Burt Reynolds' star was on the rise as the 1960s drew to a close. His profile had been boosted by his 50-episode run on CBS' Western series "Gunsmoke," which he joined during its eighth season because star Dennis Weaver was making noise about quitting the show. When Reynolds left the series, he split his time between television and movies as he searched for that role that would launch him to full-blown stardom. His ship finally came in at the outset of the 1970s when he was offered the part of chest surgeon Trapper John McIntyre in Robert Altman's Korean War comedy "M*A*S*H." The film would go on to become the third highest-grossing production of 1970 (behind "Love Story" and "Airport"), but, as you might've noticed, it didn't have Reynolds in it. That's because he turned it down to st

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