https://www.metv.com/stories/burt-reynolds-said-that-milburn-stone-gave-him-the-courage-to-leave-gunsmoke

Reynolds called Stone "a surrogate father".

From Dodge to disappointment: Burt Reynolds' struggle with quitting Gunsmoke and his father's reaction (https://www.metv.com/stories/from-dodge-to-disappointment-burt-reynolds-struggle-with-quitting-gunsmoke-and-his-fathers-reaction)

"I had finally gotten on a television show my father could identify with. Then I quit."