!!!

[@manofiske3318]

@@vrvaughn Reilly, like another of Reynolds' 'close' pals, Dom DeLuise, was a raging fairy; Nabors too.

[@Pork_Knuckle]

MAN THEY TRULY WENT ALL OUT ON THE DECOR AND FURNITURE

[@petermarkusic4047]

RIP Legend!

[@LOWDOWN.]

burt reynolds legend movie star

[@Dan-nt2yb]

1984. The good ol days.👍🏾

[@jeffreycoates4408]

0:19 Dave got mad when Burt tried to move the chair out of the way to sit down lol

[@TheWeeklingsMusic]

The name of the "Starlet" Bert banged was Lori Nelson. She was in "Underwater" with Jane Russel and she owned a canary yellow Thunderbird (hence the yellow bird feather reference) that was given to her by Ford Motor Company when they first came out in the mid 50's. The timeline is right as well. She recently passed away, in 2020 I think..

[@christophertheiss8877]

Thank you! You just saved me a bunch of googling i really didn't have time for. :P

[@robertforsythe3280]

Ole Burt reminds me of that guy on Sesame street.

[@jahimjauh-hey5653]

Look at that rug 😂

[@FearOfMusic]

Wish I had those glasses...

[@johnb5231]

Imagine just how much trim Bert banged over the years. 🏆👏

[@tessijordan5862]

Are we SURE this isn't just Norm Macdonald in a mustache?

[@fin_jan]

I learned 2 things: 1) Trump Tower was already a thing in 1984 2) Everyone was bisexual in Hollywood already from 1957

[@neilouellette3004]

This was during his self medication years after all the abuse of being a stuntman in the late 50's thru the 60's. A true legend.

[@wonderrob3225]

My Mom had a naked Picture of him from Cosmopolitan magazine ! 🤣

[@desultorilypanacea]

Couldn't remember if he passed away had to check. At least he passed away working on a big film working with today's best stars.

[@louisrios5546]

Letterman barely had to ask him any questions. Burt didn't need him, lol.

[@manofiske3318]

It's called _conversation_ .

[@brucelee4996]

I love Jimmy Kimmel's praise for this channel, (last night in Brooklyn). 👏👏👏

[@manofiske3318]

Kimmel is a sycophant and fool.

[@thomassawicki2065]

Burt is funny and entertaining

[@bozoclown99]

Given the era guessing it was Jacqueline Bisset, The Deep (1977). but clearly it was in the mid 1960s when she was just starting out in Hollywood /221001

[@wonderrob3225]

I was thinking Esther Wiliams when he said she was in Underwater movies. Whoever she was, she was lucky ! My Mom used to have a naked picture of Bert Reynolds from Cosmopolitan magazine 😉😄

[@TheWeeklingsMusic]

Her name was Lori Nelson. She was in "Underwater" with Jane Russel and she owned a canary yellow Thunderbird that was given to her by Ford Motor Company when they first came out in the mid 50's.

[@visionseeker68]

Although each of them was truly one of a kind, Burt reminds me a bit of Marlon Brando in this clip. Too bad Brando reportedly didn´t like him very much.

[@davesummer2552]

0:23 Dave lifts his arm up like WTF when Burt didn’t take the path around the chairs (I think) and lifted the chair instead…

[@manofiske3318]

Letterman went berserk when other guests, on occasion, made similar moves. One wonders, since Letterman turned his back , whether he noticed in "real time" that Reynolds ultimately settled upon/'took' the beaten 'path' as opposed to stubbornly plowing through/between the chairs.

[@stevefowler5970]

Burt realized how stupid and inconvenient the routine was about going around the chairs twice in order to shake Lettermans' hand.

[@jeffreycoates4408]

I noticed that too.

[@SeanAllocca]

That hair piece needs to be in the Smithsonian.

[@marcyfan]

i met him 7 or 8 years after this and his hair or hairpiece looked great and he was nice to people while buying johnny ace and frank sinatra records.

[@chiefscheider]

I think there's a spot available between Archie Bunker's chair and Fonzie's leather jacket

[@Katzenhase]

It seems to me that Letterman didn´t realise how big a star Burt Reynolds was.

[@andymassingham]

Burt was in a very bad way around this time. Years of stuntwork had taken it’s toll on his body and he had developed a very serious infection resulting in a drastic weight loss (leading many to speculate that he was H.I.V. Positive). This is not the Burt of the Tonight Show five years earlier. Dave was great to let him run with the ball here. Some real show-biz savvy going on. He does seem contrite and insecure. Be careful before you pick on him.

