Burt Reynolds is originally a Georgia boy. Every idiot with more money than brains wanted a Trans Am. And the 400 Pontiac or 403 Olds versions could be made to run well. 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. Originally, the film was going to be a B-movie played only in the Southern United States. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? The roller coaster in the movie was the Greyhound. [22] It premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where it performed badly. Burt Reynolds as the Bandit can always count on the truckers on the other end of his C.B. Of course, we could argue that Needham could have used the engine note of a Pontiac GTO from the golden muscle car, but the 1955 Custom recordings were probably readily available, and he just didn't need the hassle. A movie for the people, "Smokey and the Bandit" is more - Hagerty In 1991, it was arranged for orchestra by Crafton Beck and recorded by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra for their album Down on the Farm. . 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 . Rob's Car Movie Review: Smokey and the Bandit (1977) - Street Muscle 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. 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. High estimates for the car were up to $80,000, but the actual sale price was $450,000. How many cars did they wreck in Smokey and the Bandit? Wouldnt the accent give you away? I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean. Before Gleason was cast in the film, Richard Boone was originally considered for the role of Buford T. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_301466-Ford-LTD-II-1977.html. It seems Plymouth was in a distant second for product placement. Jane Russell hawked bras on television for full-figured gals like her, a line that evoked snickers among my high-school classmates. Today, Smokey and the Bandit remains one of the most popular car action films ever made, and the 1977 Pontiac Trans Am will forever be wed to the movie. I thought at the time that it was a newer version of White Lightning (also with Burt Reynolds) and that Smokey would be forgotten just as soon. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. Your email address will not be published. [21], Smokey and the Bandit was a sleeper hit. The Bandit Run quickly became a fixture, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the movie with a special 2017 screening of the film attended by Reynolds and a recreation of the jump undertaken by the Bandit and Frog across a river. S&B is one of my all-time favorite movies and Im not apologizing. 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. Burt Reynolds once claimed in an interview that there were actually 12 Trans Ams featured in Smokey and the Banditand he wrecked every one. Some differences included the use of a supercharged 454-CID (7.4-liter) Chevrolet-sourced engine that put out 840 HP, and four round headlights, which appeared on the 196769 Firebirds/Trans Ams only; the actual 197781 models had rectangular headlights. Not a bad deal, but on the fourth year, no new car. As such, it took a lot of sweet talking by former stuntman Needham for Pontiac to cough up three Trans Ams and three LeManses. The production team wrecked three for the four cars it received from Pontiac. [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. Here is the LeMans; Gleason literally drives the wheels off: As an aside, heres a curious bit of trivia. If you watched any of these clips, you heard a goodly number of phrases that still cannot be used on television in the United States. Mrs Jason wont let me sell the sumbitch. (it did taste a lot better than Bud as I recall). you can find it on amazon.com . East bound and down, loaded up and truckin At one point in the movie, the Bandit wrecks a police car. . When I was a kid I thought they were the same person. I know that Trans Am that jumped that bridge broke the axle when it landed. Haul my wife and four shelter adoptee mutts in it. The worldwide gross is estimated at over $300 million. If you watched the second clip above, this truck should look familiar. They retained the white steering wheels until 72 or so , just the thing to preveny burned fingers in the Desert sun . He claimed that the Bandit is never made aware of Frog's leaving Junior at the altar, which is why the Bandit continually asks why a Texas sheriff is chasing him. 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". As Fred Flintstone was modeled off Ralph Kramden, the Jackie Gleason character from the 1950s television showThe Honeymooners, the tone and intonation of the dubbing was highly convincing. I've heard . Nice job, I know its cheesy as heck but I love this movie and still tend to watch it when I see its on TV. Hal Needham did pass away as someone earlier said. Ive always loved this movie. 