Wonderful World of TCM: (White) Lightning Round

Yes, it's a "WHITE LIGHTNING" round this post, as I finally got around to seeing an old recording I made of the 1973 Burt Reynolds moonshinin' and drivin' flick. This movie should have been awesome, but though it had its moments, I just wasn't feeling it. It needed something else. It had the moonshinin' and the drivin' (and some cool chase scenes), but maybe a little more gum-chewin' and charmin' from His Burtness would have involved me more.

However, "White Lightning" is a passable way to spend an afternoon. Burt plays a character named "Gator," and in some ways, that's all you need, and I bet the fillmakers pretty much agreed. Gator helps the authorities bust a moonshining ring and take down a corrupt sheriff/crime boss who killed Lil' Gator, AKA Burt's younger bro (not actually called Lil' Gator, and it would have improved the movie if he had been).

There's enough stunting and driving and Burt-rebel-being (OK, that's a ridiculous word, but you get my drift) to make you think this is a Hal Needham joint, but not so fast, my friend! This being '73, Needham was still doing stuntwork, and in fact, almost killing himself on this very movie during some dangerous car work.

There's some fun, some old hands around to fill out the cast, and best of all, there's Ned Beatty as Sheriff Connors.

Heel Ned Beatty is awesome, especially Southern Boy Heel Ned Beatty. Lemme tell you, he's a real sumbitch in this one. Watching him in action makes me wonder, what if he got the plum Lex Luthor role in "Superman: The Motion Picture" instead of Gene Hackman?

Now, I grew up watching that movie on ABC every year--it's one of my favorites--and Hackman is one of my favorite screen actors, but it's not like his Lex Luthor is the quintessential interpretation. Maybe Beatty would have dropped a few pounds, gone "the full Telly" instead of wearing a piece most of the film, and turned in a bona fide mega heel performance instead of the classic stooge henchman job he delivered as Otis.

And then maybe instead of settling into a fine career as a beloved high-profile character actor, he would have gotten something like Gene Hackman's unconventional leading man kind of career (Speaking of which, where is Gene Hackman these days? Is he in ill health? I woke up the other day and got really worried about this). Maybe we would have seen Ned Beatty with his name above the title in an ensemble Bruckheimer blockbuster or a big summer action thriller.

Is this scenario likely? I'd bet any effort to have ol' Ned topline a big event movie would have been met with derisive "Deliverance" jokes. So I would say no. But is pondering it a lot more interesting than reading my efforts to describe a movie you really need to see to appreciate?

[turns and looks straight ahead, enjoying a thoughtful gum chew or 3 before turning back around to face the reader]

You betcha.