[@777jones]

Dave certainly gave Burt all the time in the world here. To be fair, Burt was one of the biggest stars in the world. Great segment.

[@wonderrob3225]

My Mom had a naked Picture of him from Cosmopolitan magazine ! 🤣

[@handsome-brute2666]

And the coolest toupee 💇😏

[@danielcarlson7516]

He's brilliant here.

[@nadagabri5783]

Burt having HIV is a silly gossip

[@zefallafez]

The actress was in the movie The Creature from the Black Lagoon

[@commanderkeen3787]

The movie was The Deep

[@rsprockets7846]

VINTAGE LETTERMAN

[@stebstebanesier6205]

I knew a guy that used to look at his watch all the time, the weird thing was he never wore a watch, it was kind of a nervous habit, so my question is, does Bert really have a piece of gum in his mouth, or is it just a nervous habit. I always felt that the Jack Horner role he played in Boogie Nights, was a lot like Burt himself, just wanting that one legit blockbuster role.

[@nadagabri5783]

Such a great role and cool movie

[@_floof_2088]

What nobody ever realized,here he look like Sean Connery in certain angles.

[@grady187]

If just would of done a little campaigning he could have won an Oscar of Boogie Nights

[@Mrshoujo]

*would've

[@cactaceous]

@@Mrshoujo He was great in Boogie Nights. I think he didn’t like the way the film came out until the critics started praising him and the film.

[@manofiske3318]

Use the auxiliary verb, "have" set before the past participle of "do" i.e., 'done' _not_ the preposition, 'of ' following, 'would'

[@grady187]

@@manofiske3318thanks but, don't you have some term papers to grade?

[@christopherscorner]

Was the starlet Jacqueline Bisset? She was in the movie Orca… Burt Reynolds is an awesome storyteller!

[@christopherramon-reid2000]

MOVIE STAR!!!

[@riccali3519]

A while back I read that in high school that Burt got into a lot of trouble, He cut class a lot, Back then it was a whole different world. Burt's father was known to have beaten (and disciplined into his son's mid-20s. This is why he may have been unable to commit himself

[@jennifertimlin1371]

Letterman was such a better interviewer than Leno. At least back in the day. He seemed sour by the end. Leno was always such a fraud.

[@TheAgentAssassin]

70s hero of mine I remember as a kid I even copied his famous laugh.

[@oldmoviesinbwwithsubtitles3501]

The hairpiece that’s curly on top and straight on the sides…

[@neilouellette3004]

The Hollywood Star he wouldn't name?? Some people believe it was Annette Funicello.

[@wonderrob3225]

I was lookin through the comments to see if any one had an idea of who he talking about in the story. If it was Annette, then good for her! My mom had a naked picture of Burt Reynolds from cosmopolitan magazine 😀

[@sparky6086]

Annette wasn't old enough to drive then, so wouldn't have been known for driving a particular car. Supposedly, it was Lori Nelson.

[@Mateo-et3wl]

clint eastwood part starts at 12:45

[@chrisfoxwell4128]

Sad fact, Burt's back was broken during the filming of City Heat but he kept it quiet so it wouldn't interfere with filming. He became addicted to pain killers from it.

[@bojohnbonham]

He broke his Jaw, he was hit with a chair.

[@williamwindomtributesite1640]

Didn't he suffer a severe shoulder injury during "Deliverance?" The last man to see, supposedly, Inger Stevens alive. He allegedly admitted he did strike her that night which is why she had a wound on her chin.

[@graceburrell8800]

No. Hit his face with a real chair instead of a breakable fake chair . Caused T M J which is terrible and difficult to diagnose especially way back then And causes migraine 😫headaches really bad. THAT was why he became addicted to pain killers. He almost committed suicide over it. Truth.

[@KathleenMcCormickLCSWMPH]

Wow, those menu prices!

[@onlythewise1]

burt was burt nobody else great guy

[@Fiawordweaver]

Burt and under rated giant talent. Should have single and would not have died broke.

[@davederoux3361]

One of his better wigs.

[@gongqi67]

I remember watching this and wondering, who is the actress? Reading the comments, now I know.

[@Eat_Some_More]

They don’t make them like that anymore 😢

[@Kaylin_h]

Um bet Others wouldnt talk so highly of him.

[@TheChodax]

The amount of times he references how good looking men were, it seems so obvious now.