1979 was equally successful for the brand, joining 1978 to create Pontiac's best sales years ever. While watching the movie (yes, I did have to diligently research this article), one shot seemed to indicate this may be a dummy scoop. And theres this nugget from the director of the coming new Shazam movie; I first watched Smokey on quiet swing shifts from the drivers seat of a 1977 Pontiac Le Mans patrol car, parked by thr back fence of the drive-in theater at the far end of town. 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. [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. This movie trailer gives you an taste of this provocative film, but fails to effectively capture all the subtleties and nuances it contains. (Still). It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. Thats all well and good, and it worked smooth as silk for a good while. I think thats another line theyve edited out for the television version. Her groom? I had a 78 Trigger lookalike for a while in the mid 90s, until a wrist pin went out, ended up selling it to one of my brothers buddys uncles. In fact, after Smokey and the Bandit became a box office hit, Pontiac saw a marked increase in their stock prices. 3-Smokey and the Bandit 3-A crime against humanity, not even LSD can make it watchable since you spend the whole night fighting imaginary flying cobras with Jackie Gleasons head on them. Sheriff Justices son, Junior. Somewhere along the line, the company acquired a new president who told Reynolds: Im the new president, and I dont like your movies. As if GM owes them something. So many classic quotes in this movie. "Smokey and the Bandit Pursuit Pack" is formatted as a box set that in presented in full color in widescreen. Back then if Ida wanted an ex Police Car its be a CHP salvage Dodge or Plymouth ~ BIG roomy and _comfy_ , handled well and went like stink . 1-Smokey and the Bandit-The classic, the original, and the best one by FAR. As I did Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. [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. Put one on and the lady looks like shes not wearing a bra. How many cars did they wreck in Smokey and the Bandit? The uncut version is the best. That parking lot was full of Trans Ams! Chevy brought back the Z28, and cant say S&B was reason. Id like to hear from Mr. Needham why so many of those police cars had what look like shaker hood scoops. Gleason was a genius, but this was not one of his better outings I prefer the Hustler and Gigot. The man does get around. a custom mandrel bent dual exhaust, and the Mondello bottom end plate to stabilize the windowed mains. . The scenes set in Texarkana were filmed in Jonesboro and the surrounding area and many of the chase scenes were filmed in the surrounding areas on Highway 54 between Fayetteville and Jonesboro for a majority of the driving scenes, Mundy's Mill Road, Main Street in Jonesboro, Georgia State Route 400, I-85 (Pleasant Hill exit) and in McDonough. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1980 ERTL SMOKEY & THE BANDIT PONTIAC FIREBIRD DIECAST CAR police car set at the best online prices at eBay! Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Sally Field and Burt Reynolds began a relationship after meeting on set. On the DVD, there is a brief interview with both Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham, who directed this film. Im gonna barbecue your ass in molasses., Re: The picture with 4 ladies and the wagon and van. The soundtrack album was released in 1977 on vinyl, cassette, and 8-track through MCA Records. Likely this isnt any rare engine venting package, but I could be wrong. It was his idea to have Junior alongside him throughout the film. Only one survived, and it's priceless. Here in Canada they didnt censor it, so we always got the sumbitch version. The Trans Am used in the movie was a 1976 model with the front end of a 1977 car. That girl from the McCoys video probably looks like Paula Deen now. 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%. A 1977 special-edition model once owned by the late actor Burt Reynolds recently wound up on the car auction website Bring a Trailer. The differences between the two are major. Soon as I get home, first thing Im gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth!. The advertisements lampoon the film and feature a Pontiac Trans Am and a cover version of the song East Bound and Down. Everything You Should Know About The The Trans Am From Smokey And The My drivers ed driving range car was an ex-patrol colonnade Pontiac LeMans Enforcer. The 1977 model wasn't out yet when filming began, so General Motors provided 1976 cars with front clips from the soon-to-be-released 1977 update. Director Hal Needham convinced Pontiac to feature the Pontiac Trans Am in the movie. S&TB was filmed primarily off Route 400 in Georgia. It had not been used for some time and was repainted for the film. A 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix with a Buick Electra behind it. [12] The area around Helen, Georgia, was used for some locations. A couple of years ago, I was sitting around on a lazy Saturday afternoon and it was on TV. The cop cars with the hood scoops were ex-DeKalb County (Georgia) cruisers. 