Editing Burt Reynolds (section)

===Early television and ''Riverboat''===
[[File:Darren McGavin and Burt Reynolds in Riverboat.jpg|upright|thumb|Reynolds (right) with [[Darren McGavin]] in ''[[Riverboat (TV series)|Riverboat]]''.]]
[[File:Burt Reynolds John Williams The Bard Twilight Zone 1963.jpg|upright|thumb|Reynolds (left) with [[John Williams (actor)|John Williams]] as [[William Shakespeare]] in ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' featuring Reynolds parodying [[look-alike]] [[Marlon Brando]].]]
Reynolds began acting for television during the late 1950s, with guest roles on shows like ''[[Flight (TV series)|Flight]]'', ''[[M Squad]]'', ''[[Schlitz Playhouse]]'', ''[[The Lawless Years]]'' and ''[[Pony Express (TV series)|Pony Express]]''. He signed a seven-year contract with Universal Studios.<ref name="honest">{{Cite news|title=Television: Honest Injun|first=Joan|last=Barthel|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 24, 1966|page=77}}</ref> "I don't care whether he can act or not," said Wasserman. "Anyone who has this effect on women deserves a break."<ref name="river"/>

Reynolds's first big opportunity came when he was cast alongside [[Darren McGavin]], who was the main actor of the television series ''[[Riverboat (TV series)|Riverboat]]'' (1959–61), playing Ben Frazer, the boat's [[maritime pilot|pilot]]. According to a contemporary report, Reynolds was considered "a double for Marlon Brando".<ref name="river"/> The show played for two seasons, but Reynolds quit after only 20 episodes, claiming that he did not get along with McGavin nor the executive producer, and that he had "a stupid part".<ref name="bob">{{Cite news|title=Burt Joins 'Gunsmoke'|author=Thomas, Bob|work=Chicago Tribune|date=May 5, 1963|page=d15}}</ref>

Reynolds subsequently said that he "couldn't get a job. I didn't have a very good reputation. You just don't walk out on a network television series."<ref name="honest"/>

Reynolds returned to guest featuring in television shows. As he put it, "I played heavies in every series in town,"<ref name="bob"/> appearing in episodes of ''[[Playhouse 90]]'', ''[[Johnny Ringo (TV series)|Johnny Ringo]]'', ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'', ''[[Lock Up (TV series)|Lock Up]]'', ''The Blue Angels'', ''[[Michael Shayne (TV series)|Michael Shayne]]'', ''[[Zane Grey Theater]]'', ''[[The Aquanauts]]'' and ''[[The Brothers Brannagan]]''. "They were depressing years," he later said.<ref name="honest"/>

Reynolds starred in the low budget film ''[[Angel Baby (1961 film)|Angel Baby]]'' (1961). He followed it with a role in a war film ''[[Armored Command]]'' (1961). "It was the one picture that [[Howard Keel]] didn't sing on," reminisced Reynolds. "That was a terrible mistake."<ref name="gene">{{Cite news|title=Workaholic Burt Reynolds sets up his next task: Light comedy|author=Siskel, Gene|work=Chicago Tribune|date=November 28, 1976|page=e2}}</ref>

In 1961, he returned to [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] to appear in ''Look, We've Come Through'', directed by [[José Quintero]], but it lasted only five performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/look-weve-come-through-2891|title=Look, We've Come Through – Broadway Play – Original – IBDB|website=IBDB|access-date=September 8, 2018|archive-date=July 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727082834/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/look-weve-come-through-2891|url-status=live}}</ref>

Reynolds continued to guest-star on episodes of ''[[Naked City (TV series)|Naked City]]'', ''[[Ripcord (TV series)|Ripcord]]'', ''[[Everglades (TV series)|Everglades]]'', ''[[Route 66 (TV series)|Route 66]]'', ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' and ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' ("[[The Bard (The Twilight Zone)|The Bard]]", an hour-long send-up of Reynolds's [[look-alike]] Marlon Brando). He later said, "I learned more about my craft in these guest shots than I did standing around and looking virile on ''Riverboat''."<ref name="smoke">{{Cite news|title=Wait a Minute, Marshal Dillon, What About Me?|author=Humphrey, Hal|work=Los Angeles Times|date=January 22, 1964|page=C11}}</ref>