Coors is still brewed just outside Denver, Colorado. A 1977 special-edition model once owned by the late actor Burt Reynolds recently wound up on the car auction website Bring a Trailer. 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. [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). A blackguard? Smokey and the Bandit | East Bound and Down - YouTube . HotCars covers all things automotive: the latest auto news and informative reviews on the car, pickup truck and motorcycle industries. 20 Surprising Facts About The Trans Am From Smokey And The Bandit - HotCars Amazing how a combination of desire and unobtainability can make an ordinary product special. 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. ", "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. Director Hal Needham convinced Pontiac to feature the Pontiac Trans Am in the movie. 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. And Burt may be from GA originally, but he calls Florida home, which is another reason I heard the movie was filmed here. His personaround, dumpy, and clipping wordsreminds one of another fictional southern sheriff. The scoops were added by the department because the engines ran so hot. In the movie . AWESOME! Needham had great difficulty getting any studios or producers to take his project seriously, being better known in the film industry as a stuntman. So lets explore this car (and truck) heavy flick, all while giving those who have not seen it a glimpse into a movie whose complexity and intellect remains unparalleled within the history of cinema. The unrestored car reportedly showed up on eBay back in 2015, but no one wanted to buy it. That is why there are not any left. With this, the Sheriff begins his pursuit of the Mann Act-violating Banditall the way to Georgia. Want proof? 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. I was a junior high school age kid when this film came out. There was still a market for bras in the 1970s. I only got one of them LOL. Rockford Files also featured Firebird, and was on since 1974, and Fs sold well despite gas crunch I and inflation. At the time, Reynolds was the top box office star in the world. So why did they go with sound effects instead of the Trans Am's actually exhaust noise? 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. As Frog leaves, we are introduced to Sheriff Buford T. Justice, played by Jackie Gleason. [10], Principal photography of the film began on August 30, 1976. Now then you mentionned Sheriff JW Pepper, I decided to post some Youtube clips of him. Heres how it works. The cars were originally ordered by a car rental agency in Phoenix, who refused to accept the . I am indeed a fan. Cause theyre thirsty in Atlanta UNIVERSAL CUT THE BUDGET JUST AS PRODUCTION WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN. Also up for auction was a go-kart replica of the car, which sold for nearly $14,000. Due to his financial difficulties in 2014, Reynolds put his vast collection of artwork and memorabilia up for auction, including the Trans Am. As I did Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. 46,000 in 1976, 68,000 in 1977, 93,000 in 1978, 117,000 in 1979. Funny that T/A isnt on the movie poster, considering it was the obvious star of the show. It had amazing throttle response, with a hit that either scared people, or made them giggle. 13 Fast Facts About Smokey and the Bandit - Mental Floss 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. 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. "Smokey and the Bandit" stars Burt Reynolds, Sally . 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.. Somehow this store had a regular supply. Gleasons Justice is the stereotypical Southern sheriff, as seen in this clip. IMCDb.org: 1977 Pontiac LeMans in "Smokey and the Bandit, 1977" Just do a search for Crown Victorias on your local CL. Pontiac should have made a radio that played that song automatically simply by pushing a button, or maybe made it the horn sound. This movie was filmed in Georgia as well. Im pretty sure that the car that barks second when he takes off with Frog had to be a stick. Upon showing it to his friend, Reynolds told Needham that it was the worst script he had ever read, but that he would still make the movie. Free shipping for many products! While it is doubtful Pontiac sold very many LeMans police packages, if one views this show as realistic, it would seem nearly every county and highway patrol in five states purchased one of Pontiacs heavy duty offerings. And lets not forget the Trans Am rental car Steve McQueen drove in his very last movie, The Hunter from 1980. I fondly remember lots and lots of terrible B grade movies @ the drive in in the early to mid 1970s all featuring cars racing , smashing and so on . 