The dubbed version is awful. I know that Trans Am that jumped that bridge broke the axle when it landed. These were the cans with the two circular push buttons on top instead of pull tabs. It was his idea to have Junior alongside him throughout the film. While Sheriff Justice doesnt deal well with the pressures of high speed pursuit, as seen above, his Pontiac LeMans (CC here) withstands the most abuse of any car in this entire movie. I distinctly remember my mother buying Coors and being asked if she lived in Missouri or Illinois by the cashier. I have only seen pieces of the second and none of the third; I plan to keep it that way. Remember that Smokey and the Bandit was the 2nd biggest movie of the year, right after Star Wars. I know that Trans Am that . I was a junior high school age kid when this film came out. [22] It premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where it performed badly. Trigger had a big impact on my taste in cars with the Trans Ams of the late 70s being my favorite. Of course, it wasnt hard to wake them up. He obtained the attention of studios and aimed the film at a more mainstream release after his friend Reynolds read the script and agreed to portray the Bandit, with Reed now portraying the Bandit's friend the Snowman. The film features the custom clothing and costuming of Niver Western Wear of Fort Worth, Texas. Probably the most interesting thing about this movie and Burt Reynolds is that he is not originally a Southern boy at all he was actually born in the Wolverine State Lansing, Michigan to be precise. The hood scoop on these cars says "6.6 LITRE", which, in 1977, would have denoted an Oldsmobile 403-equipped car or a non-W-72, 180 hp version of the 400 Pontiac engine. 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. Buford, with Junior along, ignores his jurisdiction and doggedly chases Bandit all the way to Georgia to retrieve Carrie while various mishaps cause his cruiser to disintegrate on the way. Ive always loved this movie. My favorite would have been an ex-WSP 1970 Plymouth they were all Fury IIIs, white on blue with factory air and 440s under the hood; but none ever turned up when I was buying. (Still). We stopped in that same Safeway later on the way back home from southern Cal, and they had a huge display of cases of Coors out on the floor near the checkstands. This reminds me of the classic introduction (actually written by Dick Cavett) said by Jack Paar on The Tonight Show: I was 3 years old when the original came out, and do not remember any of these details but, supposedly this was the first movie my parents ever took me to. Gas was a buck a gallon at the time so fuel economy wasnt a major issue. No more needs to be said. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 78% rating based on 32 reviews. Want proof? The MASSIVE year over year sales gains came from somewhere. A couple of years ago, I was sitting around on a lazy Saturday afternoon and it was on TV. 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. The differences between the two are major. Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Jerry Reed) drives the truck while his good buddy Bo "Bandit" Darville (Reynolds) serves as the "blocker," a fast car used to divert police attention away from payload. I remember that it had a bunch of trim badges on the center of the dashboard. . The secrets behind the cars and stunts in 'The Italian Job'. It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. Three actors from the main cast of The Dukes of Hazzard appear in small uncredited roles in Smokey and the Bandit: Ben Jones, John Schneider, and Sonny Shroyer (who played a police officer in both). Many nameplates lost their performance credentials, and some of them, like the Ford Mustang, were redesigned without a V-8 engine. 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. Lets take a look at some more cars found in the movie. I ended up buying a 1969 Cadillac ambulance a year later! Hal Needham did pass away as someone earlier said. I dont know if Ive ever seen the unedited version though, so I never realized the orignal phrase was sum bitch, I always assumed it was worse. After passing Buford's badly damaged cruiser on the roadside, Bandit gets on the CB and initially directs him to the Burdettes, but then respectfully gives his real locationright behind Buford, who continues his chase leaving Junior behind, and with more parts falling off his cruiser as he limps off after Bandit. The theatrical release has a few lines deleted, including an edit in which Sheriff Justice tells a state trooper to "fuck off" after the sheriff called his vehicle "a piece of crap". Here in Canada they didnt censor it, so we always got the sumbitch version. Two units were 1974 models, as evidenced by standard silver Kenworth emblems on the truck grille, and one unit was a 1973 model, as evidenced by the gold-painted Kenworth emblem on the truck's grille, signifying Kenworth's 50 years in business. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). As a publicity stunt, the Trans Ams used in the movie had different decals on the hood scoop. She is a runaway bride, sitting on the side of the road in her 1973 Chevrolet Impala coupe. For Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), Needham asked for and received 10 Trans Ams and 55 Bonnevilles with no trouble. This movie was filmed in Georgia as well. Whaddya expect outta a guy what drives a conversion van? It follows the adventures of a couple of truck drivers bootlegging Coors, which couldnt legally be sold East of the Mississippi River at the time. Good silly fun. I remember reading somewhere that one of the cars was equipped with a 455 for some of the higher speed scenes. 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. A few other examples of sound effect replacement occur when the Bandit takes off after getting the reluctant Cledus involved in the bet, the Bandit comes to a screeching halt on a roadway moments before picking up Carrie, and when Buford's car top comes off. . It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. I really enjoyed this discussion. Her groom? I still think its more entertaining than Star Wars. Just like the exaggeration sales went up 700%. Several other groups, such as the U.S. rock band Tonic and U.K.-based country cover band We Be Ploughin' have also covered it. 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. 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. These questions all need to be answered. I will confess that by the time this movie was out, I was a Mopar guy. I never understood why dragging a truckload of beer from Colorado to Georgia was such a big deal. The roller coaster in the movie was the Greyhound. They retained the white steering wheels until 72 or so , just the thing to preveny burned fingers in the Desert sun . Hes fodder enough for his own article at some point. Unfortunately he passed away a few months ago or that would have been a great question to ask. Though no authoritative source identifies the composition of the sandwich, there are several possibilities. There was a true concern (for some minuscule reason) about it going east of the Mississippi River. Alan Reed was the original voice of Fred Flintstone; Henry Corden only took over after Reeds death in 1977. The Trans Am was a high-performance package for the Firebird, Pontiac's take on the Chevrolet Camaro. Smokey & The Bandit is the greatest movie of the 20th Century! The whereabouts of the remaining Smokey and the Bandit car, the one that was used to promote the movie, remained a mystery for years. 5. In return, Reynolds portrayed Boss Hogg (originally portrayed by Sorrell Booke) in the film adaptation The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. The comedy has been remastered to DVD standards. Did I mention how much I enjoy reading all the back stories and niggly details I can only get here ? The film's theme song, "East Bound and Down", was written virtually overnight by Reed. I beg to differ Mr -Nate. Movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Furious 7 may ruin a lot of cars, but they were far from the first. 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. [30] Upon meeting Reynolds, Billy Bob Thornton told him that the South considers the film to be less cinema and more documentary. It took four evenings to see almost all of the movie in bits and pieces. Just do a search for Crown Victorias on your local CL. 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. Wouldnt the accent give you away? For this purpose, they overdubbed dialogue deemed offensive, which was common practice. The truck at the shell station is actually a 75 or 76 Toyota Hilux. Revisit this scene featuring "East Bound and. 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!. I grew up in Illinois, within eyeshot of the banks of the MIssissippi River, and ten miles from Cape Girardeau, Missouri. There are an abundance of cars in this movie. Heres how it works. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, a custom mandrel bent dual exhaust, and the Mondello bottom end plate to stabilize the windowed mains. I still regret selling mine almost 30 years ago. Im pretty sure that the car that barks second when he takes off with Frog had to be a stick. Soon as I get home, first thing Im gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth!. The checker, not batting an eye, Do you want that chilled?. NY 10036. I had no idea that it was going to become a 70s classic. [38], In 2014, petroleum company Mobil 1 produced television commercials, featuring then-NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, closely based on the film. 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 decals were changed to 1977-style units, as evidenced by the engine size callouts on the hood scoop being in liters rather than cubic inches, as had been the case in 1976. As I did Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. Haul my wife and four shelter adoptee mutts in it. Producers of Smokey and the Bandit wrecked 26 cars while filming the movie in 1977. . Earlier DVD releases and the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray of the film have the original soundtrack intact. 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. 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. ARRGH! There definitely was a halo cast around the 2nd gen F-body from its appearance in the movie, which I believe even did extend to the Camaro, which was probably the cheapest way to at least get some of the Bandit vibe, where there other factors too, probably, the 70s, disco, cocaine, mustaches and probably a bunch others.many thought that these car would be the last hurrah for anything performance oriented. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_301466-Ford-LTD-II-1977.html. Gator , Stroker Ace , lots of them . Smokey and the Bandit was the second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States. 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 . Likely this isnt any rare engine venting package, but I could be wrong. The worldwide gross is estimated at over $300 million. [21], Smokey and the Bandit was a sleeper hit. 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. 1-Smokey and the Bandit-The classic, the original, and the best one by FAR. 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. Some fellow classmates were extras on the film set, and it was a big deal around here at the time. Regular film-goers might not pay much attention to the car's engine sound, but gearheads will quickly notice that something is off. During their run, they are pursued by Texas county sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason). A blackguard? The commercials were produced after Stewart mentioned that the movie was one of his favorites.[39]. Nice article Jason I was a fan of this movie when it came out I look back now and think, wow, did I really think this was entertainment?????? It was something regarding distribution limits. It wasnt distributed in Washington in those days either. I own all three films on a dvd called the Smokey and The Bandit Pursuit Pack. The movie is responsible for something, by 1979 Pontiac was selling 100,000 plus Trans Ams, not the whole Firebird line, JUST Trans Ams, Pontiac sold more T/As in 1979 than any of the cheaper Firebirds combined, Smokey and the Bandit had to have a hand in that. Bandit attracts more police attention across Dixie as Snowman barrels on toward Atlanta with the contraband beer, but they are helped en route by many colorful characters via CB radio. While the Snowman drives the truck carrying the beer, the Bandit drives a Pontiac Trans Am to distract law enforcement (called blocking) and keep the attention off the Snowman. New York, I think you may be confusing the movie Honky-Tonk Freeway with the filming done during I-75 construction near Sarasota. The films are indeed classic and very funny to this day. These Furys, as well as some of the LeMans units, have hood scoops. A dastardly scoundrel? 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. But 1978 returned sales of 93,351 examples, a jump of around 25,000 cars. I did help a friend rebuild a late 60s 400 to replace the anemic 301 in his 79, Trans Am. Gleason has a treasure trove of hilarious lines and it was this movie that started my love affair of cars back in the early 1980s. 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. They find local legend Bo "Bandit" Darville at a roadeo at Lakewood Fairgrounds and offer him US$80,000 (equivalent to $357,738 in 2021) to haul 400 cases of Coors from Texarkana (the closest place it could be legally sold at that time) to Atlanta in 28 hours. Because sales were so high, Pontiac decided to delay the third-generation model. With that in mind, Ill go with what Ive heard from my Georgia friends, to wit Sheriff Justices diablo sandwich is the Macon version, which is made with fried eggs and red hots. . 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! Mrs Jason wont let me sell the sumbitch. In its place was the nonsensical "scum bum." . Since mentioning the Kenworth, it must be noted it was a redecorator of the highest fashion. 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. Watching TV and Movies you would think that sales dropped to nil. Oh, and a hooker girlfriend that looked like Annie Potts. It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. It seems Plymouth was in a distant second for product placement. This same restaurant was used for a scene in the 1983 Stephen King Movie Christine, which was ultimately cut in the final film (it can be viewed as a deleted scene on the DVD release of the film). [10], Principal photography of the film began on August 30, 1976. Jesus, did you just call Carmine a car novice? It outsold its Chevrolet Camaro counterpart for the first time. Smokey and the Bandit was one of the most iconic movies of the 1970s. "Smokey and the Bandit" stars Burt Reynolds, Sally . Sheriff Justices son, Junior. When I was a kid, there was an old record from the 50s around the house that was a collection of radio and tv bloopers. One was a radio ad for a movie that went something like: . 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. HotCars covers all things automotive: the latest auto news and informative reviews on the car, pickup truck and motorcycle industries. 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. He gave Needham a preview of the song and, getting no reaction, offered to rewrite it. Olds 88. The tow truck driver was a local garage owner, Berlin Wike. Smokey and the Bandit was all realistic and non fictional, and it still was a big hit that brought a lot of money to Hal Needham and the actors, to pay Pontiac back. How much did the Smokey and the Bandit car sell for? Neither Buford nor any other lawmen know of Snowman's illegal manifest, while Bandit is likewise unaware that Buford is chasing him because of Carrie, whose jumpiness inspires Bandit to give her the CB handle "Frog". Well, the Corvettes success is clearly due to Corvette Summer, @Jim I remember that movie! Gleason was given free rein to ad-lib dialogue and make suggestions. 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. Nothing annoys him more than car electronics, and he just hates it when performance cars lack a third pedal. We also learn that every launched satellite will eventually fall back to Earth, such as this 1972 Plymouth Satellite (CC here). Conversely, I could go to Paducah and be asked where up north I was from. The Trans Am was already pretty popular in the mid-1970s, with sales hitting 68,745 units in 1977. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. Smokey and the Bandit II is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, . Im still trying to get clarification on what a diablo sandwich is though. Not a bad deal, but on the fourth year, no new car. While I have read undocumented accounts of there being more than three Trans Ams, Needham stated three is all that were used. Because of the popularity of the film and the sales success of the Trans Am, the president of Pontiac Alex Mair promised to supply Reynolds with a Trans Am each year. If I recall correctly, Firebirds in general (along with Camaros) were selling well prior to 1977, but the Trans Am was not the best-selling one. and used hard. Burt Reynolds plays truck driver Bo Bandit Darville. . Supposedly there was a stick car for the burnouts and an automatic car for other shots. Amazing how a combination of desire and unobtainability can make an ordinary product special. You will receive a verification email shortly. 