This was the first ever movie to use the DGA pseudonym Alan Smithee. After major re- cutting by Paramount without director Jud Taylor's involvement, Taylor demanded that his name be taken off the picture. It's not however the first movie to have Burt in a leading role. Operation CIA, Navajoe Joe both came before this with Reynolds receiving top billing in both.
Plot In A Paragraph: after arriving in Mexico to work as an editor on a movie, ("Blue", starring Terrance Stamp and Ricardo Montalbano) Jean (Barbara Loden) a young city woman finds herself falling in love with the handsome and charismatic ranch hand Rob (Burt Reynolds) who is working as a driver during the movie's location shoot.
I could only find one Reynolds quote about this movie and that is "It should have been called 'Fade Out'"
Paramount pictures was so convinced this movie was a turkey, they buried it in the studio morgue for six years, in which time Burt Reynolds tried to actually buy the movie himself. Eventually when Reynolds was more of a star Paramount sold the movie to CBS TV, who showed it is a late night TV movie.
The quality on my DVD was not the best, which may have impacted my enjoyment of it. As is often the case during the early part of his career Burt Reynolds is the best thing about this movie, and the only real reason to watch this. It's the first movie to fully showcase the charm and charisma that would be his trademark a decade later. There were hints of it in "Shark", but this is the first movie to put it to full effect. I'm surprised his career didn't include more romantic leads. However Burt had no chemistry whatsoever with his female lead Barbara Loden, though the blame does not fall on Burt, (he tries hard, but it's just not there) it is Loden who is awful throughout the picture.
Frequent Reynolds co star James Hampton (Gunsmoke, Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, Hustle, Mean Machine, W.W & The Dixie Dancekings, Evening Shade) is the only supporting member of the cat of note.
Plot In A Paragraph: after arriving in Mexico to work as an editor on a movie, ("Blue", starring Terrance Stamp and Ricardo Montalbano) Jean (Barbara Loden) a young city woman finds herself falling in love with the handsome and charismatic ranch hand Rob (Burt Reynolds) who is working as a driver during the movie's location shoot.
I could only find one Reynolds quote about this movie and that is "It should have been called 'Fade Out'"
Paramount pictures was so convinced this movie was a turkey, they buried it in the studio morgue for six years, in which time Burt Reynolds tried to actually buy the movie himself. Eventually when Reynolds was more of a star Paramount sold the movie to CBS TV, who showed it is a late night TV movie.
The quality on my DVD was not the best, which may have impacted my enjoyment of it. As is often the case during the early part of his career Burt Reynolds is the best thing about this movie, and the only real reason to watch this. It's the first movie to fully showcase the charm and charisma that would be his trademark a decade later. There were hints of it in "Shark", but this is the first movie to put it to full effect. I'm surprised his career didn't include more romantic leads. However Burt had no chemistry whatsoever with his female lead Barbara Loden, though the blame does not fall on Burt, (he tries hard, but it's just not there) it is Loden who is awful throughout the picture.
Frequent Reynolds co star James Hampton (Gunsmoke, Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, Hustle, Mean Machine, W.W & The Dixie Dancekings, Evening Shade) is the only supporting member of the cat of note.