Burt Reynolds' Slap Flap

Wed., May. 25, 2005 11:50 AM PDT by Sarah Hall

Apparently, Burt Reynolds got a little too slap-happy at the premiere of his latest movie.

At a New York screening of The Longest Yard Tuesday night, Reynolds smacked a CBS-TV assistant producer in the face after the producer dared to ask the actor to tell him about the movie.

As the camera rolled, Reynolds seemed to get increasingly irritated at the hapless producer.

"You don't know anything about the movie?" Reynolds asked.

When the producer admitted to not having seen the film, or the 1974 original version in which Reynolds also stars, the actor reached out and slapped him, asking, "What...kinda guy are you?"

"The guy has never seen the...he asked me to tell him about the picture, he's standing here in a shirt that needs ironing, the man works for CBS, I'm embarrassed. I like the guy, he's a nice guy, he's a tough guy, he wants to hit me now, he can't, 'cause he's under contract. But we'll meet later if you want," Reynolds went on.

CBS replayed the footage on The Early Show and video of the incident was widely available on the Internet Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Reynold's publicist, Jeff Lane, denied that there was any malice behind the slap.

"Burt remembers the incident very well, but has a very different account. He playfully tapped him on the cheek, as if to say, 'Well, that's not very nice,' not to have seen the movie," Lane explained.

"He was kidding. There was no anger and no problems between him and the young guy. They had a playful, kidding interview. Then he walked on and did his next interview. The guy next to him was watching the whole thing and smiling and laughing."

CBS News said it was looking into the incident and had no comment at this time. The name of the producer has not been released.

At the end of the night, Adam Sandler and other stars of the film were seen exiting through the front door of the theater, but according to witnesses, there was no sign of Reynolds.

With The Longest Yard opening Friday, it's hard to say whether the publicity surrounding the premiere will help or hinder its box-office draw.

Apart from the jailhouse football flick, Reynolds appears in the upcoming Dukes of Hazzard movie, alongside Jessica Simpson, Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott.