Oh, we love some Hollywood gossip. Let’s face it, today’s stars and celebrities could never give us the same feelings as the legends of yesteryear. Something about the old Hollywood mainstays felt so larger-than-life. Nowadays, there’s no mystery. Every thought, meal, and event gets posted on social media to be poured over by the masses. But back in the day, you had to dig deeper to learn about your favorite actors. The press controlled what we knew about movie stars. And there’s nothing the press loved more than a little gossip.
Back in 1963, Burt Reynolds was a star ascending. He wasn’t yet the box office heavyweight of Cannonball Run or Smokey and the Bandit. He was, however, becoming more and more recognized for his television roles. Reynolds was first a regular in Riverboat and then on Gunsmoke. He wasn’t too shy about stating his preferences for the latter.
In fact, during an interview with Tulsa World, Reynolds made clear exactly what he thought of his Riverboat co-star, Darren McGavin. Burt Reynolds was not the type to mince words, as there was nothing left to interpretation.
He called Darren McGavin, Kolchak himself, a fink.
“I had three-and-a-half years on Riverboat to watch him and that’s what I think,” said Reynolds. “There’s nothing new or strange about me popping off… it’s just recently that anybody’s asked me.”
Later in the interview, Reynolds spoke about his co-star on Gunsmoke, Jim Arness, and just how big Arness was. Burt Reynolds had a football build but still came up short standing next to Marshal Matt Dillon. Even when Arness was the topic of discussion, Reynolds bent the conversation to take further shots at Darren McGavin.
“I don’t wear lifts on Gunsmoke. If McGavin ever fell off his lifts he’d break his neck.”
Yeesh!