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. Jason, Using the words nuance, subtlety, complexity and intellect to describe this movie, is, as they say, trs amusant! 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. Frederick Amon smuggled it from Colorado to North Carolina and sold it for four times the retail price.[19]. However, in more recent years, the original version has been shown (on ITV, a commercial channel), usually with the stronger language edited out, often quite awkwardly. From living there for my first two decades, I noticed the accent didnt get going good until around Sikeston (not Saxton as it would seem) and it progressed as you went deeper into the Bootheel. 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. One guy did a while ago a fan-made trailer of Smokey & the Bandit 4. I really enjoyed this discussion. His father was also the inspiration for the word "sumbitch" used in the film, a variation of the phrase "son-of-a-bitch" that, according to Reynolds, he uttered quite often. The movie had an even bigger impact on the Trans Am. A strike at General Motors in 1972 limited the production of the Trans Am to less than 1,300 units that year, and Pontiac almost canceled the nameplate. I drive a conversion van. It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. Some weren't that lucky and were discontinued altogether. That is why there are not any left. You want to questions bra sales, check out the youtube video of Hang on Sloopy by the Mccoys, the color version.wowza! I imagine that they borrowed some of the character from Sheriff JW Pepper from the 1973 and 1974 James Bond movies, Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun. [23] It then opened in just the South of the United States over the Memorial Day weekend and grossed $2,689,851 in 386 theaters. In return, Reynolds portrayed Boss Hogg (originally portrayed by Sorrell Booke) in the film adaptation The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). The Trans Am was already pretty popular in the mid-1970s, with sales hitting 68,745 units in 1977. Pontiac should have made a radio that played that song automatically simply by pushing a button, or maybe made it the horn sound. 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. The film's editors, Walter Hannemann and Angelo Ross, were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. Rockford Files also featured Firebird, and was on since 1974, and Fs sold well despite gas crunch I and inflation. It took four evenings to see almost all of the movie in bits and pieces. However, the U.S. government introduced new emission controls in 1972, and automakers had to step back. I was to be paid a salary plus own 7% of the profits. Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox would bring several cases after playing on the West Coast, by stashing them in the equipment trunks on the team's plane. Oh, and a hooker girlfriend that looked like Annie Potts. Coors wasnt pasteurized. But while the cars shown in the movie look like 1977-model-year Trans Ams, they were actually 1976 models. Future President Gerald Ford, after a trip to Colorado, hid it in his luggage to take it back to Washington, D.C. President Dwight D. Eisenhower had a steady supply airlifted by the Air Force to Washington. Reynolds was the top box office draw from 1975 to 1982, then his movies really started to go downhill. Wanting to promote the aesthetically modified 1977 model, but lacking cars owing to delays in production start-up, GM modified four 1976 Trans Ams with '77 spec bodywork and decals for the film. The original uncut sumbitch version. [6] It would become one of Reed's biggest hits and his signature song.[7]. Tragically, every Trans Am used in filming was destroyed. Great write up. Gleason was given free rein to ad-lib dialogue and make suggestions. 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. 