I was 10 when this movie came out and I loved it then and I still do. 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). I always think scumbum because when I watched it as a kid in the early 90s, it was usually on TBS. I know that Trans Am that . Thats all well and good, and it worked smooth as silk for a good while. News . This movie came out during my early formative years pre grade school. Anyone who enjoys Colonnade sedans will love Smokey & the Bandit. I remember that it had a bunch of trim badges on the center of the dashboard. Chevy almost did the same with its counterpart, the Camaro. Due to his financial difficulties in 2014, Reynolds put his vast collection of artwork and memorabilia up for auction, including the Trans Am. The movies are rated PG with a run time of 282 minutes and released to video by Universal Studios. Great fun! Jesus, did you just call Carmine a car novice? 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. A Pontiac wagon from earlier in the decade. 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. Sure Smokey helped, but was not the sole reason T/A and F body sales went up. I remember borrowing my brothers red 1976 T/A to take a girl to the theater to see Smokey and the Bandit. And then they made the biggest mistake of their lives and went to national distribution. The uncut version is the best. 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. He gave Needham a preview of the song and, getting no reaction, offered to rewrite it. These questions all need to be answered. 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 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. That is why there are not any left. The cars were originally ordered by a car rental agency in Phoenix, who refused to accept the . Field enjoyed making the film, but remembers that virtually the entire project was improvised. And Burt may be from GA originally, but he calls Florida home, which is another reason I heard the movie was filmed here. A diablo sammich from my understanding is a like a Sloppy Joe but with taco seasoning added in for spice. 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. 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. Producers of Smokey and the Bandit wrecked 26 cars while filming the movie in 1977. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. 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. 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. 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. Both sequels used another Trans Am, not a Cadillac Eldorado, as seen below. Trigger had a big impact on my taste in cars with the Trans Ams of the late 70s being my favorite. Smokey & The Bandit was the first of three movies in that franchise. Haul my wife and four shelter adoptee mutts in it. I know, Ive owned a 75 for 23 years. I remember reading somewhere that one of the cars was equipped with a 455 for some of the higher speed scenes. Smokey and the Bandit II is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, . I have since moved on from them, mainly because in stock form, they were not particularly great cars (though good enough for the times). 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. With the Smokey and the Bandit actor gone, and the impact the actor had on the Trans Am community, having one of the few connections to him destroyed is too much. That is why there are not any left. And Coors itself limited its distribution to west of the Mississippi. That parking lot was full of Trans Ams! Got Greyhound cutout decals on the rear side windows. Bill Justis is the first name on the credits for the soundtrack, as he composed and arranged original music throughout the film. Ask him to choose between a BMW M4 and an Audi RS5, and hell gladly trade both for a beat-up Cuda. [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. We gonna do what they say cant be done 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 . Tragically, every Trans Am used in filming was destroyed. Not all the police cars had hood scoops. A 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix with a Buick Electra behind it. 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. Amazing how a combination of desire and unobtainability can make an ordinary product special. At the time, Reynolds was the top box office star in the world. There has never been anything quite like late 1970s fashion in clothing. So why did they go with sound effects instead of the Trans Am's actually exhaust noise? [38], In 2014, petroleum company Mobil 1 produced television commercials, featuring then-NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, closely based on the film. Gotta love that guy! Car movies are notorious for being tough on the very vehicles that give them their allure. Actor Henry Corden, who voiced Fred Flintstone after original performer Alan Reed died the same year the film was released, was used to replace a considerable amount of Sheriff Justice's dialogue. 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. Somewhere along the line, the company acquired a new president who told Reynolds: Im the new president, and I dont like your movies. Before Gleason was cast in the film, Richard Boone was originally considered for the role of Buford T. It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. Along the way they tussle with tough as nails Texas Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason), pick up a runaway bride nicknamed Frog (Sally Field), and have all kinds of awesome times on the highway. During a Q&A session on Saturday, filmed by ComicBook.com, a fan asked how many Trans Ams they burned through during production. At one point in the movie, the Bandit wrecks a police car. 