Reynolds replied: We went through 12. 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). Did I mention how much I enjoy reading all the back stories and niggly details I can only get here ? Ive since read on the internet that it wasnt illegal so much as a practical thing with it being shipped in refrigerated trucks. Although he's into just about any type of vehicle, Ciprian is not your typical car enthusiast. Car movies are notorious for being tough on the very vehicles that give them their allure. A paper on Cognitive psychology was published in the 1990 issue of Computers in Human Perception. S/E T/A with the round headlights. It became Reed's signature song and is on multiple albums, including Country Legends and his live album Jerry Reed "Live!" 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. The production team wrecked three for the four cars it received from Pontiac. 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. It had amazing throttle response, with a hit that either scared people, or made them giggle. The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit is one of the most famous movie cars of all time. I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. When Smokey and the Bandit first aired on American network television in the early 1980s, censors were faced with the challenge of toning down the raw language of the original film. While it's sad that the other two cars were destroyed . How many cars did they wreck in Smokey and the Bandit? . 13 Fast Facts About Smokey and the Bandit - Mental Floss I remember reading somewhere that one of the cars was equipped with a 455 for some of the higher speed scenes. [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. 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. 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. That song often pops into my head at the start of long drives. I remember borrowing my brothers red 1976 T/A to take a girl to the theater to see Smokey and the Bandit. 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. Mr. Reynolds made a bunch of low budget films before this , all had wild chase scenes with cop cars crashing & going into swamps . Olds 88. Dodge pitchman Sheriff Joe Higgins. It seems Plymouth was in a distant second for product placement. Other sources in East Texas (from whence Sheriff Justice hails) are familiar with the popular regional delicacy known as the Diablo Sandwich. And Coors itself limited its distribution to west of the Mississippi. In the original script, Carrie was called Kate while Big Enos and Little Enos were called Kyle and Dickey. No more needs to be said. Ive always wanted some sort of de-commission/ex unmarked cop car, something from the 70s preferably. What were the police cars in Smokey and the Bandit? via iconic premier. In its place was the nonsensical "scum bum." . Field enjoyed making the film, but remembers that virtually the entire project was improvised. 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. Stroker Ace is after S&B, 1983, and features the then new for 83 aero Fox Body Thunderbird. Additionally, he can give you several reasons why theres still no replacement for displacement. Needham stated that by the end of production, there really wasnt much left of any of the three. [5], Universal Studios bankrolled Smokey and the Bandit for $5.3 million, figuring it was a good risk. 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. Rob's Car Movie Review: Smokey and the Bandit (1977) - Street Muscle Just do a search for Crown Victorias on your local CL. Smokey and the Bandit was the second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States. Gator , Stroker Ace , lots of them . In addition to the four Trans Ams, Needham also received two Pontiac LeMans models to serve as patrol cars in the movie. Coors is still brewed just outside Denver, Colorado. Well, at least that's what you saw in the movie. Actually, there were 2 future Dukes stars in the movie: Ben Jones (Cooter) was in an early scene helping Big Enos find Bandit. 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. I developed a pretty good bootheel accent during my time in New Madrid. About two seconds after this picture was taken, these motorcycles were doing their best imitation of a stack of pancakes. "Smokey and the Bandit" stars Burt Reynolds, Sally . I had a 78 Trigger lookalike for a while in the mid 90s, until a wrist pin went out, ended up selling it to one of my brothers buddys uncles. [6] It would become one of Reed's biggest hits and his signature song.[7]. It was a powerful car, and I was glad to be issued it as my range car instead of one of the new but already disintegrating 1985 Oldsmobiles supplied by a local dealer that most people had. 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. Also up for auction was a go-kart replica of the car, which sold for nearly $14,000. [29] Alfred Hitchcock claimed that the film was one of his favorites. His father was also the inspiration for the word "sumbitch" used in the film, a variation of the phrase "son-of-a-bitch" that, according to Reynolds, he uttered quite often. Whaddya expect outta a guy what drives a conversion van? It was the second-highest-grossing movie of 1977 after Star Wars. 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. The MASSIVE year over year sales gains came from somewhere. Check out the entire video below. how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2 - onlytows.com.au So, for years one, two, and three, he got a shiny new Pontiac. . How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? Both sequels used another Trans Am, not a Cadillac Eldorado, as seen below. Though no authoritative source identifies the composition of the sandwich, there are several possibilities. Comments Im gonna barbecue your ass in molasses., Re: The picture with 4 ladies and the wagon and van. It airs on cable tv all the time. Of course, it wasnt hard to wake them up. There was still a market for bras in the 1970s. The checker, not batting an eye, Do you want that chilled?. Despite growing up next to Cape, most of relatives are from the Mid-South. And theres beer in Texarkana.. The Trans Am was already pretty popular in the mid-1970s, with sales hitting 68,745 units in 1977. Most of the dialogue was improvised on set. 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. 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. The $%&#* Germans got nuthin to do with it!, Such a great movie I grew up in the 80s, so it was comforting to watch this, Blues Brothers, or Animal House once a week on TBS/TNT. Film critic Leonard Maltin gave the film a good rating (3 stars out of a possible 4) and characterized it as "about as subtle as The Three Stooges, but a classic compared to the sequels and countless rip-offs which followed". But that doesnt make for an interesting movie premise. Amazing how a combination of desire and unobtainability can make an ordinary product special. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). The original uncut sumbitch version. I thought at the time that it was a newer version of White Lightning (also with Burt Reynolds) and that Smokey would be forgotten just as soon. 