That parking lot was full of Trans Ams! Oh, and a hooker girlfriend that looked like Annie Potts. Check out the entire video below. The Bandit takes the bet on the risky and unprecedented task, and recruits his partner Cledus "Snowman" Snow to drive the truck, while Bandit drives a black Pontiac Trans Am bought in advance from the Burdettes as a "blocker" to divert attention away from the truck and its illegal cargo. MN12 Thunderbirds had the same appeal to me, for similar reasons. They called out equipment like Radial Tuned Suspension, Calibrated Speedometer, and Power Disc Brakes. Maybe even the dual exhausts and the 400-4 merited badges. A black Trans Am is parked in my garage because of this movie. a custom mandrel bent dual exhaust, and the Mondello bottom end plate to stabilize the windowed mains. We also learn that every launched satellite will eventually fall back to Earth, such as this 1972 Plymouth Satellite (CC here). The production team wrecked three for the four cars it received from Pontiac. And Burt may be from GA originally, but he calls Florida home, which is another reason I heard the movie was filmed here. By the film's ending, the final surviving Trans Am and LeMans were both barely running and the other cars had become parts donors to keep them running. Unfortunately he passed away a few months ago or that would have been a great question to ask. Two of the most high-octane films of 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road and Furious 7, each burned through hundreds (Furious 7 alone destroyed a reported 230 cars), but theyre far from the first to do so. The scene featuring the racetrack was filmed at Lakewood Speedway at the old Lakewood Fairgrounds on Atlanta's south side. The whereabouts of the remaining Smokey and the Bandit car, the one that was used to promote the movie, remained a mystery for years. When it is finally torn off along with the car's roof in the impact with the girder, the missing fender still reappears later on in the film. If you watched the second clip above, this truck should look familiar. Starring Bob Hope, that comedic star of the screen, and the lovely Jane Russell boy what a pair! I never forgot that one. Here's What We Know So Far, Jonathan Majors On Getting Jacked To Play Kang The Conqueror: Hes In The Avenger (Weight) Class, How 90 Day Fianc: The Other Way's Kris And Jeymi Might Have Already Spoiled Their Storyline, Why Creed IIIs Michael B. Jordan Avoided Saying Action Or Cut On The Set, Young Sheldon's Iain Armitage Reacting To Surprise Video From Survivor's Jeff Probst Is Like Sheldon Cooper Meeting Leonard Nimoy. Wouldnt the accent give you away? I drive a conversion van. I remember that it had a bunch of trim badges on the center of the dashboard. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1975 Plymouth Fury Police Pursuit Arkansas State Police "Smokey and The Bandit" at the best online prices at eBay! That is why there are not any left. Henry Corden, the voice of cartoon character Fred Flintstone. So why did they go with sound effects instead of the Trans Am's actually exhaust noise? "Smokey and the Bandit" stars Burt Reynolds, Sally . [38], In 2014, petroleum company Mobil 1 produced television commercials, featuring then-NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, closely based on the film. Gleason was a genius, but this was not one of his better outings I prefer the Hustler and Gigot. I always think scumbum because when I watched it as a kid in the early 90s, it was usually on TBS. It wasnt distributed in Washington in those days either. The man does get around. That is an excellent question. Amazing how a combination of desire and unobtainability can make an ordinary product special. Not everything was Pontiac, as evidenced by this 1973 Plymouth Satellite coupe (CC here). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cODPt3T0cHE, We got a cage strong enough to hold you Sonny Shroyer (Enos) was the motorcycle cop who was given the 1-finger salute by Sally Field. Required fields are marked *. Sales jumped even higher in 1979 when Pontiac moved 117,108 Trans Ams. [10], Principal photography of the film began on August 30, 1976. At the time, using "fuck" would immediately require an R rating and this self-censorship allowed the film to avoid this rating and reach a much larger audience. Seven: (Three with Burt Reynolds and Crew, and Four without) Smokey and the Bandit - 1977 Smokey and the Bandit II - 1980 Smokey and the Bandit III . I looked at a Bluesmobile worthy 1977 Plymouth Grand Fury, the big ones, it was an ex Florida Highway Patrol car, but it had a pretty good amount of rust and it was pretty beat. They return one minute after their time limit, but instead of taking the