These Furys, as well as some of the LeMans units, have hood scoops. 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. [40] Major portions of the audio background have been modified with different engine sounds or tire squeals from the original film. 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. The second film was a modest box office success, earning $66.1 million against a $17 million budget. The directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham, the film follows Bo "Bandit" Darville (Reynolds) and Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Reed), two bootleggers attempting to illegally transport 400 cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta. Needham stated that by the end of production, there really wasnt much left of any of the three. Needham and assistant director David Hamburger spent 30 hours revising the shooting schedule.[4]. The Burdettes' car is a 1974 Cadillac Eldorado convertible painted in a "Candy Red" color scheme and is seen briefly at the beginning of the movie and in the final scene as the Bandit, the Snowman, Fred the dog, and Frog use it to make their escape. You can see in some shots in the movie that the Bandit Trans Am has 1976 style gold honeycomb wheels instead of the gold snowflake wheels from the 1977, I think at least one of the cars used in filming was a 1976 converted with a 1977 front clip. [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. Your email address will not be published. . and used hard. Mines never gone away, especially now that I spend every thee month in Memphis. Just after re-entering Georgia, Snowman is rescued by Bandit after being stopped by a Georgia State Patrol motorcycle trooper, and state and local police intensely pursue Bandit with roadblocks and a helicopter to track his movement. Smokey and the Bandit is a 1977 American road action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry. Hes fodder enough for his own article at some point. As luck and script writing would have it, Frog has left her groom at the altar. While watching the movie (yes, I did have to diligently research this article), one shot seemed to indicate this may be a dummy scoop. She is a runaway bride, sitting on the side of the road in her 1973 Chevrolet Impala coupe. Its W.W. Funny that T/A isnt on the movie poster, considering it was the obvious star of the show. I developed a pretty good bootheel accent during my time in New Madrid. 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. The scene featuring the racetrack was filmed at Lakewood Speedway at the old Lakewood Fairgrounds on Atlanta's south side. HotCars covers all things automotive: the latest auto news and informative reviews on the car, pickup truck and motorcycle industries. He contacted Pontiac and an agreement was made that four 1977 Trans Ams and two Pontiac LeMans four-door sedans would be provided for the movie. He gave Needham a preview of the song and, getting no reaction, offered to rewrite it. Smokey & The Bandit Police Cars. UNIVERSAL CUT THE BUDGET JUST AS PRODUCTION WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN. While I have read undocumented accounts of there being more than three Trans Ams, Needham stated three is all that were used. Here are 20 facts about the Trans Am from 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. At the drive-in of all places. Remember that Smokey and the Bandit was the 2nd biggest movie of the year, right after Star Wars. Its lack of additives and preservatives meant that Coors could spoil in one week without refrigeration, explaining the film's 28-hour deadline. The 403 Olds T/A was a dog, stock, but with some easily obtained parts, could be turned into a very nice low 13 second tire melter. A blackguard? This movie trailer gives you an taste of this provocative film, but fails to effectively capture all the subtleties and nuances it contains. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 78% rating based on 32 reviews. That is why there are not any left. J.J. & The Dixie Dance Kings was a milder one that had (I think) a 56 Buick Century . I have worked a long time to eradicate the one I had but it still crops up periodically from exposure, like you experienced. [original research?] 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. Id be surprised. About two seconds after this picture was taken, these motorcycles were doing their best imitation of a stack of pancakes. Of the many cars saved from the fire was the only surviving Knight Rider KITT Super Pursuit Mode car created by Jay Orberg. [5] Reynolds revealed in his autobiography that Needham had written the first draft script on legal pads. 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 new Hot Pants scene had to quickly be refilmed as a part of a second unit in the San Fernando Valley and was shot at a drive-in restaurant near Hansen Dam named Baby Beef Burgers, which has since been demolished. At one point in the movie, the Bandit wrecks a police car. Chevy brought back the Z28, and cant say S&B was reason. 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. 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. The dubbed version is awful. The Trans Am was already pretty popular in the mid-1970s, with sales hitting 68,745 units in 1977. The movie had an even bigger impact on the Trans Am. In particular, the scene where Sheriff Justice unknowingly encounters the Bandit in the "choke and puke" (a roadside diner) was not in the original story but was rather Gleason's idea. Since mentioning the Kenworth, it must be noted it was a redecorator of the highest fashion. 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. Just like the exaggeration sales went up 700%. The cars were wrecked on purpose to create the illusion of a high-speed chase. 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. "Buford T. Justice" was the name of a real Florida Highway Patrolman known to Reynolds' father, who was once Police Chief of Riviera Beach, Florida. I beg to differ Mr -Nate. [17], In 1977, Coors was unavailable for sale east of Oklahoma. 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. In Smokey and the Bandit, there were eight 1977 Trans-Am cars and approximately the same number of police cars (but some said ten). 