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). The secrets behind the cars and stunts in 'The Italian Job'. Even when the 2nd gen was already coasting on fumes, and defanged, and after the reasonably shitty Smokey and the Bandit sequel, Pontiac managed to pump out 107,000 Trans Ams in 1980 and 70,000 for the 2nd gen Trans Ams swan song in 1981. It took four evenings to see almost all of the movie in bits and pieces. There are an abundance of cars in this movie. Required fields are marked *. 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! 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. Gleason was given free rein to ad-lib dialogue and make suggestions. Another one is, Theres no way youre from my loins.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cODPt3T0cHE, We got a cage strong enough to hold you In 1978, Pontiac delivered 93,351 Trans Ams and 93,944 regular Firebirds for a grand total of 187,295 cars. However, the U.S. government introduced new emission controls in 1972, and automakers had to step back. 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. 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. The film was a sleeper hit, and following a poor initial performance, it went on to gross $126.7 million in North America, versus a budget of only $4.3 million. The commercials were produced after Stewart mentioned that the movie was one of his favorites.[39]. All I know is, at the time, if you lived in the east, Coors was some really special beer not unlike microbrews are now. These were the cans with the two circular push buttons on top instead of pull tabs. I did help a friend rebuild a late 60s 400 to replace the anemic 301 in his 79, Trans Am. 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. Henry Corden, the voice of cartoon character Fred Flintstone. Needham served as the driver for the stunt (in place of Reynolds), while Lada St. Edmund was in the same car (in place of Field). The owner restored it and sold it at the Scottsdale 2016 auction by Barrett-Jackson. Anyway, on the trip east, we stopped at a grocery in Topeka, Kansas and bought 16-18 cases of Coors, all that we had room for in the car. He had quite a few orders for Coors beer, and when he stopped in Weed, CA, on the way home, he went into the Safeway and asked for twenty-four cases of Coors. 12 A Total Of 3 Trans Ams Were Destroyed During Filming. During a Q&A session on Saturday, filmed by ComicBook.com, a fan asked how many Trans Ams they burned through during production. The cop cars with the hood scoops were ex-DeKalb County (Georgia) cruisers. I had no idea that it was going to become a 70s classic. 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. Thanks for this, Jason. Coors was legal in Missouri and illegal in Illinois. So many classic quotes in this movie. 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. I have since moved on from them, mainly because in stock form, they were not particularly great cars (though good enough for the times). Weve got a long way to go and a short time to get there The three original films introduced two generations of the Pontiac Trans Am and the Dodge Stealth in the television movies. It was the second-highest-grossing movie of 1977 after Star Wars. Frederick Amon smuggled it from Colorado to North Carolina and sold it for four times the retail price.[19]. The redesign was originally planned for 1980, but 1978 and 1979 became record years for GM's division, so the new model was pushed back. The film's theme song, "East Bound and Down", was written virtually overnight by Reed. I'm afraid I was responsible for a good few of those. Jana, another oddity was that I could go to Carbondale and be asked where down south I was from. High estimates for the car were up to $80,000, but the actual sale price was $450,000. He enlists the help of fellow truck driver Cletus The Snowman Snow, played by country music singer Jerry Reed. The tow truck driver was a local garage owner, Berlin Wike. I have only seen pieces of the second and none of the third; I plan to keep it that way. The roller coaster in the movie was the Greyhound. 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 . The secrets behind the cars and stunts in 'The Italian Job' - Top Gear The DVD set meets NTSC standards. Tragically, every Trans Am used in filming was destroyed. The advertisements lampoon the film and feature a Pontiac Trans Am and a cover version of the song East Bound and Down. Field enjoyed making the film, but remembers that virtually the entire project was improvised. Plus , I loved those late 1960s through mid 1970s Plymouths even though Im a Bowtie Guy by default . The Smokey and the Bandit Car - Carsforsale.com 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. [34] In 2015 a Florida-based automobile customization company built 77 Trans Ams modeled after the car that Reynolds drove in the film. Chevy brought back the Z28, and cant say S&B was reason. This is obvious, because there is no fuel tank on the underside of the trailer to power the refrigeration unit, and the unit is never heard running. His expletive is obscured when a passing big rig sounds its