This week I’m going to be discussing Audible’s production of the actor, Burt Reynolds’, autobiography, But Enough About Me. Narration is by the author, with a forward by Jon Voight.
But Enough About Me
An Extraordinary Life
At one time, Burton Leon Reynolds Jr, was the most famous actor in the world. Adored for playing loveable rogues, he was the world’s number one box-office star for five consecutive years (from 1978 to 1982).
In this Audible production of But Enough About Me, Burt Reynolds recalls his life and an acting career which spanned over 50 years. There is much love expressed for the two great loves of his life, Dinah Shore and Sally Field, and for his son, Quinton. Along the way, Reynolds discusses his early childhood and how he fell into acting.
Famous Friends
There is copious name-dropping, from tales of his playing poker with Frank Sinatra, to receiving directing advice from Orson Welles. For me, he won points when he championed Bette Davis over Joan Crawford, my own personal preference in the great Feud!
But Enough About Me discusses Reynolds’ high points in Hollywood, how he coped with a drift into relative obscurity and the joy of a comeback in the late 1990s. It is always a compelling yarn.
Narration
At first it is a bit of a shock to hear an older, more rasping voice narrating But Enough About Me, than the honeyed tones which marked his Golden Hollywood era. The ravages of an epicurean life? Perhaps. It is so full of emotion, however, that it adds weight to the stories it recounts. Indeed, sometimes this renders it positively heartbreaking. No more so than when he recounts the loss of his long-term friend and collaborator, Dom DeLuise. Reynolds’ voice audibly cracks on the line, ‘I smile whenever I think of him’.
Tough Guy
There is a certain lack of political correctness, such as one might expect from a key exponent of 70’s masculinity. However, But Enough About Me never paints Reynolds as toxic as some of his contemporaries and often his directness is to be welcomed. Such as when we witness a typically forthright viewpoint with regard to directors – ‘When they start talking about (character) motivation, I pretend to listen and then do what I want’.
Despite the tough guy image, what emerges is a portrait of a man of emotional depth, intelligence and skill. It is a pleasure to be in his company one last time.