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%. Please refresh the page and try again. A dastardly scoundrel? I was in the Air Force during this era, stationed in California. Apparently the engine sounds were lifted from another movie, I think two lane blacktop? Depends upon what he converted it from. I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean. Smokey and the Bandit Pursuit Pack 1 2 3 DVD Burt Reynolds Cult Car If it wasnt for Smokey & the Bandit, the Dukes of Hazzard TV series would not exist. I think thats another line theyve edited out for the television version. I looked at a Bluesmobile worthy 1977 Plymouth Grand Fury, the big ones, it was an ex Florida Highway Patrol car, but it had a pretty good amount of rust and it was pretty beat. But the true standout of Smokey and the Bandit is the car driven by The Bandit, the iconic black and gold 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. 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. If they werent burning candles to an image of a cowboy hatted Burt Reynolds at Pontiac headquarters. Needing a fast set of wheels to distract law enforcement, Reynolds character purchases this 1977 Pontiac Trans-Am. During their run, they are pursued by Texas county sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason). [4] Reynolds said in 2015 that he most enjoyed this film, and had the most fun making it, of his career.[26]. Its weird how it works. Of course, nobody else cared if it was in the trunk of the car when heading back home. Gleason was a genius, but this was not one of his better outings I prefer the Hustler and Gigot. 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. 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! Director Hal Needham convinced Pontiac to feature the Pontiac Trans Am in the movie. [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). Today, Smokey and the Bandit remains one of the most popular car action films ever made, and the 1977 Pontiac Trans Am will forever be wed to the movie. 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. Regular film-goers might not pay much attention to the car's engine sound, but gearheads will quickly notice that something is off. 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. I still think its more entertaining than Star Wars. East bound and down, loaded up and truckin [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. He paid $550,000 for it, likely a record for any Pontiac Firebird. 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. Let us dissect this flick to better examine it. It outsold its Chevrolet Camaro counterpart for the first time. 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. 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!. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Henry Corden, the voice of cartoon character Fred Flintstone. 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. 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. A segment of the CMT program Reel Eats used a sloppy joe-style recipe consisting of seasoned ground beef, corn, and sour cream. 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. The whereabouts of the remaining Smokey and the Bandit car, the one that was used to promote the movie, remained a mystery for years. 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. 5. I drive a conversion van. [17], In 1977, Coors was unavailable for sale east of Oklahoma. Heres how it works. I was 10 when this movie came out and I loved it then and I still do. 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. Burt Reynolds once claimed in an interview that there were actually 12 Trans Ams featured in Smokey and the Banditand he wrecked every one. The original film had correct sounds that were usually recorded live as the action took place. The unrestored car reportedly showed up on eBay back in 2015, but no one wanted to buy it. 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. 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. ", "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. Plus , I loved those late 1960s through mid 1970s Plymouths even though Im a Bowtie Guy by default . She is a runaway bride, sitting on the side of the road in her 1973 Chevrolet Impala coupe. With Reynolds' salary at $1 million, Needham was left with only $3.3 million to make the film. Thanks for this, Jason. In Smokey and the Bandit, there were eight 1977 Trans-Am cars and approximately the same number of police cars (but some said ten). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cODPt3T0cHE, We got a cage strong enough to hold you I was just tweaking Jason. The films are indeed classic and very funny to this day. There was a true concern (for some minuscule reason) about it going east of the Mississippi River. [36] Another proposal, based more closely on images from the film and the shooting location of the scene (at an Old Hickory House restaurant in Georgia), is pulled pork and hot sauce on a hamburger bun. Producers of Smokey and the Bandit wrecked 26 cars while filming the movie in 1977. 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. Justice. How Many Cars Did Blues Brothers Wreck | Car Geek 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. This movie just showed how much an urban legend the supposed unobtainability had become. [9] Though the film Moonrunners (1975) is the precursor to the television series The Dukes of Hazzard (19791985), from the same creator and with many identical settings and concepts, the popularity of Smokey and the Bandit and similar films helped get the Dukes series on the air. 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. Pontiac should have made a radio that played that song automatically simply by pushing a button, or maybe made it the horn sound. When Im driving the Bandit Trans Am while playing one of my many Forza Motorsport games I always put that song on. Funny that T/A isnt on the movie poster, considering it was the obvious star of the show. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. 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 comedy has been remastered to DVD standards. That said, an uncomplimentary accent does exist. Smokey and the Bandit: Behind-the-Scenes Details With - MotorTrend 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). 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! Reynolds is referenced by name in several early episodes of the series. Supposedly there was a stick car for the burnouts and an automatic car for other shots. As a feature-length car chase, the car was as much of a star as Burt Reynolds, and the film gave birth to the cult of the Trans Am. Great write up. 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. In October 2020, a Smokey and the Bandit TV series was revealed to be in development, with a pilot written by David Gordon Green and Brian Sides and also executive produced with his Rough House confederates Jody Hill, Danny McBride and Brandon James, as well as Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins of Fuzzy Door.[44]. Lets take a look. [30] Upon meeting Reynolds, Billy Bob Thornton told him that the South considers the film to be less cinema and more documentary. The theme music "East Bound and Down" was sung and co-written by Reed (credited under his birth name, Jerry Hubbard) and Dick Feller. Most reports of his death still didnt have that right! 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. WildI watched this for the first time in years after watching the latest Archer.the whole thing is an homage to S&B. I have always loved this movie, watched it dozens and dozens of times on TV, video, DVD, laserdisc, almost any form of media. Other than Jackie Gleason upstaging every other cast member, the perceived star of the show is this 1977 Pontiac Trans Am. Smokey and the Bandit star Burt Reynolds passed away in 2018 . 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.