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Burt Reynolds Had Fun
The term “favorite actor” is oxymoronic to me. It is difficult for me to have a favorite among a class of people who are largely narcissistic, amoral and on the political left. Perhaps a poster boy for the typical Hollywood star was Burt Reynolds, who died on 9/6 at the age of 82.
Reynolds’ movies, some of which I saw back in the day, were peppered with profanity, innuendo and skin. Some had an even darker side. An MSN chronicle of his life said Reynolds was the top-grossing star every year from 1978-1982. He was described by one journalist as the “standard of hirsute masculinity” and revealed it to the world in a Cosmo centerfold in 1972. Burt was married twice and romantically linked with the likes of Dinah Shore, Sally Field, Chris Evert and Farrah Fawcett.
Two divorce judgments and bad business investments ran up a $10 million debt, and instead of Burt enjoying his sunset years he was selling his assets to satisfy a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
In the final paragraph of his memoir, Reynolds summarized his life: “I always wanted to experience everything and go down swinging. Well, so far, so good. I know I’m old, but I feel young. And there’s one thing they can never take away: Nobody had more fun than I did” (MSN online, 9/6/18).
“For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or, what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mt 16:26). Apparently, Burt was willing to exchange his soul for fun. When our days on earth come to an end, may we look forward with joyful, confident hope because we chose to live for something higher than having fun.
