Good Ole Boy

Some would say, himself included, that many of the car films Burt Reynolds made in the 1970s and 80s were a successful way of ruining his own career. They were fast, cheap and fun – but they also typecast him as a moonshining, fast-driving redneck and virtually ended any chances he had of a serious acting career thereafter. They also made a lot of money and made Burt a hero of the American south.

A year after Deliverance (1972) had finally made Burt the household name he deserved to be, he made White Lightning. Burt plays Bobby ‘Gator’ McKlusky, released early from an Arkansas prison to go undercover for the FBI and catch the crooked sheriff who murdered his younger brother. Gator infiltrates the local moonshiners at a stock car track, quickly resulting in several decent car chases with virtually every sedan from Ford’s 1971 full-size line-up. Watch for the stunt where Gator’s 429cu in Galaxie leaps on to a moving barge – it almost