Producer Hal Needham intended Smokey and the Bandit to be one of the best product placement films of all time. Ask him to choose between a BMW M4 and an Audi RS5, and hell gladly trade both for a beat-up Cuda. 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. Were they dummies? Out of four Trans Ams used for the filming of Smokey And The Bandit, three were completely totaled in the process. Soon as I get home, first thing Im gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth!. Depends upon what he converted it from. His personaround, dumpy, and clipping wordsreminds one of another fictional southern sheriff. The three movie cars were destroyed during various stunts, so the promo car is the only surviving Trans Am connected to this film. 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. Although he's into just about any type of vehicle, Ciprian is not your typical car enthusiast. A paper on Cognitive psychology was published in the 1990 issue of Computers in Human Perception. 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. Musicians such as Beegie Adair and George Tidwell[20] played on the soundtrack. 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. Put one on and the lady looks like shes not wearing a bra. The story replaced the Coors beer with Mobil 1 products. It had not been used for some time and was repainted for the film. 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. 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. A CC for a 1973 Grand Ville convertible can be found here. "Smokey and the Bandit" stars Burt Reynolds, Sally . Earlier DVD releases and the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray of the film have the original soundtrack intact. For instance, the diesel engine start and run-up sequence in the opening sequence of the film were completely dubbed over with a new sound. 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. However, the U.S. government introduced new emission controls in 1972, and automakers had to step back. Dodge pitchman Sheriff Joe Higgins. A 1977 special-edition model once owned by the late actor Burt Reynolds recently wound up on the car auction website Bring a Trailer. Wealthy Texan Big Enos Burdette and his son Little Enos have sponsored a racer in Atlanta's Southern Classic and want to celebrate in style when he wins, so they are seeking a trucker willing to bootleg Coors Beer to Atlanta for their refreshment. And then they made the biggest mistake of their lives and went to national distribution. 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. Weve got a long way to go and a short time to get there The advertisements lampoon the film and feature a Pontiac Trans Am and a cover version of the song East Bound and Down. The change was somewhat strange as most automakers were using cubic-inch numerals to advertise engines. This was the lull between Gas Crisis I and II, 1976-78, and Boomers were wanting stylish cars. In 1978, Pontiac delivered 93,351 Trans Ams and 93,944 regular Firebirds for a grand total of 187,295 cars. As I did Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. A guy we knew drove his half-ton pickup from western WA to his reserve 2-week stint in his home state in California. Other sources in East Texas (from whence Sheriff Justice hails) are familiar with the popular regional delicacy known as the Diablo Sandwich. [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). It outsold its Chevrolet Camaro counterpart for the first time. High estimates for the car were up to $80,000, but the actual sale price was $450,000. The cop cars with the hood scoops were ex-DeKalb County (Georgia) cruisers. The other range car was a Chevette for people that wanted to learn on a manual transmission. 12 A Total Of 3 Trans Ams Were Destroyed During Filming. 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 sticker read "T/A 6.6," which was a reminder of the engine's 6.6-liter displacement. Burt Reynolds once claimed in an interview that there were actually 12 Trans Ams featured in Smokey and the Banditand he wrecked every one. I think you may be confusing the movie Honky-Tonk Freeway with the filming done during I-75 construction near Sarasota. Reynolds replied: We went through 12. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. New York, The 1977 features rectangular quad headlamps instead of only two round lights, a unique slanted and V-shaped nose, and a center-mounted hood scoop. After the movie did well, Pontiac gave Burt a free Trans Am to drive for a few years. I still think its more entertaining than Star Wars. I will confess that by the time this movie was out, I was a Mopar guy. 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. In the original script, Carrie was called Kate while Big Enos and Little Enos were called Kyle and Dickey. News . Many nameplates lost their performance credentials, and some of them, like the Ford Mustang, were redesigned without a V-8 engine. I had no idea that it was going to become a 70s classic. One guy did a while ago a fan-made trailer of Smokey & the Bandit 4. thebandit77transam 2009-04-14 14:04. andre1969 wrote Pontiac supplied 5 brand-new cars for "Smokey and the Bandit". These were the cans with the two circular push buttons on top instead of pull tabs. If they werent burning candles to an image of a cowboy hatted Burt Reynolds at Pontiac headquarters. That girl from the McCoys video probably looks like Paula Deen now. Additionally, he can give you several reasons why theres still no replacement for displacement. 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. 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. AWESOME! 5. The worldwide gross is estimated at over $300 million. I never understood why dragging a truckload of beer from Colorado to Georgia was such a big deal. The film features the custom clothing and costuming of Niver Western Wear of Fort Worth, Texas. The DVD set meets NTSC standards. However, the scene and the obscured expletive were played for comedy value and written as such, with the passing truck being the gag of the scene more than a way to avoid the censors. 