[@paulsutherland1475]

Seems to me a sign that he was 100% confident in his masculinity

[@erepsekahs]

He's sooooo cool, chewin' gum. lookin' all tough with the swanky walk. Why is his right hand sideburn about a 1/4" longer than his left sideburn? Does anyone know, or is it just a mistake by makeup?

[@mcgurkryans]

Who is this statuette?

[@micknordstrom2591]

He is not Clint but he is very cool!

[@filippersson5256]

Ha ha.. What a gas!! 🙀

[@contecrayononpaper]

I was gorgeous.

[@majestik101]

Was the starlet Jacqueline Bissett? Lucky Burt

[@manofiske3318]

His notoriously balding pate notwithstanding, Reynolds was a good-looking guy , in that sense she has nothing to be ashamed of. On the other hand, he was clearly no "Einstein" or great Thespian so bragging from her standpoint would be uncalled for.

[@dirtvegan]

Shelley winters!

[@frankrossi1767]

That's my guess, also

[@wayneriley7367]

My guess, the Poseidon adventure was big. Back in the 50s Winters was a knockout, hence Burt’s exclamation

[@manofiske3318]

@@wayneriley7367 "Poseidon Adventure" was released in 1972 . What the hell has that to do with anything? Besides, Winters was a slob by then

[@graceburrell8800]

@@manofiske3318 she was very sexy back in the 50s and 60s. And she knew it. Enjoyed men and Burt was 🔥. It was Shelly Winters.

[@wayneriley7367]

@@manofiske3318 I guess you can’t read. Winters was in PA as there were meant underwater scenes, she swam some in it. And in the 50s when Burt claimed her she was stunning. Please have intelligence as you read. Winters was a starlet in the 50s but never got to star status and Monroe or Taylor. But you’re right, I made all this up. Give us a better guess?

[@chriswillis462]

A lifelong NOLE!

[@jonnysupreme]

Where's his oversized cowboy hat? 🤠

[@Muertes-tf2oj]

Was expecting Burt Reynolds but Norm McDonald showed up instead!

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

City Heat - 22% critic rating, 24% audience rating on RT. Not his best film.

[@manofiske3318]

Horrible film, yet another in a long list of his home-movies brought to the 'big screen' - only difference was that he managed to get poor Clint caught up in the mess this time out rather than involve members of his usual loyal AKA desperate, troupe of washed-up, has been, clowns

[@paulr1784]

Jacklyn Bisset is my guess

[@TheAgentAssassin]

or Janet Leigh "hello down there"

[@hippieboy6428]

I understand why Marlo hate$ him.

[@mem1701movies]

Who was the woman?

[@TheWeeklingsMusic]

Her name was Lori Nelson. She was in "Underwater" with Jane Russel and she owned a canary yellow Thunderbird that was given to her by Ford Motor Company when they first came out in the mid 50's.

[@crivket1233]

Chicken car chick , is Jane Mansfield. OK

[@TheAgentAssassin]

Sally Fields ?

[@allenlenz9412]

I like Burt Reynolds but I was under the impression that stars on the Walk of Fame are purchased / funded

[@Local_yokels_monsters_myths]

Engrossing’

[@randyking3057]

Okay. Please tell me, who was the underwater woman in the feather car?

[@TheWeeklingsMusic]

Her name was Lori Nelson. She was in "Underwater" with Jane Russel and she owned a canary yellow Thunderbird that was given to her by Ford Motor Company when they first came out in the mid 50's.

[@randyking3057]

@@TheWeeklingsMusic Thanks! Never heard of her but Burt seemed to think a lot of her

[@ForeverChanged7]

What a fox Bury was.

[@TheReevessss]

Is there really gum in there?

[@99theohiostate]

Sandra Giles.

[@JudasIscariot81]

Jacqueline Bisset

[@Gypsyboy932]

Jane Russell?

[@TheWeeklingsMusic]

Her name was Lori Nelson. She was in "Underwater" with Jane Russel and she owned a canary yellow Thunderbird that was given to her by Ford Motor Company when they first came out in the mid 50's.

[@dougmaclennan8654]

Norm McDonald's dream.

[@DreamCather147]

I'm thinking Stella Stevens.

[@TheWeeklingsMusic]

Her name was Lori Nelson. She was in "Underwater" with Jane Russel and she owned a canary yellow Thunderbird that was given to her by Ford Motor Company when they first came out in the mid 50's.

[@DreamCather147]

@@TheWeeklingsMusic Thanks.

[@davidhahnbirds]

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