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. The third film which had no involvement from either Hal Needham or Sally Field and contained only a short cameo appearance by Burt Reynolds revolved entirely around Jackie Gleason's character, was panned by critics, and was a box office bomb, earning only $7 million against a $9 million budget.[41][42][43]. The third-generation Firebird was introduced in 1982, a full two years later than planned. Want proof? I never understood why dragging a truckload of beer from Colorado to Georgia was such a big deal. The cars were 1976 models, the engines fitted to them were 455ci powerplants, the last year these engines were offered for sale before withdrawal. 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 is hired by Big Enos Burdette and his son Little Enos to transport a truck load of Coors beer from Texarkana, Texas, back to Georgia in 28 hours. [30] Upon meeting Reynolds, Billy Bob Thornton told him that the South considers the film to be less cinema and more documentary. Here in Canada they didnt censor it, so we always got the sumbitch version. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The story replaced the Coors beer with Mobil 1 products. 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. We also learn that every launched satellite will eventually fall back to Earth, such as this 1972 Plymouth Satellite (CC here). A diablo sammich from my understanding is a like a Sloppy Joe but with taco seasoning added in for spice. I started cruising through EBay and the next thing I knew I won the auction for a clean 400/4 speed/T-Top 78 Trans Am. a custom mandrel bent dual exhaust, and the Mondello bottom end plate to stabilize the windowed mains. Great article! His personaround, dumpy, and clipping wordsreminds one of another fictional southern sheriff. While made to take advantage of the ongoing 1970s CB radio fad, the film added to the craze. Thanks for this, Jason. [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. 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. 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: . The Kenworth even achieves a trifecta of sorts, as it gave the first dent to Sheriff Justices LeMans. The site's consensus states: "Not much in the head but plenty beneath the hood, Smokey and the Bandit is infectious fun with plenty of car wrecks to keep your eyes glued". The 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. Although he's into just about any type of vehicle, Ciprian is not your typical car enthusiast. I was just tweaking Jason. If you watched the second clip above, this truck should look familiar. 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. 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. Great fun! They retained the white steering wheels until 72 or so , just the thing to preveny burned fingers in the Desert sun . Although 1977 models also featured 6.6-liter engines, they were rated at only 200 horses. Watching TV and Movies you would think that sales dropped to nil. 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. Except that shes not sagging. 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!. Mr. Reynolds made a bunch of low budget films before this , all had wild chase scenes with cop cars crashing & going into swamps . 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. It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. And the 400 Pontiac or 403 Olds versions could be made to run well. One guy did a while ago a fan-made trailer of Smokey & the Bandit 4. So why did they go with sound effects instead of the Trans Am's actually exhaust noise? In my area, nearly every one listed is an ex cop car. A CC for a 1973 Grand Ville convertible can be found here. S&B is one of my all-time favorite movies and Im not apologizing. Mrs Jason wont let me sell the sumbitch. . 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. Filmmakers destroyed 230 cars in the filming of 'Furious 7.' Smokey And The Bandit: A Car-chase Classic. That song often pops into my head at the start of long drives. (it did taste a lot better than Bud as I recall). In 2006, a DVD re-release was issued of Smokey and the Bandit featuring a digitally remastered audio track with 5.1 Dolby-compatible surround sound. 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. It airs on cable tv all the time. My drivers ed driving range car was an ex-patrol colonnade Pontiac LeMans Enforcer. 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. 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 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. Naturally, it fetched the highest price with a . The commercials were produced after Stewart mentioned that the movie was one of his favorites.[39]. No more needs to be said. One of those things that will make my kids think Im crazy some day. The three movie cars were destroyed during various stunts, so the promo car is the only surviving Trans Am connected to this film. Lets take a look. Coors is still brewed just outside Denver, Colorado. Olds 88. Hal Needham did pass away as someone earlier said. Ive since read on the internet that it wasnt illegal so much as a practical thing with it being shipped in refrigerated trucks. The Trans Am used in the movie was a 1976 model with the front end of a 1977 car. Ive also looked at a Fox based LTD cop car and an early 1991 whale Caprice 9C1 detective model, burgundy on burgundy cloth. "Smokey and the Bandit" stars Burt Reynolds, Sally . On top of Burt Reynold's top-notch acting, Smokey and the Bandit is also famous for the Pontiac Trans Am that the actor drove throughout the film. The trip to Texarkana is uneventful; soon after leaving for the return trip to Georgia, The Bandit encounters Frog, played by Sally Field. Reynolds actively pushed for her casting after Universal initially resisted, claiming Field was not attractive enough. For this purpose, they overdubbed dialogue deemed offensive, which was common practice. 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. 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 . Luckily, both cars survived, and the Trans Am became famous only five years later. 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". Coors was legal in Missouri and illegal in Illinois. Well, at least that's what you saw in the movie. I prefer Buford T. Justices 1980 Pontiac Bonneville and his 1983 Pontiac Bonneville in Smokey and The Bandit III. 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.