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Semi-Tough / Gator

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This Burt Reynolds double-feature consists of two lesser 1970s comedies.


In GATOR (1976), the leisurely-paced directorial debut of Burt Reynolds, his buddy Jerry Reed is a mean hombre named 'Bama McCall.

McCall "owns" a rural north Florida county located near the Okeefenokee Swamp. Any business owners who refuse his regular demands for "insurance" payments are soon arson victims, or worse. 'Bama also runs a "gentleman's facility" staffed by girls age 13 to 16. He's got a cop or two on the payroll and carries a licensed sawed-off shotgun. McCall is not afraid to shoot enemies with it at point blank range. This laughing hyena is about as nasty as they get.

Reynolds plays swamp-dwelling moonshiner Gator McKlusky. He's coerced by Federal Agent Irving Greenfield (Jack Weston) into bringing old friend 'Bama to justice. Along the way Gator meets and falls for TV reporter Aggie Maybank. When not frolicking on some moonlit beach, the two fight against an ever-aggressive McCall and his two goons.

Also seen are Dub Taylor as Burt's daddy, Alice Ghostley as an eccentric ex-city employee and Mike Douglas, who's woefully miscast as Mayor.


Call SEMI-TOUGH (1977) less a gridiron film than a love triangle with a self-help seminar subplot. Ballplayers Burt Reynolds and Kris Krostofferson roommate with and share the platonic affections of team owner Robert Preston's daughter, Jill Clayburgh until she begins to fall for one of them, which creates a rift between the men.

While not listening to Gene Autry records, Big Ed (Preston) experiments with every psychic fad that comes along: pyramids, "pelfing" and more. Bert Convy figures large as the "est"-like guru who instills confidence in the man that then wins Clayburgh's heart.

This movie was widely panned for deviating from the Dan Jenkins novel by concentrating on New Age stuff rather than football, thus an outstanding supporting cast is squandered here. They include: Lotte Leyna, Richard Masur, Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed in "Rocky"), Brian Dennehy, ex-QB Joe Kapp, Ron Silver, Ed 'Too Tall' Jones, Dick Schaap and Paul Hurnung.