payoff, Carrie and Bandit accept a double-or-nothing offer from Little Enos: a challenge to run up to Boston and bring back clam chowder in 18 hours. Apparently the engine sounds were lifted from another movie, I think two lane blacktop? This movie was filmed in Georgia as well. Let me get the popcorn for this one. and used hard. The gag with the overpass being blown up was actually a bridge built for the movie on the unfinished highway, and AFAIK, the truck driver who jumps the void ended up breaking his back in the stunt. He gave Needham a preview of the song and, getting no reaction, offered to rewrite it. Sheriff Justices son, Junior. The 1978 Trans Am is an exact duplicate of the "Smokey and the Bandit" movie car, finished in black and gold with a screaming chicken on the hood. January 24, 2019 100 comments. Needham saw an advertisement for the soon-to-be-released 1977 Pontiac Trans Am and knew right away that would be the Bandit's car, or, as Needham referred to it, a character in the movie. The trip to Texarkana is uneventful; soon after leaving for the return trip to Georgia, The Bandit encounters Frog, played by Sally Field. It was something regarding distribution limits. If you somehow managed to miss Smokey and the Bandit in the years between the films 1977 release and now, you should rectify that situation immediately (to be fair, it was released two days after Star Wars, so its understandable if it slipped through the cracks). [5] Reynolds revealed in his autobiography that Needham had written the first draft script on legal pads. According to director Hal Needham in the DVD documentary, Pontiac gave them three Trans-Ams and two LeMans (Sheriff Justice's patrol car) for the film. Some people have ripped this film as being thin on plot; others have called it a documentary about life south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Nah, they survived by coming up with bras with very thin cups. With Reynolds' salary at $1 million, Needham was left with only $3.3 million to make the film. My drivers ed driving range car was an ex-patrol colonnade Pontiac LeMans Enforcer. Except that shes not sagging. As Frog leaves, we are introduced to Sheriff Buford T. Justice, played by Jackie Gleason. Soon as I get home, first thing Im gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth!. The Trans Am was already pretty popular in the mid-1970s, with sales hitting 68,745 units in 1977. In October 2020, a Smokey and the Bandit TV series was revealed to be in development, with a pilot written by David Gordon Green and Brian Sides and also executive produced with his Rough House confederates Jody Hill, Danny McBride and Brandon James, as well as Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins of Fuzzy Door.[44]. Im still trying to get clarification on what a diablo sandwich is though. Mr. Reynolds elevated the dreck that he appeared in to a higher level, that is, enjoyable. Car movies are notorious for being tough on the very vehicles that give them their allure. ", "The Bandit Run Brought to you by Restore A Muscle Car", "Stewart plays off 'Smokey and the Bandit in Mobil 1 ad", "Smokey and the Bandit: 40th Anniversary Edition", "Smokey and the Bandit II, Box Office Information", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Smokey_and_the_Bandit&oldid=1142751918, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, All articles that may contain original research, Articles that may contain original research from April 2022, Articles needing additional references from September 2018, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "Incidental CB Dialogue" (Voice ["Bandit"] , "Incidental CB Dialogue" (Voice ["Bandit"] Burt Reynolds, Voice ["Smokey"] , "Incidental CB Dialogue" (Voice ["Bandit"] Burt Reynolds, Voice ["Smokey"] Jackie Gleason), George Reynolds as Sheriff George Branford, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 04:45. A couple of years ago, I was sitting around on a lazy Saturday afternoon and it was on TV. The paint code for each truck was coffee brown with gold trims and the 48-foot (15m) mural trailer used was manufactured by Hobbs Trailers in Texas with a non-operational Thermo King Refrigeration unit. [5], Universal Studios bankrolled Smokey and the Bandit for $5.3 million, figuring it was a good risk. Haul my wife and four shelter adoptee mutts in it. Tragically, every Trans Am used in filming was destroyed. Reynolds and Field began dating during the filming.