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]. These new models were built off the same Camaro platform, came with the Pontiac arrowhead, flaming bird, and Bandit logos, and the instrument panels, center consoles, and hood scoops emulating their 1977 counterparts, and were signed by Reynolds. These Furys, as well as some of the LeMans units, have hood scoops. Some of the more recent DVD releases of it redid all of the engine sounds and it sounds much more mellow than the original(not happy about that). One of our favorite movies. I know, Ive owned a 75 for 23 years. how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2 how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2 (No Ratings Yet) . Launched on the big screen in 1977, Smokey and the Bandit revolves around two bootleggers as they attempt to illegally transport 400 cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta. In its place was the nonsensical scum bum. The voice over actor? All pictures from the movie were acquired from www.imcdb.org, Fred Lives!!! The theme music "East Bound and Down" was sung and co-written by Reed (credited under his birth name, Jerry Hubbard) and Dick Feller. Musicians such as Beegie Adair and George Tidwell[20] played on the soundtrack. For this purpose, they overdubbed dialogue deemed offensive, which was common practice. Theres really nothing like an old cop car. Just like the exaggeration sales went up 700%. And it was worth it for the brand, as the nameplate sales decided following the redesign. Please refresh the page and try again. Most reports of his death still didnt have that right! Of course, nobody else cared if it was in the trunk of the car when heading back home. I distinctly remember my mother buying Coors and being asked if she lived in Missouri or Illinois by the cashier. I was a junior high school age kid when this film came out. We also learn that every launched satellite will eventually fall back to Earth, such as this 1972 Plymouth Satellite (CC here). The roundup sequence in the desert shows many new Pontiac Le Mans sedans decorated as police cars being destroyed. How Many Cars Did Blues Brothers Wreck | Car Geek Although 1977 models also featured 6.6-liter engines, they were rated at only 200 horses. Olds 88. Smokey and the Bandit | 4K Ultra HD | The Bandit Takes a 28 Hour Trip It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. Gas was a buck a gallon at the time so fuel economy wasnt a major issue. I think you may be confusing the movie Honky-Tonk Freeway with the filming done during I-75 construction near Sarasota. The value of their stock rose a startling 70 percent after the films release, and to show their appreciation to Reynolds, the president said they would give the actor a new car each and every year. However, the scene where they drive through the Shell gas station was filmed in Ojai, California, on the corner of Ojai Avenue and El Paseo Road. Television censorship and alternative versions, second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977, AFI's 100 Years100 Heroes and Villains, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Smokey and the Bandit at 35: A Case for the Genius of Hal Needham", "Greyhound Lakewood Park (Atlanta, Georgia, USA)", "Burt Reynolds' old Pontiac Trans Am replica sold for $317,500", "An Interview With Jim Wangers: Pontiac and the 1970's", "How the Bandit, Coors and a bunch of Makers changed the course of booze history", "Various Smokey And The Bandit (Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)", "Smokey and the Bandit, Box Office Information", "Burt Reynolds at the 2015 Macon Film Festival", "Seven Quirky Lowbrow Favorite Films of Highbrow Directors", "Remembering Hal Needham and the Birth of Redneck Cinema", "Smokey and the Bandit Film from RadioTimes", "Burt Reynolds' Bandit Trans Am sells for $450,000", "See a "New" Vintage Bandit Trans Am Approved by Burt Reynolds Himself", "Diablo Sandwich Recipe from CMT's Reel Eats", "Diablo Sandwich / "Diablo & Doc" From Smokey & the Bandit, Identified! As I am finishing this article while Big Truck Week is winding down, here is a Kenworth with a 1973 Dodge Polara patrol car. It became Reed's signature song and is on multiple albums, including Country Legends and his live album Jerry Reed "Live!" His automotive adventure started reporting on various motorsport events as a sports writer before moving onto a full-time auto career with various sites, including This Week In Motors and Autoevolution. 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. There was a true concern (for some minuscule reason) about it going east of the Mississippi River. January 24, 2019 100 comments. Called Smoke is the Bandit and playing on Stewart's nickname, the commercials featured him as the Bandit opposite commentators Darrell Waltrip as the Snowman and Jeff Hammond as Buford T. Justice. 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. Reed would eventually play the Bandit in Smokey and the Bandit Part 3, in which Reynolds only appeared in a cameo near the end. AWESOME! The dubbed version isnt as bad as the Remastered Blu-ray. Probably the most famous TV edit of all time is I have had it with these monkey-fightin snakes on this Monday-to-Friday plane!. 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.