Burt Reynolds Makes Dolly Parton Blush During A 1973 Interview On His Short-Lived Late Night Show

The year was 1973.

Burt Reynolds had not yet become The Bandit, and Dolly Parton was just coming to be recognized as the prettiest, and perkiest, sweet thing in country music. Dudes everywhere were starting to have their eye on Dolly: Including the legend himself, Burt Reynolds.

Mr. Reynolds, who was very known to many as a very charismatic and personable man, also happened to be a huge fan of country music.

Furthermore, back in 1973, ol’ Mr. Reynolds happened to be have his own late night special in Nashville (appropriately called The Burt Reynolds Late Show). Though it only ran for four episodes, it was a great show that featured many of the very famous country culture figures of the time, such as Minnie Pearl, Mel Tillis, Glen Campbell, Roger Miller, Charlie Rich, Porter Wagoner, and of course, last but obviously not least, the very pretty Miss Dolly Parton.

However, while everybody back then knew that Mr. Burt Reynolds was indeed a ladies man, what they didn’t know was that it would be that the blonde bombshell Miss Dolly Parton that would appear to catch his peacefully wandering country boy eye that night most of all.

The late night special, having just returned from a commercial break, first shows a beautiful horse out in Mr. Burt’s gorgeous ranch as a strong steel medley plays in the background. The camera then proceeds to slowly and smoothly cut over to him and Dolly sitting on the couch.

He first mentions that he has a piece of property in Sevierville, TN, while joking that it’s only because he couldn’t afford a place in Gatlinburg. Miss Dolly then politely tells him that it’s almost near Gatlinburg. Mr. Burt then proceeds to ask her if she was raised there, to which Dolly then responds by saying that she was raised in Sevier County, and that Sevierville was the closest town, as it was about 15 miles from where she was born and raised in the mountains of East Tennessee.

Finally, the moment you all been waiting for: The man himself, the legend, Mr. Burt Reynolds, rizzing up, and yes y’all, now I’m gonna say it for a third and final time, the sweet East Tennessee woman who went on to become incredibly legendary, very Miss pretty Dolly Parton.

He proceeds to flirt with her very convincingly by saying that she must’ve been the popular thing in the whole mountain, which made her blush as the audience laughed.

She then replies:

“Not really, but thank you anyway.”

Dolly also laughingly says that the reason she left is cause she wasn’t too popular, which Burt has a hard time believing:

“Good Lord. I’m going right over there.”

Burt then joking but respectfully asks her if she was the dog in the mountain, to which she proceeds to laugh it off before he finally changes the subject. They then talk briefly about what she first thought of Nashville, and then she proceeds to play an acoustic performance of her song, “Down On Music Row,” which was released off of her record from earlier that same year, My Tennessee Mountain Home.

The entire segment is worth a watch. Aside from the flirtatious moment between Dolly and Burt, to close out the special, Roger Miller plays a wonderful acoustic performance of his song, “I Believe In The Sunshine,” released off his record Dear Folks, Sorry I Haven’t Written Lately released earlier that same year.

All in all, just a classic clip featuring some future legends – and a little bit of playful flirting too.

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