horn. [27] In his review in the Chicago Tribune, Gene Siskel gave the film two stars and complained that the film failed to tell the audience when the clock started on the beer run, thus reducing suspense. you can find it on amazon.com . Duarte or maybe ir was Arcadia , it was white with a red & blue pinstripe , we dropped $400 (an ungodly sum back then) on a re paint and pin striping but could _not_ sell that wretched POC , it took us two years IIRC . I ended up buying a 1969 Cadillac ambulance a year later! Its amazing, you should watch it. And he succeeded as far as the Pontiac Trans Am is concerned. In my area, nearly every one listed is an ex cop car. What were the police cars in Smokey and the Bandit? In its place was the nonsensical scum bum. The voice over actor? The 79-year-old 70s and 80s heartthrob made a rare public appearance over the weekend at Wizard World Chicago. Burt Reynolds once claimed in an interview that there were actually 12 Trans Ams featured in Smokey and the Banditand he wrecked every one. 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! Sonny Shroyer (Enos) was the motorcycle cop who was given the 1-finger salute by Sally Field. At the time, it was illegal to transport Coors east of the Mississippi River and a series of other truckers had been apprehended for trying to accomplish this feat for the Burdettes. Please to note I didnt say _I_ didnt like them as I was in my 20s then (early 1970s) so I hustled my self and my Russian girlfriend right on down to the cinema every time Burt Reynolds had a new flick , I personally loved his movies even the chick flicks like The Man Who Loved Women , I just had to hear earfuls from everyone else about how awful he / those movies were.. We even bought one of those Pontiac Police Specials on auction from. 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. 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. Florida Trans Am Shop Burns - Motorious Of course, it's difficult to asses whether these small decals did something to change buyer perception about the Trans Am, but it's an interesting part of the Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am's history. East bound and down, loaded up and truckin 14 Little-Known Facts About The Smokey And The Bandit Trans-Am - HotCars Gas was a buck a gallon at the time so fuel economy wasnt a major issue. Her groom? Great fun! Most of the shots that show Reynolds and Field in the car talking were filmed with the T/A being towed along on a lowboy trailer. 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. Thats all true. 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 . Olds 88. I remember reading somewhere that one of the cars was equipped with a 455 for some of the higher speed scenes. Stroker Ace is after S&B, 1983, and features the then new for 83 aero Fox Body Thunderbird. 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. I loved the fact that Jackie Gleasons brown Lemans had a blue vinyl interior and it even had the luxury cushion steering wheel! We also learn that every launched satellite will eventually fall back to Earth, such as this 1972 Plymouth Satellite (CC here). I certainly hope the guy hired to drive that 74 Ford Torino wagon was paid well for his work. 1975 Plymouth Fury Police Pursuit Arkansas State Police "Smokey and The 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. There was a true concern (for some minuscule reason) about it going east of the Mississippi River. The production team wrecked three for the four cars it received from Pontiac. Needing a fast set of wheels to distract law enforcement, Reynolds character purchases this 1977 Pontiac Trans-Am. A 1975 Pontiac Grand Ville, seen toward the end of the movie. MN12 Thunderbirds had the same appeal to me, for similar reasons. The film was followed by two sequels: Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). Were they dummies? Many of the film's original sounds were replaced. The MASSIVE year over year sales gains came from somewhere. 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. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 78% rating based on 32 reviews. That's because the Trans Am in Smokey and the Bandit didn't sound like a Trans Am. The film's editors, Walter Hannemann and Angelo Ross, were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. It consists of any of the various Louisiana-style hot sauces on Texas toast-style bread alongside the fourth most famous product of Pittsburg, Texas (behind Pilgrim's Pride, Cavender's, and Carroll Shelby)Pittsburg Hot Links. He gave Needham a preview of the song and, getting no reaction, offered to rewrite it. When Smokey & The Banditfirst aired on television in the early 1980s, the Gleason phrase sum bitcha regional butchering of son of a bitchhad to be dubbed out. NY 10036. And theres beer in Texarkana.. You will receive a verification email shortly. [17], In 1977, Coors was unavailable for sale east of Oklahoma. The Bandit's car was a second-generation Trans Am and the prize for completing the run was a new truck rather than $80,000. Three Kenworth W900A short-frame semi trucks, driven by Reed, were each equipped with 38-inch sleepers. Hal Needham did pass away as someone earlier said. 