It was a bit of a lark when I agreed to do [Smokey and the Bandit], and I knew we'd have fun if we could get Jackie Gleason.

The audience will always forgive you for being wrong and exciting, but never for being right and dull.

It was a bit of a lark when I agreed to do [Smokey and the Bandit], and I knew we'd have fun if we could get Jackie Gleason.

The moment you grab someone by the lapels, you're lost.

The more the art dominated my life and my house, the more the house became a home.

I can tell a young person where the mines are, but he's probably going to step on them anyway.

Having done 300 television shows and almost 60 movies, I'm tired of having guys who are younger than some sandwiches I've had, telling me to turn left at the couch. There's no appreciation of actors and no sense of history.