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Burt Reynolds said this co-star ''gave me the business'' when he needed help the most
Reynolds had a hard time in an early role.
In 1962, Burt Reynolds was making the rounds in the press in support of his new role on Gunsmoke. At the time, the show's third-billed actor, Dennis Weaver, announced he was leaving Dodge City for greener pastures in the form of his own variety show. Producers cast Burt Reynolds in a hurry, hoping audiences would love him as Quint Asper, the local blacksmith. When Weaver's variety show failed to attract the attention of corporate sponsors, he tucked tail and decided to stick with Gunsmoke.
Luckily, Reynolds already had his foot in the saloon door. The producers decided they liked his character, and they'd keep him around. In an interview with the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Reynolds spoke about how close he'd come to being the bad guy in the situation.
"Frankly, I'm glad Dennis is coming back as Chester. I was scared to death the Gunsmoke audience would have pegged me the biggest villain ever seen on TV— for taking his job.
"This way I'll be in 15 of the shows and Dennis will do 15 as Chester. If he decides to bow out later, I won't be cast as the heavy in the public mind."
While Reynolds nimbly avoided any offscreen drama in this scenario, it hadn't always been the case throughout his career. In fact, in the very same interview, Reynolds recalled a scenario from a few years earlier when a conflict did arise with a more established co-star.
"Not many folk remember, but I co-starred with Darren McGavin in the old Riverboat show," said Reynolds. "I was a green actor with a dull part who needed help in those days. Instead of help, McGavin gave me the business. He didn't talk to me for the first seven weeks of production, and it nearly killed me.
"I quit that series cold, and I told my agent I'd never take a dull role again. That's when I started playing heavies. Small parts but interesting characters. You know, I figure the public will forgive a character who is wrong but exciting, but they'll never forgive you for being right and dull. For boring the hell out of them."
In contrast to his time with McGavin, Reynolds said he got along "just fine" with the rest of his Gunsmoke cast. So, that's why Burt Reynolds never had a cameo on Kolchak!
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