Stroker Ace * (1983, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Jim Nabors, Loni Anderson, Parker Stevenson, Bubba Smith) – Classic Movie Review 11,343

Loni Anderson and Burt Reynolds met while making the 1983 action comedy film Stroker Ace and were married from 1988 to 1994.

Hal Needham recalled: ‘Stroker Ace is the kind of movie Burt Reynolds and I do best.’

Director Hal Needham’s 1983 action comedy Stroker Ace is a surprise early 80s flop from Burt Reynolds, who should have been on home ground as Stroker Ace, a popular NASCAR racing driver with the usual entourage of gals, good ol’ boys, sheriffs and Ned Beatty, as mogul Clyde Torkle, the fried-chicken company car sponsor.

But Burt’s regular director Needham lets the action and comedy limp along and the tired old thing ends up like a lame parody of a Burt Reynolds film.

Stroker Ace clashes with his sponsor over his promotion gimmicks such as getting him to wear a chicken suit, while romantically pursuing the buxom Pembrook Feeney (Loni Anderson).

Parker Stevenson was born on June 4, 1952.

Also in the cast are Jim Nabors as “Lugs” Harvey, Parker Stevenson as Aubrey James, Bubba Smith  as Arnold, John Byner as “Doc” Seegle, Frank O Hill as “Dad” Seegle, Cassandra Peterson as Elvira, Warren Stevens as Jim Catty, Alfie Wise as Charlie, Cary Guffey as “Little Doc”, Jim Lewis, and Neil Bonnett as himself.

The screenplay by Hugh Wilson, Hal Needham and David E Peckinpah is based on the novel Stand On It by William Neely and Robert K Ottum.

It had weak box office, grossing $11.4 million against a cost of $14 million. and was a critical and financial failure. It proved a turning point in Reynolds’s career, which never recovered. ‘That’s where I lost the fans,’ he recalled. Ironically producer Walter Wood said: ‘If you like Burt Reynolds, you’ll like this movie. It was made for his fans.’

It received five Golden Raspberry Award nominations including Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Actress (Loni Anderson) and Worst New Star (also Anderson), winning one for Jim Nabors as Worst Supporting Actor.

The score is by Al Capps. But it was originally written by Ry Cooder, who recalled: ‘I got this incredible rockabilly ensemble together, and the director just hated our music! He fired all of us right after he heard the tape.’ At least Ry Cooder wasn’t nominated for Worst Original Score!

It was shot in North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.

Anderson and Reynolds met while making this film and were married from 29 April 1988 to 17 June 1994) (divorced, with one child). Anderson had two children: a daughter, Deidra (fathered by her first husband Bruce Hasselberg) and a son, Quinton, adopted with Reynolds.

Needham recalled: ‘Burt called me to tell me he wanted to be in it. I guess Burt realised he’d have a good time working on the movie and that it would be a fun one for people to see. After all, Stroker Ace is the kind of movie Burt and I do best.’

Burt Reynolds turned down the role of astronaut Garrett Breedlove in Terms of Endearment to play Stroker Ace. Jack Nicholson won an Oscar for the role. It is easy to be wise after the event: four car-themed films starring Reynolds made with Needham had all previously been successes.

RIP Burt Reynolds (1936-2018).

Loni Anderson (August 5, 1945 – August 3, 2025).

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,343

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