Ned Beatty Trippe in "Deliverance" (1972), starring Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds, and set in northern Georgia. Beatty's character is forced to strip at gunpoint by two mountain men who humiliate and rape him, a scene so unprecedented, horrifying and shocking that it is still referenced as a screen milestone. In 1972, he also appeared in "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean", a western with Paul Newman. In 1973, Beatty made "The Thief Who Came to Dinner", "The Last American Hero" and "White Lightning". The latter film reunited Beatty with his "Deliverance" co-star, Burt Reynolds. He also appeared in an
Burt Reynolds the character. Reynolds played the title character in police drama "Dan August" (1970–71), produced by Quinn Martin. The series was given a full-season order of 26 episodes based on the reputation of Martin and Reynolds but struggled in the ratings against "Hawaii 5-0" and was not renewed. Albert R. Broccoli asked Reynolds to play James Bond, but he turned that role down, saying "An American can't play James Bond. It just can't be done." Following the series' cancellation, Reynolds did his first stage play in six years, a production of "The Tender Trap" at Arlington Park Theatre. He was offered