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. With Reynolds agreement to do the movie, and his insistence upon casting Gleason as Sheriff Justice, the movie became a larger venture. 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. I recall a big smokey burnout right after they left Snowmans house that looked 455-worthy and also after Bandit picked up Fields he left two strips after nailing second (right before the tire thieves crossed the road), which makes me think there was also a 4 speed car used. Smokey and the Bandit was one of the most iconic movies of the 1970s. 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. 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 . WildI watched this for the first time in years after watching the latest Archer.the whole thing is an homage to S&B. As deals were made for the actors and producers, the studio wanted to renegotiate my deal. Always loved this movie growing up. 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 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. How many smokey and the bandit movies are there? 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. And theres beer in Texarkana.. Great article! 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. That's because the Trans Am in Smokey and the Bandit didn't sound like a Trans Am. In Smokey and the Bandit, there were eight 1977 Trans-Am cars and approximately the same number of police cars (but some said ten). Justice. The original film had correct sounds that were usually recorded live as the action took place. Pontiac should have made a radio that played that song automatically simply by pushing a button, or maybe made it the horn sound. Lets take a look. If it wasnt for Smokey & the Bandit, the Dukes of Hazzard TV series would not exist. and the Dixie Dance Kings, and Burts car was a 57 [56?] I have at least 4 really good car buddies that will from time to time love popping this movie in to watch. As a former Club Wagon pilot, I happen to like his Econoline. Nothing annoys him more than car electronics, and he just hates it when performance cars lack a third pedal. Put one on and the lady looks like shes not wearing a bra. Other than Jackie Gleason upstaging every other cast member, the perceived star of the show is this 1977 Pontiac Trans Am. 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. 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. 1975 PLYMOUTH FURY HIGHWAY PATROL "SMOKEY & THE BANDIT" 1/18 BY . In 1978, Pontiac delivered 93,351 Trans Ams and 93,944 regular Firebirds for a grand total of 187,295 cars. Reed also penned and performed the song for the opening credits, entitled "The Legend", which tells of some of the Bandit's escapades before the events of the film, and the ballad "The Bandit", which is in several versions in the movie and on the soundtrack. After the movie came out, Firebird sales increased even more, but the Trans Am was now the most popular one. 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. 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. 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. Dodge pitchman Sheriff Joe Higgins. The little packy there had Coors and even though it was horribly expensive, we thought it was the elixer of the Gods. . The three movie cars were destroyed during various stunts, so the promo car is the only surviving Trans Am connected to this film. Check out the entire video below. There was a problem. 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. High estimates for the car were up to $80,000, but the actual sale price was $450,000. Nah, they survived by coming up with bras with very thin cups. Because sales were so high, Pontiac decided to delay the third-generation model. . How much did the Smokey and the Bandit car sell for? Burt Reynolds' 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Sold for $240,000. So many classic quotes in this movie. Other sources in East Texas (from whence Sheriff Justice hails) are familiar with the popular regional delicacy known as the Diablo Sandwich. Many of the film's original sounds were replaced. Despite growing up next to Cape, most of relatives are from the Mid-South. 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. In the movie . As a publicity stunt, the Trans Ams used in the movie had different decals on the hood scoop. Every idiot with more money than brains wanted a Trans Am. As I did Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. 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. 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. Ive always loved this movie. 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. That song often pops into my head at the start of long drives. Here is the LeMans; Gleason literally drives the wheels off: As an aside, heres a curious bit of trivia. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? (first posted 2/28/2014) The fourth highest grossing film in the United States in 1977 was the Academy Award nominatedSmokey & The Bandit. (it did taste a lot better than Bud as I recall). Many people believed beforehand that the film was not right for . The third-generation Firebird was introduced in 1982, a full two years later than planned. Reynolds and Field began dating during the filming.