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. How many cars destroyed Blues Brothers 2000? Even today when I stumble across this cinematic masterpiece being rerun on cable tv, Ill watch the entire thing. 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. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? Smokey and the Bandit II is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, . Now, having only three Trans Ams to wreck for a movie is minimalist, to say the least. Except for Gleason, the original actors mostly redubbed their lines for the television version. It just seems wrong to see that car in any fashion without hearing that song. The movie, in fact, caused sales of the . The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit is one of the most famous movie cars of all time. Luckily, both cars survived, and the Trans Am became famous only five years later. Burt Reynolds is originally a Georgia boy. Unfortunately he passed away a few months ago or that would have been a great question to ask. And then they made the biggest mistake of their lives and went to national distribution. In response, Needham told Reed that he liked the song so much that if Reed changed even a word or a note, Needham would "choke him". I've heard . That song often pops into my head at the start of long drives. With four miles left, Bandit, discouraged by the unexpected mounting attention, is ready to give up, but Snowman, who initially thought they would fail, takes the lead and smashes through the roadblock at the fairgrounds' main entrance. Some weren't that lucky and were discontinued altogether. 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!. Many hardcore fans of Burt Reynolds' most iconic movie, 1977's "Smokey and The Bandit," know that none of those cool black Pontiac Trans Ams with gold trim survived the stunts in the film. 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%. With Reynolds' salary at $1 million, Needham was left with only $3.3 million to make the film. The theme music "East Bound and Down" was sung and co-written by Reed (credited under his birth name, Jerry Hubbard) and Dick Feller. The Pontiac Trans Am seems like a natural choice for Smokey and the Bandit, but the car was only a few inches close to not being used in the movie. S/E T/A with the round headlights. A movie for the people, "Smokey and the Bandit" is more - Hagerty Somewhere along the line, the company acquired a new president who told Reynolds: Im the new president, and I dont like your movies. While the initial concern was it having a regional appeal, it would ultimately play as well in New York City and Chicago as it did Atlanta, Georgia, or Biloxi, Mississippi. Ive always wanted some sort of de-commission/ex unmarked cop car, something from the 70s preferably. Remember that Smokey and the Bandit was the 2nd biggest movie of the year, right after Star Wars. The Bandit's car was a second-generation Trans Am and the prize for completing the run was a new truck rather than $80,000. I was just tweaking Jason. One guy did a while ago a fan-made trailer of Smokey & the Bandit 4. Earlier DVD releases and the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray of the film have the original soundtrack intact. Haul my wife and four shelter adoptee mutts in it. 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. Except that shes not sagging. Because sales were so high, Pontiac decided to delay the third-generation model. Burt Reynolds' 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Sold for $240,000. It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. 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. In the U.K., the heavily dubbed version was shown for several years, particularly by the BBC. 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. Mr. Reynolds made a bunch of low budget films before this , all had wild chase scenes with cop cars crashing & going into swamps . The trip to Texarkana is uneventful; soon after leaving for the return trip to Georgia, The Bandit encounters Frog, played by Sally Field. Reed would eventually play the Bandit in Smokey and the Bandit Part 3, in which Reynolds only appeared in a cameo near the end. When it was over, I cried and cried and cried because I didnt want it to end. [40] Major portions of the audio background have been modified with different engine sounds or tire squeals from the original film. Five-string banjo player Bobby Thompson is prominent toward the end of "East Bound and Down". We just watched this with the kids the other week, along with Cannonball Run. 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". how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2 - onlytows.com.au