[13]. And it was worth it for the brand, as the nameplate sales decided following the redesign. Many nameplates lost their performance credentials, and some of them, like the Ford Mustang, were redesigned without a V-8 engine. As a publicity stunt, the Trans Ams used in the movie had different decals on the hood scoop. I was to be paid a salary plus own 7% of the profits. Not that Id kick either front end style out of the garage for dripping oil, as long as they dont have the 403 in them anyway. The film features the custom clothing and costuming of Niver Western Wear of Fort Worth, Texas. I own all three films on a dvd called the Smokey and The Bandit Pursuit Pack. The Kenworth even achieves a trifecta of sorts, as it gave the first dent to Sheriff Justices LeMans. During this time, the Firebird also surpassed sales figures of the Chevrolet Camaro. As deals were made for the actors and producers, the studio wanted to renegotiate my deal. The rub? I never understood why dragging a truckload of beer from Colorado to Georgia was such a big deal. I beg to differ Mr -Nate. Great article! I think you may be confusing the movie Honky-Tonk Freeway with the filming done during I-75 construction near Sarasota. The scene where Sheriff Justice's car has the door knocked off by a passing . Needham stated that by the end of production, there really wasnt much left of any of the three. [32], After the debut of the film, the Pontiac Trans Am became wildly popular, with sales almost doubling within two years of the film's release. In Smokey and the Bandit, there were eight 1977 Trans-Am cars and approximately the same number of police cars (but some said ten). Except for Gleason, the original actors mostly redubbed their lines for the television version. In a rare public appearance, Burt Reynolds revealed how many cars they wrecked making Smokey and However, the scene and the obscured expletive were played for comedy value and written as such, with the passing truck being the gag of the scene more than a way to avoid the censors. With Reynolds agreement to do the movie, and his insistence upon casting Gleason as Sheriff Justice, the movie became a larger venture. Likely this isnt any rare engine venting package, but I could be wrong. Lets take a look. radio to help him out. At one point in the movie, the Bandit wrecks a police car. Jana, another oddity was that I could go to Carbondale and be asked where down south I was from. In the Reynolds portion of the interview, he stated the movie prompted Trans Am sales to jump around 700%. While they did jump, from 46,700 in 1976 to 69,000 for 1977 with another 93,300 for 1978, it wasnt exactly 700%. It took four evenings to see almost all of the movie in bits and pieces. The MASSIVE year over year sales gains came from somewhere. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. Needham originally planned the film as a low-budget B movie with a production cost of $1 million,[4] with Reed as the Bandit. It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_301466-Ford-LTD-II-1977.html. It is now sold in all states as Coors ships it in refrigerated train cars and bottled locally and sold in different parts of the country including the eastern US states. [33] Reynolds was given the 1977 vehicle used during promotion of the film as a gift, though the car itself never actually appeared in the film. Reynolds actively pushed for her casting after Universal initially resisted, claiming Field was not attractive enough. Get ready to tear up the highway with the Bandit (Burt Reynolds), a fun-loving, fast-talking trucker who takes on his craziest haul yet - delivering 400 case. An effort to recreate a jump from Smokey and the Bandit doesn't go perfectly when the car takes a rough course off the ramp. Out of four Trans Ams used for the filming of Smokey And The Bandit, three were completely totaled in the process. As a kid that T/A, the General Lee, and KITT were largely responsible for defining my taste in cars and that carries through to today. A dastardly scoundrel? If you notice there are several different angled skid marks on the road in the scene where the Bandit picks up Frog, you can see that they did a couple of takes of the T/A skidding to a stop and taking off again. Also up for auction was a go-kart replica of the car, which sold for nearly $14,000. That said, an uncomplimentary accent does exist. S&B is one of my all-time favorite movies and Im not apologizing. J.J. & The Dixie Dance Kings was a milder one that had (I think) a 56 Buick Century . Were they dummies? Just like the exaggeration sales went up 700%. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). His expletive is obscured when a passing big rig sounds its horn. Free shipping for many products! When Smokey and the Bandit first aired on American network television in the early 1980s, censors were faced with the challenge of toning down the raw language of the original film. He has no less than four movies listed as coming out, and they run the gamut from romantic drama to family comedy to horror mystery to action thriller. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. $30.00 + $11.45 shipping. However, the U.S. government introduced new emission controls in 1972, and automakers had to step back. Actually, there were 2 future Dukes stars in the movie: Ben Jones (Cooter) was in an early scene helping Big Enos find Bandit. [4] Reynolds said in 2015 that he most enjoyed this film, and had the most fun making it, of his career.[26]. One time a friend and I drove back to Kentucky on leave rather than flying; no particular reason, we had plenty of time and wanted to see some of the country. Was it a heathen? Well, the Corvettes success is clearly due to Corvette Summer, @Jim I remember that movie! How many smokey and the bandit movies are there? On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 78% rating based on 32 reviews. The dubbed version is awful. And he succeeded as far as the Pontiac Trans Am is concerned. Wealthy Texan Big Enos Burdette and his son Little Enos have sponsored a racer in Atlanta's Southern Classic and want to celebrate in style when he wins, so they are seeking a trucker willing to bootleg Coors Beer to Atlanta for their refreshment. Anyone with insight is encouraged to share their knowledge on this. I have to admit, thats a pretty fantastic story, and as a major movie star, Im sure Burt Reynolds was able to figure out another way to acquire a means of transportation. This gives rise to various continuity errors with Justice's patrol car, which during some chase sequences is shown with a black rear fender, which then reverts to the car's bronze color again in later scenes. The T/A is just as quick as my present Challenger is, but the Challenger doesnt have anything close to the throttle response it had, and I miss it. The worldwide gross is estimated at over $300 million. The next movie, Smokey and the Bandit II, featured the same cast and an updated version of the Trans Am.The second version of the Smokey and the Bandit car was a 1980 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that had a similar paint job, the updated front end, and gold "Turbine" style wheels.The 1980 models featured a turbocharged 4.9L Pontiac V8, but that still wasn't enough power for the stunt personnel. [28] However, this is inaccurate; within seconds of Bandit picking her up, Frog tells him "there is a wedding in search of a bride" and goes on to explain her ill-advised romance with Junior, as the Bandit holds up the CB mic for the Snowman to hear. 12 A Total Of 3 Trans Ams Were Destroyed During Filming. February 27, 2023 . Banzai! Smokey and the Bandit was one of the most iconic movies of the 1970s. Gator , Stroker Ace , lots of them . Trigger had a big impact on my taste in cars with the Trans Ams of the late 70s being my favorite. Ironically I never really cared all that much for Coors, I dont think it has much flavor, but it was well received when we got to Kentucky. [24] With an original budget of $5.3 million (cut to $4.3 million two days before initial production),[4] the film eventually grossed $126,737,428 in North America,[25] making it the second-highest-grossing movie of 1977 (only Star Wars earned more, with $221.3 million). 46,000 in 1976, 68,000 in 1977, 93,000 in 1978, 117,000 in 1979. It seems Plymouth was in a distant second for product placement. . Great fun! The advertisements lampoon the film and feature a Pontiac Trans Am and a cover version of the song East Bound and Down. There are an abundance of cars in this movie. I was in West Plains the other day and there is yet another variation of it there. [14] The Trans Ams were actually 1976-model cars with 1977 front ends (from 1970 to 1976, both the Firebird/Trans Am and Chevrolet Camaro have two round headlights and in 1977, the Firebird/Trans Am was changed to four rectangular headlights, and the Camaro remained unchanged). The film was followed by two sequels: Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). One guy did a while ago a fan-made trailer of Smokey & the Bandit 4. This phrase achieved a level of popularity with children and the 2007 Hot Wheels release of the 1970s Firebird Trans Am has "scum bum" emblazoned on its tail. A group of Trans Am owners and fans of the movie take part in an annual road trip from Texarkana to Jonesboro, recreating the route taken by the characters in the film. The other range car was a Chevette for people that wanted to learn on a manual transmission. S/E T/A with the round headlights. I am indeed a fan. via iconic premier. His personaround, dumpy, and clipping wordsreminds one of another fictional southern sheriff. Producer Hal Needham intended Smokey and the Bandit to be one of the best product placement