Titans in the industry almost inevitably foster relationships – be they friendships or rivalries – that play a big part in shaping their images in the greater cultural psyche. Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood became good friends and it was upon Eastwood’s advice that Reynolds pursued a Spaghetti Western called Navajo Joe as a means of establishing some footing in the industry.
This was a rather common strategy in the ‘60s, for rising stars to seek a Spaghetti Western; it was like the early days of SNL for comedians. Of course, Eastwood couldn’t recommend a filmmaker named Sergio enough. The only problem was Reynolds ended up with the wrong Sergio.
Clint Eastwood sent Burt Reynolds to Sergio Corbucci
The early to mid-’60s were defined by Eastwood’s involvement in the Dollars trilogy, starting with A Fistful of Dollars, followed up by For a Few Dollars More. All of this would culminate in 1966’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Each of these would see Eastwood work closely with Italian film director Sergio Leon.
So, when it came time to level his friend Reynolds with a solid recommendation, Eastwood was known for his association with director Sergio. Except something got lost in translation and Reynolds instead approached Sergio Corbucci, another Spaghetti Western director known for both his very violent scenes and his bloodless action comedies led by Bud Spencer and Terence Hill.
Reynolds approached the production team and it just so happened that their first choice, Marlon Brando, turned down the lead role. Perfect! Right? Quite the opposite, in Reynolds’s view.
Reynolds had no love for ‘Navajo Joe’
Reynolds ended up getting into the Spaghetti Western recommended by Eastwood, who introduced him to producer producer Dino De Laurentiis. De Laurentiis brought Reynolds in because he felt Reynolds resembled their original first choice, Brando. But Reynolds probably would rather have never even known the film existed.
Production frustrated him – everything from shaving his arms constantly to wearing a wig he said made him look like Natalie Wood.
On top of that, Reynolds ended up resenting the content within the film itself. As far as Reynolds was concerned, Navajo Joe was “so awful it was only shown in prisons and airplanes because nobody could leave.” When Reynolds earned an Emmy in 1991 for Evening Shade, he thought of this film and voiced his gratitude that he got through hiccups like that, saying, “All those pictures – Navajo Joe – they paid off, you know.”
As for the director, Corbucci earned the moniker “the wrong Sergio.”