BURT REYNOLDS: An Unauthorized Biography

by Sylvia Safran Resnick ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 6, 1982

For simpleminded fans only: a gushy mini-biography seemingly stitched together out of old gossip columns and magazine interviews. Resnick moves quickly through Reynolds' youth, with its ""emotional ambivalence"" about a tough, undemonstrative father and Burt's breakthrough from loneliness into school sports: ""He had round a way to release that other person inside him. And it felt wonderful!"" Injury ended a college-football career, however, so Burt gave his all to acting--putting in his dues in N.Y. (stage, TV stuntwork) and Hollywood. And though his early marriage to Judy Carne collapsed (""For a while they laughed together""), a reconciliation with his father generated new confidence: TV series-work followed, as did that Cosmo centerfold. (""That the centerfold pushed him over the line into superstardom has been an issue of controversy among many. . . . The matter is still in debate, much like the chicken and the egg."") Along with the movie-by-movie rundown, of course, there are also the romances: Dinah Shore (""neither of them ever gave a thought to the age difference""), Sally, Tammy, and lesser-knowns. But: ""Boy, girl, man, woman--it doesn't matter what the sex or age. There is something universal about the appeal of this out-spoken, hard-working, caring man."" Stale popcorn--even by celeb-bio standards.

Pub Date: Jan. 6, 1982

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1982

Categories: NONFICTION