films of all time. Reynolds and Needham owned the Skoal Bandit team at the time, so getting these other drivers to appear probably would not taken much more than a six pack of beer and a hug from co-star Loni Anderson . They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. [4] Just two days before production was to begin, Universal sent a "hatchet man" to Atlanta to inform Needham that the budget was being trimmed by $1 million. The site's consensus states: "Not much in the head but plenty beneath the hood, Smokey and the Bandit is infectious fun with plenty of car wrecks to keep your eyes glued". The most noted change made for network broadcast was the replacing of Buford's often-spoken phrase "sumbitch" (a contraction of "son of a bitch"; usually in reference to the Bandit) with the phrase "scum bum". New York, The directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham, the film follows Bo "Bandit" Darville (Reynolds) and Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Reed), two bootleggers attempting to illegally transport 400 cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta. While made to take advantage of the ongoing 1970s CB radio fad, the film added to the craze. Not a bad deal, but on the fourth year, no new car. Although he's into just about any type of vehicle, Ciprian is not your typical car enthusiast. Just do a search for Crown Victorias on your local CL. Somebody locally is selling a Regis Plymouth Fury ex Florida Police with gasping 318 V8, he will for the right money toss in a 440 with it. This movie trailer gives you an taste of this provocative film, but fails to effectively capture all the subtleties and nuances it contains. I distinctly remember my mother buying Coors and being asked if she lived in Missouri or Illinois by the cashier. It had amazing throttle response, with a hit that either scared people, or made them giggle. [29] Alfred Hitchcock claimed that the film was one of his favorites. Always a favorite. I loved the fact that Jackie Gleasons brown Lemans had a blue vinyl interior and it even had the luxury cushion steering wheel! Frederick Amon smuggled it from Colorado to North Carolina and sold it for four times the retail price.[19]. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. Alan Reed was the original voice of Fred Flintstone; Henry Corden only took over after Reeds death in 1977. Smokey and the Bandit was the second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States. I am pretty sure it was filmed in Florida, when I-75 was under construction so they could use the highways while empty. Reed would eventually play the Bandit in Smokey and the Bandit Part 3, in which Reynolds only appeared in a cameo near the end. I did help a friend rebuild a late 60s 400 to replace the anemic 301 in his 79, Trans Am. I just dont like car novices that assume the Pontiac T/A was soley a movie tie in car and the it started in 1977.. I will confess that by the time this movie was out, I was a Mopar guy. The cars were wrecked on purpose to create the illusion of a high-speed chase. That came out in 1981. When it was over, I cried and cried and cried because I didnt want it to end. 1-Smokey and the Bandit-The classic, the original, and the best one by FAR. I know that Trans Am that jumped that bridge broke the axle when it landed. It had an AM transmitter and you would tune in the sound on your AM car radio, or on my case, on a transistor radio. The soundtrack album was released in 1977 on vinyl, cassette, and 8-track through MCA Records. Smokey and the Bandit II is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, . I grew up in Illinois, within eyeshot of the banks of the MIssissippi River, and ten miles from Cape Girardeau, Missouri. I certainly hope the guy hired to drive that 74 Ford Torino wagon was paid well for his work. They quickly escape in one of Big Enos's 13 Cadillacs as police flood the racetrack. You might think that seeing their cars routinely destroyed on movie screens across the country would give the manufacturer pause, but that is not the case at all. Its W.W. That's because Pontiac almost canceled the Firebird in the early 1970s. Though no authoritative source identifies the composition of the sandwich, there are several possibilities. A 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix with a Buick Electra behind it. Ive since read on the internet that it wasnt illegal so much as a practical thing with it being shipped in refrigerated trucks. As the 1969 classic 'The Italian Job' turns 50 years old, TG.com caught up with David Salamone, the man who piloted the red Mini in . Producers of Smokey and the Bandit wrecked 26 cars while filming the movie in 1977. [40] Major portions of the audio background