Burt Reynolds Made a Huge Career Gamble – And It Cost Him One of Cinema’s Most Iconic Roles
By the late 1960s, Burt Reynolds was steadily climbing the Hollywood ladder. His breakout role in CBS’s long-running Western series Gunsmoke (where he replaced a disgruntled Dennis Weaver) had put him on the map. But television wasn’t enough—Reynolds craved movie stardom. Then came the golden opportunity: the chance to play Trapper John McIntyre in Robert Altman’s MASH, the Korean War satire that would become one of 1970’s biggest box office hits. *But here’s the twist—he said no.** Instead, Reynolds chose Skullduggery, a bizarre adventure film that would go down as one of Hollywood’s most infamous misfires.
The Movie That Made Reynolds Question His Choices
As a Reynolds fan, I’ll admit it—Skullduggery is the kind of movie even die-hard supporters cringe at. It’s not so bad it’s good; it’s just… bad. Reynolds plays a prospector hunting for phosphorus in New Guinea alongside his sidekick (Roger C. Carmel). When they team up with an archaeologist (Susan Clark), they stumble upon a lost tribe called the Tropis—supposedly the missing link between humans and apes. But the story takes a dark turn when a wealthy financier plots to exploit them. What starts as a jungle adventure morphs into a courtroom drama about the Tropis’ humanity.
Critics shredded Skullduggery, and Universal Pictures lost a fortune. So why did Reynolds pick this over MASH*? And did he regret passing up a role that made Elliot Gould a household name?
A Troubled Production from Day One
Skullduggery was based on Les Animaux dénaturés, a praised French novel that explored ethical dilemmas around human evolution. Originally, legendary director Otto Preminger considered adapting it, but when he walked away, producer Saul David (Logan’s Run, Fantastic Voyage) took over. The shoot was a mess—director Richard Wilson was fired after one day, replaced by Gordon Douglas, a studio veteran with a mixed track record. Reynolds later admitted he liked the script but sensed disaster early on.
In a 1976 interview with Gene Siskel, Reynolds didn’t hold back: "Badly directed, kind of sloughed off. Susan Clark was good… but nobody knew how to sell the picture. Any time you have Pat Suzuki dressed as a small ape, I think you’re in trouble."
The Wake-Up Call That Shaped His Career
After Skullduggery flopped, Reynolds knew he had to get serious. In a 1970 Chicago Tribune interview, he joked (or was it a grim confession?) that after too many "wonderful, forgettable pictures… I suddenly realized I was as hot as Leo Gorcey." (A biting reference to the faded star of the Bowery Boys series.) That realization led him to Deliverance—the brutal survival thriller that Marlon Brando had turned down—and cemented Reynolds as the 1970s’ biggest leading man.
Controversial Take: Was Skullduggery Really a Mistake?
On paper, Skullduggery was ambitious—a sci-fi morality tale about exploitation and identity. But was Reynolds wrong to take a risk on something unconventional, even if it failed? Or should he have played it safe with MASH? *Here’s where it gets controversial—some argue Reynolds needed a flop to push him toward better roles. Others say passing on MASH* was pure self-sabotage.**
What do you think? Would Reynolds’ career have soared even higher with MASH, or did *Skullduggery—for all its flaws—teach him a lesson that led to Deliverance and Smokey and the Bandit? Sound off in the comments!