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. Both sequels used another Trans Am, not a Cadillac Eldorado, as seen below. As I am finishing this article while Big Truck Week is winding down, here is a Kenworth with a 1973 Dodge Polara patrol car. How many cars destroyed Blues Brothers 2000? As a former Club Wagon pilot, I happen to like his Econoline. It just seems wrong to see that car in any fashion without hearing that song. That is an excellent question. "Smokey and the Bandit Pursuit Pack" is formatted as a box set that in presented in full color in widescreen. 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. Burt Reynolds recently revealed the ridiculous number of Pontiac Trans Ams they went through filming 1977s Smokey and the Bandit. 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. Its W.W. The 1977 Firebird Trans Am once owned by Burt Reynolds was sold at auction Saturday for $495,000 at a sale held by Barrett-Jackson. I remember borrowing my brothers red 1976 T/A to take a girl to the theater to see Smokey and the Bandit. Actually, there were 2 future Dukes stars in the movie: Ben Jones (Cooter) was in an early scene helping Big Enos find Bandit. Ask him to choose between a BMW M4 and an Audi RS5, and hell gladly trade both for a beat-up Cuda. Producer Hal Needham intended Smokey and the Bandit to be one of the best product placement films of all time. Some weren't that lucky and were discontinued altogether. Burt Reynolds once claimed in an interview that there were actually 12 Trans Ams featured in Smokey and the Banditand he wrecked every one. Id like to hear from Mr. Needham why so many of those police cars had what look like shaker hood scoops. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? Yet when I think of a 70s T/A, thats the one I and Im sure millions of other folks think of. 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. Two cars were reportedly badly damaged in early stunts in the film, while a third car was completely destroyed during the famous bridge jump scene. 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. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? 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 . His expletive is obscured when a passing big rig sounds its horn. Well, at least that's what you saw in the movie. Reynolds and Field began dating during the filming.[13]. If they werent burning candles to an image of a cowboy hatted Burt Reynolds at Pontiac headquarters. Some of the original sound effects (such as Cledus's dog Fred barking) and music (such as the final chase to the Southern Classic) were removed and not replaced. Were they dummies? I think even the 2nd gen Camaro enjoyed some of the blast wave from Smokey and the Bandit, 1979 was the best year ever for Camaros as well, with over 280,000 Camaros being sold. 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. Out of four Trans Ams used for the filming of Smokey And The Bandit, three were completely totaled in the process. The scene where Sheriff Justice's car has the door knocked off by a passing semi-truck was shot on Georgia State Route 75, 3 miles (4.8km) north of Helen. Burt Reynolds himself drove the car on stage to the song "East Bound and Down" and signed it. The cashier never batted an eye as she sold us the mass quantities of suds. Justice. Sales jumped even higher in 1979 when Pontiac moved 117,108 Trans Ams. Free shipping for many products! I will confess, however, that it was a fun movie to watch and I have caught it on TV a time or two in recent years with my kids. While watching the movie (yes, I did have to diligently research this article), one shot seemed to indicate this may be a dummy scoop. I was in West Plains the other day and there is yet another variation of it there. What were the police cars in Smokey and the Bandit? [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. I think more of Smokey and the Bandit II and the awful part 3 were filmed largely in Florida, I dont know if I-75 construction was started by 1976-77, at least the section down to Miami part, when they filmed. There has never been anything quite like late 1970s fashion in clothing. The cop cars with the hood scoops were ex-DeKalb County (Georgia) cruisers. 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. 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". 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. S/E T/A with the round headlights. Due to his financial difficulties in 2014, Reynolds put his vast collection of artwork and memorabilia up for auction, including the Trans Am. 1975 PLYMOUTH FURY HIGHWAY PATROL "SMOKEY & THE BANDIT" 1/18 BY . I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean. Coors is still brewed just outside Denver, Colorado. That came out in 1981. 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. And then they made the biggest mistake of their lives and went to national distribution. These two 1967 Ford Galaxies (CC here), soon to be redecorated by a Kenworth road tractor, do not. He enlists the help of fellow truck driver Cletus The Snowman Snow, played by country music singer Jerry Reed. [5] Sally Field only accepted the part after her agent advised her that she needed a big movie role on her rsum. During a Q&A session on Saturday, filmed by ComicBook.com, a fan asked how many Trans Ams they burned through during production. This small modification was made to remind viewers of Trans Am models from 1969, which had in excess of 300 horsepower. How did any bra manufacturers survive the 70s? Great fun! Funny that T/A isnt on the movie poster, considering it was the obvious star of the show.