have been modified with different engine sounds or tire squeals from the original film. I was just tweaking Jason. I dunno about the Foley sounds, I have a T/A with a 400 and an open/no catalytic true dual exhaust, and it sounds really close to how the Bandit car sounds at idle during some scenes from the movie. Some weren't that lucky and were discontinued altogether. Dont let his grumpiness fool you though; hes more than excited to provide the latest news and reviews on the most interesting cars in the industry. It had not been used for some time and was repainted for the film. The side vents give it away. The movie, in fact, caused sales of the . By the end of June, it had played in major Southern markets, including Charlotte, Atlanta, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Memphis, Dallas, and Oklahoma City, grossing $11.9 million. Sales almost doubled in two years, which is a very big deal given that the Trans Ams 1978 facelift was rather minor save for the front fascia. how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2. The sound came from a 1955 Chevrolet Custom, the same car that was used in Two-Lane Blacktop and American Graffiti, films launched in 1971 and 1973, respectively. I was in the Air Force during this era, stationed in California. It was his idea to have Junior alongside him throughout the film. [8] Niver provided much of the western attire worn in the film, as well as the custom-made sheriff's uniforms (waist size 64") that Gleason wore throughout the film. From what I have read the artist did the poster rendering from some blown up stills that he was shown from the movie, and none of them for some mysterious reason included the Trans Am, the truck, Reynolds, Gleason, Sally Field, crashing police cars, but no T/A. [11] The movie was primarily filmed in Georgia, in the cities of McDonough, Jonesboro, and Lithonia. Jason, Using the words nuance, subtlety, complexity and intellect to describe this movie, is, as they say, trs amusant! Earlier DVD releases and the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray of the film have the original soundtrack intact. Another one is, Theres no way youre from my loins.. The pair arrive in Texarkana one hour early and load up the truck, but just as they head back, Carrie, a runaway bride, intercepts Bandit and jumps in his car, unwittingly making him an indirect target of Sheriff Buford T. Justice, a career Texas lawman whose witless son Junior was to have married Carrie. I enjoyed the hell out of my 1976 Dart Pursuit. I think Stroker Ace is after Smokey and the Bandit, though there was Hooper, which was about a stuntman, it also had Sally Field, it was from 1978 or so. Everything You Should Know About The The Trans Am From Smokey And The Bandit, 10 Most Potentially Unreliable Electric Vehicles According To Consumer Reports, 10 Reasons Why It's Time You Should Buy A Bagger, Here's How Solid-State Batteries Will Change EVs Forever. The movie had an even bigger impact on the Trans Am. 1979 was equally successful for the brand, joining 1978 to create Pontiac's best sales years ever. That is why there are not any left. [35], The "diablo sandwich" ordered by Sheriff Justice in the Arkansas barbecue restaurant scene has entered popular culture as a minor reference to the film. Needham and assistant director David Hamburger spent 30 hours revising the shooting schedule.[4]. And the 400 Pontiac or 403 Olds versions could be made to run well. Over many viewings I noticed some scenes the car would skate around and take off like an animal while in others there were one-tire-fires and it would struggle to get going. Somehow this store had a regular supply. The unrestored car reportedly showed up on eBay back in 2015, but no one wanted to buy it. I developed a pretty good bootheel accent during my time in New Madrid. Its weird how it works. Chevy almost did the same with its counterpart, the Camaro. http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/john-fedack-my-days-as-a-dekalb-county-police-officer/. Nuts about any form of classic motorsport and muscle cars, Ciprian's currently working on a time machine that would take him back to the 1960s for a long vacation alongside Dan Gurney and Jim Hall. Gotta love that guy! Cinemablend is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. It was a powerful car, and I was glad to be issued it as my range car instead of one of the new but already disintegrating 1985 Oldsmobiles supplied by a local dealer that most people had. I'm afraid I was responsible for a good few of those. [22] It premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where it performed badly. It airs on cable tv all the time. Put one on and the lady looks like shes not wearing a bra.