[13]. The Trans Am was a high-performance package for the Firebird, Pontiac's take on the Chevrolet Camaro. The cars were wrecked on purpose to create the illusion of a high-speed chase. Needham had great difficulty getting any studios or producers to take his project seriously, being better known in the film industry as a stuntman. and used hard. [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). Except that shes not sagging. 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. 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. 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 . 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. 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. radio to help him out. However, the U.S. government introduced new emission controls in 1972, and automakers had to step back. The secrets behind the cars and stunts in 'The Italian Job'. Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. Cause theyre thirsty in Atlanta I know that Trans Am that jumped that bridge broke the axle when it landed. Im gonna barbecue your ass in molasses., Re: The picture with 4 ladies and the wagon and van. Just like the exaggeration sales went up 700%. 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. American Brands: AMC, Jeep and All Others, Tractors, Lawn Mowers, Off-Road Equipment, CC Outtake: The CC House, and With a New Recent Exotic Addition, CC TV Outtake: This Used Car Commercial Didn't Make It On The Air, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cODPt3T0cHE. 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! 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. The MASSIVE year over year sales gains came from somewhere. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. 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 . 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. 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. A series of four made-for-TV spin-off films (Bandit Goes Country, Bandit Bandit, Beauty and the Bandit, and Bandit's Silver Angel) were produced in 1994 for Universal Television's Action Pack with actor Brian Bloom playing a younger version of the Bandit. 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. It took four evenings to see almost all of the movie in bits and pieces. Although 1977 models also featured 6.6-liter engines, they were rated at only 200 horses. The scene featuring the racetrack was filmed at Lakewood Speedway at the old Lakewood Fairgrounds on Atlanta's south side. Im still trying to get clarification on what a diablo sandwich is though. Depends upon what he converted it from. 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. In the U.K., the heavily dubbed version was shown for several years, particularly by the BBC. I also own a Etrl replica of the Pontiac Bonneville Buford T. Justice drove in Smokey and The Bandit II. I developed a pretty good bootheel accent during my time in New Madrid. I had no idea that it was going to become a 70s classic. That girl from the McCoys video probably looks like Paula Deen now. Somehow this store had a regular supply. 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?????? 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. When Smokey & The Bandit first aired on television in the early 1980s, the Gleason phrase "sum bitch"-a regional butchering of "son of a bitch"-had to be dubbed out. For Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), Needham asked for and received 10 Trans Ams and 55 Bonnevilles with no trouble. 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. Watching TV and Movies you would think that sales dropped to nil. AWESOME! The roundup sequence in the desert shows many new Pontiac Le Mans sedans decorated as police cars being destroyed. All pictures from the movie were acquired from www.imcdb.org, Fred Lives!!! Will Walker: Independence Return For Season 2 Amid CW Shakeups? Its W.W. During their run, they are pursued by Texas county sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason). There are an abundance of cars in this movie. I still think its more entertaining than Star Wars. Well, they simply considered that the Trans Am didn't sound intimidating enough. The unrestored car reportedly showed up on eBay back in 2015, but no one wanted to buy it. Luckily, both cars survived, and the Trans Am became famous only five years later. (Still). 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.. The area around Helen, Georgia, was used for some locations. Now then you mentionned Sheriff JW Pepper, I decided to post some Youtube clips of him. I actually remember the construction of that segment of I-75, as it stopped around Tampa prior to that time. via iconic premier. The owner restored it and sold it at the Scottsdale 2016 auction by Barrett-Jackson. Now, having only three Trans Ams to wreck for a movie is minimalist, to say the least. [15] All four of the cars were badly damaged during production,[16] one of which was all but destroyed during the jump over the dismantled Mulberry bridge. Coors is still brewed just outside Denver, Colorado. 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. But would the black and gold T/As be as desirable today without the movie? Jackie Gleasons Buford T. Justice character is a supposedly an amalgamation of a few characters, including the real Buford T. Justicethere is obviously the Dodge safety sheriff from the 1970s ads, Burt Reynolds father was chief of police of Jupiter Florida, and a friend of his fathers, a Florida Highway Patrol officer was actually the REAL Buford T. Justice. [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. Let me get the popcorn for this one.