1975 PLYMOUTH FURY HIGHWAY PATROL "SMOKEY & THE BANDIT" 1/18 BY . 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. These questions all need to be answered. 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. Gleasons Justice is the stereotypical Southern sheriff, as seen in this clip. Back in 1984, I went to look at a late 1970s Plymouth cop car as well. Burt Reynolds plays truck driver Bo Bandit Darville. The rub? 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. 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. 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. 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!. 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. Though no authoritative source identifies the composition of the sandwich, there are several possibilities. I've heard . 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. Field enjoyed making the film, but remembers that virtually the entire project was improvised. Reynolds and Field began dating during the filming.[13]. So these kind of represented a rebellion attitude to the government mandated diesel econo hatches everyone thought we were going to be forced to drive in the 80sinterestingly 1979 was also the best year for the Corvette too. Smokey and the Bandit was the second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States. Mr. Reynolds elevated the dreck that he appeared in to a higher level, that is, enjoyable. I also own a Etrl replica of the Pontiac Bonneville Buford T. Justice drove in Smokey and The Bandit II. It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. 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. 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. Needham originally planned the film as a low-budget B movie with a production cost of $1 million,[4] with Reed as the Bandit. [4] Just two days before production was to begin, Universal sent a "hatchet man" to Atlanta to inform Needham that the budget was being trimmed by $1 million. 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. 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. MN12 Thunderbirds had the same appeal to me, for similar reasons. Always a favorite. I own all three films on a dvd called the Smokey and The Bandit Pursuit Pack. Theres really nothing like an old cop car. Likely this isnt any rare engine venting package, but I could be wrong. Coors is still brewed just outside Denver, Colorado. 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. According to an interview with Susie McIver Ewing on The RetroZest Podcast, she was picked to play the role of Hot Pants Hilliard after the dailies footage (shot in the Atlanta area) of the original actress playing the role was inadvertently destroyed on its way from Atlanta to Los Angeles. There was a problem. The pair arrive in Texarkana one hour early and load up the truck, but just as they head back, Carrie, a runaway bride, intercepts Bandit and jumps in his car, unwittingly making him an indirect target of Sheriff Buford T. Justice, a career Texas lawman whose witless son Junior was to have married Carrie. 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. These Furys, as well as some of the LeMans units, have hood scoops. He gave Needham a preview of the song and, getting no reaction, offered to rewrite it. 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. 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. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Gleason was a genius, but this was not one of his better outings I prefer the Hustler and Gigot. I imagine that they borrowed some of the character from Sheriff JW Pepper from the 1973 and 1974 James Bond movies, Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun. 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. 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. The tow truck driver was a local garage owner, Berlin Wike. Not a bad deal, but on the fourth year, no new car. You will receive a verification email shortly. All I know is, at the time, if you lived in the east, Coors was some really special beer not unlike microbrews are now. In return, Reynolds portrayed Boss Hogg (originally portrayed by Sorrell Booke) in the film adaptation The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). And Burt may be from GA originally, but he calls Florida home, which is another reason I heard the movie was filmed here. Its W.W. 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. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Nuts about any form of classic motorsport and muscle cars, Ciprian's currently working on a time machine that would take him back to the 1960s for a long vacation alongside Dan Gurney and Jim Hall. I have worked a long time to eradicate the one I had but it still crops up periodically from exposure, like you experienced. Great fun! The side vents give it away. 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. 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%. 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. 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. Jackie Gleason ad libbed a lot of his lines too. One of our favorite movies. Sonny Shroyer (Enos) was the motorcycle cop who was given the 1-finger salute by Sally Field. 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. Every idiot with more money than brains wanted a Trans Am. WildI watched this for the first time in years after watching the latest Archer.the whole thing is an homage to S&B. 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. $30.00 + $11.45 shipping. 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. 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. Watching TV and Movies you would think that sales dropped to nil. 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. I always think scumbum because when I watched it as a kid in the early 90s, it was usually on TBS. At one point in the movie, the Bandit wrecks a police car. Round and dumpy, just like the Colonnade LeMans!
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