He joined the Army Air Forces, flying missions in the Pacific during World War II, before earning his degree at the University of Minnesota.

He became stage manager for TV's The Good Egg of the Week and then assistant director on The Colgate Comedy Hour and The Dennis Day Show.

[8] In 1968, he directed the cult classic comedic thriller No Way to Treat a Lady, starring Rod Steiger and George Segal.

In 1976, Smight was hired to direct the technically-complex Damnation Alley, expected to be another box office hit upon release.

After the director's cut was delivered, and Smight moved on to other projects, studio meddling and re-editing resulted in a drastically altered film, which was released and failed at the box office.