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Thursday, September 6, 2018

The Writer's Life 9/6 - Tribute to a Movie Star


RIP Burt Reynolds, 82, who had one of the most impressive runs in Hollywood history. There are 187 titles listed under his name at IMDb, but that doesn't even begin to tell his story. He was as prolific on TV as he was in film. He appeared in 50 episodes of Gunsmoke, 20 of Riverboat, 17 of Hawk, 26 of Dan August, 12 of B. L. Stryker, and 98 of Evening Shade, of which he directed 35 episodes. He lent his distinctive voice to 95 episodes of Out of This World and narrated the six episodes of The History of Hollywood. He has 14 titles listed under his name as "Director." He received directorial credit on my favorite of his movies, the under-rated Sharkey's Machine (1981), although the best film in which he was involved is undoubtedly Deliverance (1972). Of course, his popularity is legendary. He was the number one box draw five years in a row, 1978-'82. He made it seem so easy - and fun. His work will live on long after him. He will be forever young. Here's a telling quote attributed to him: "All of the younger actors keep coming up to me and asking me where all of the land mines are because they know I've stepped on them all." What a life he had. Well done, sir. Thank you.

It had to happen. A golf course in North Dakota has adopted modern technology in the delivery of refreshments anywhere on its grounds, brought to duffers by drones. The continuing advances never cease to fascinate. I wonder how many months are conducive to golf in ND. Then again, I bet the courses are lush and beautiful. It'd be a great place to spend summer, but I'd never be able to live there year round. I can barely hack a NYC winter.

My thanks to Wolf, who bought four books in Russian, and to the gentleman who purchased another; and to Cabbie, who pulled his hack over and made a swap and buy, driving away with Ira Levin's Sliver; and to the burly guy who selected Robert Ludlum's The Scorpio Illusion; and to the dude in the mechanized wheelchair, who I suspected would buy Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, as he seems to prefer black authors. I'd found it in a box left curbside during my morning walk. I took three other familiar titles as well, and left several attractive books behind. I'm taking only those I know will sell quickly.   

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