# A question about Burt Reynolds impressions

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-burt-reynolds-impressions/569846>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 2, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-burt-reynolds-impressions/569846 "2011-02-02T01:54:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-burt-reynolds-impressions/569846/1 "2011-02-02T01:54:35Z")

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Have you ever noticed that when someone imitates Burt Reynolds, he’s always chewing furiously on a piece of gum? Does Burt Reynolds really do that?

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**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-burt-reynolds-impressions/569846/2 "2011-02-02T02:22:14Z")

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I’ll confess that I hadn’t noticed a plethora of Burt Reynolds impersonators out there. Certainly Elvis needn’t worry.

But, yes, in the “Smokey and the Bandit” [del]films[/del] movies, he did chew gum - or possibly tobacco.

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**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-burt-reynolds-impressions/569846/3 "2011-02-02T02:25:45Z")

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I think that’s pretty much a Norm Macdonald thing, but yes, back in his 70’s heday, Reynolds used to chew gum a lot in television appearances and in movies.

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**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-burt-reynolds-impressions/569846/4 "2011-02-02T03:15:28Z")

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I’ve seen at least a couple of other Burt Reynolds impressions that were not Norm McDonald. I guess since his is the most well known, maybe other impressions are based on McDonald’s. You know, like most George H.W. Bush impressions are based on Dana Carvey, most Nixon impressions are based on Rich Little and so on.

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**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-burt-reynolds-impressions/569846/5 "2011-02-02T03:24:00Z")

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Norm does the best Burt in part because he so resembles Burt. He has the same build and complexion, facial shape, and squint.

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**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-burt-reynolds-impressions/569846/6 "2011-02-02T21:04:28Z")

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The Burt character was supposed to be a regular on the SNL Jeopardy skits but then McDonald was fired so they went to the Sean Connery character as the regular.