Reynolds was drafted into the United States Army in 1952, but en route to Korea he stayed in Japan doing radio work.

He often played the son of the leading character, for example of Jane Wyman in All That Heaven Allows, Fred MacMurray in There's Always Tomorrow and Laurence Olivier in Carrie.

Reynolds became tired of his dull, stereotyped roles in the movies and began his move to television in 1958[citation needed] when he guest starred in the episode "Rope of Cards" of the Maverick TV series with James Garner.

He also served as the lead actor in episodes "Holiday at Hollow Rock" and "The Cure For Johnny Rain".

Two years with no acting jobs led Reynolds to enhance his education, and he passed the examinations to become a lawyer specializing in real estate.

[9] He was replaced by actor Shelly Novack for the final season, because the network considered Reynolds, then at the age of forty-one, too old for the part.

Still, he managed to make two appearances as Colby in the ninth season (1973–74), which included the final network-aired episode, a rerun of "The Animal," on September 8, 1974.

[2] On February 12, 1960, Reynolds and Richard L. Bare were injured when a plane, flying back to Miami after a filming of The Islanders, crashed in the Caribbean Sea.