Last night, I was watching Smokey and the Bandit. I know it is dated, corny, and politically incorrect, but I remember my parents taking me to the theater to see this 1977 hit movie and I love it to this day. If you have seen it, you may be surprised to know it was actually nominated for an Oscar. Not Best Picture, but Best Film Editing (hey, it is still a nomination!).
Anyhow, as I watched it, something struck me. Before there was Bennifer, before there was Brangelina, there was a couple I like to call Burly – Burt Reynolds and Sally Field.
You might say Sally Field was America’s Sweetheart before Julia Roberts was even born. At age 19, she was starring as Gidget on television. After “Gidget” ended, she became the Flying Nun. A nun, yes, but still adorable. But, by the late Seventies, Sally was looking to be taken more seriously. She played the unlikely role of a schizophrenic in television’s “Sybil,” for which she won rave reviews and an Emmy (for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama).
Then she got an unexpected phone call. The most popular male movie star of the era was Burt Reynolds, a man she had never met. But he wanted her to star in his upcoming movie Smokey and the Bandit. She thought the script was dreadful, but then thought, “Well, gee — Burt is the No. 1 box office star and he thinks I’m appealing. Maybe other people will think I’m appealing.”
Little could she have known that by accepting the role of Carrie (“Frog”) that she and Burt would fall in love during the filming of the movie. The two became the power couple of the late 70s. After the success of Smokey and the Bandit, the two starred in several more films together, including the 1980 Bandit sequel, The End, and Hooper.
But suddenly, Sally found herself being known not as a great actress, but as “Burt Reynold’s girlfriend.” He reportedly asked her to marry him several times, but she refused. Still seeking to be seen as a serious actress, she took on the dramatic role of Norma Rae in the film by the same title. It would be a breakout role for her – she would win the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role. But, that seemed to be the nail in the coffin of the relationship. There was only room in the relationship for one superstar and that was Burt. By 1982, it was over.
Sally went on to marry film producer Alan Greisman in 1984 (the two have since divorced). Burt would marry actress Loni Anderson in 1988 – they divorced in 1995. Burt still hasn’t won an Oscar (although he was nominated for 1997’s Boogie Nights and I certainly thought he was deserving), but Sally went on to win another for 1984’s Places in the Heart.