Weve got a long way to go and a short time to get there I guess the Trans Am proved to have more staying power than the hot 71 Ford in the earlier movie. This movie came out during my early formative years pre grade school. Musicians such as Beegie Adair and George Tidwell[20] played on the soundtrack. He enlists the help of fellow truck driver Cletus The Snowman Snow, played by country music singer Jerry Reed. Three Kenworth W900A short-frame semi trucks, driven by Reed, were each equipped with 38-inch sleepers. The cop cars with the hood scoops were ex-DeKalb County (Georgia) cruisers. Whaddya expect outta a guy what drives a conversion van? Gator , Stroker Ace , lots of them . A segment of the CMT program Reel Eats used a sloppy joe-style recipe consisting of seasoned ground beef, corn, and sour cream. Burt Reynolds is originally a Georgia boy. Heres how it works. Supposedly there was a stick car for the burnouts and an automatic car for other shots. 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. Burt Reynolds recently revealed the ridiculous number of Pontiac Trans Ams they went through filming 1977s Smokey and the Bandit. "Smokey and the Bandit" stars Burt Reynolds, Sally . This gives rise to various continuity errors with Justice's patrol car, which during some chase sequences is shown with a black rear fender, which then reverts to the car's bronze color again in later scenes. And theres beer in Texarkana.. Reynolds is referenced by name in several early episodes of the series. [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). With this, the Sheriff begins his pursuit of the Mann Act-violating Banditall the way to Georgia. 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. It was something regarding distribution limits. radio to help him out. One time a friend and I drove back to Kentucky on leave rather than flying; no particular reason, we had plenty of time and wanted to see some of the country. The scene featuring the racetrack was filmed at Lakewood Speedway at the old Lakewood Fairgrounds on Atlanta's south side. S/E T/A with the round headlights. Out of four Trans Ams used for the filming of Smokey And The Bandit, three were completely totaled in the process. In fact, after Smokey and the Bandit became a box office hit, Pontiac saw a marked increase in their stock prices. 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. East bound and down, loaded up and truckin Banzai! A couple of years ago, I was sitting around on a lazy Saturday afternoon and it was on TV. http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/john-fedack-my-days-as-a-dekalb-county-police-officer/. Great fun! In return, Reynolds portrayed Boss Hogg (originally portrayed by Sorrell Booke) in the film adaptation The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). [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. [17], In 1977, Coors was unavailable for sale east of Oklahoma. 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. . 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. I think you may be confusing the movie Honky-Tonk Freeway with the filming done during I-75 construction near Sarasota. Car movies are notorious for being tough on the very vehicles that give them their allure. Nah, they survived by coming up with bras with very thin cups. At the drive-in of all places. Some weren't that lucky and were discontinued altogether. 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 . 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!. Field enjoyed making the film, but remembers that virtually the entire project was improvised. 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. The film's theme song, "East Bound and Down", was written virtually overnight by Reed. How much did the Smokey and the Bandit car sell for? 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. Probably the most interesting thing about this movie and Burt Reynolds is that he is not originally a Southern boy at all he was actually born in the Wolverine State Lansing, Michigan to be precise. 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. 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. The man does get around. Also up for auction was a go-kart replica of the car, which sold for nearly $14,000. Some people have ripped this film as being thin on plot; others have called it a documentary about life south of the Mason-Dixon Line. A 1975 Pontiac Grand Ville, seen toward the end of the movie. This reminds me of the classic introduction (actually written by Dick Cavett) said by Jack Paar on The Tonight Show: I was 3 years old when the original came out, and do not remember any of these details but, supposedly this was the first movie my parents ever took me to. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cODPt3T0cHE, We got a cage strong enough to hold you Future President Gerald Ford, after a trip to Colorado, hid it in his luggage to take it back to Washington, D.C. President Dwight D. Eisenhower had a steady supply airlifted by the Air Force to Washington. Jane Russell hawked bras on television for full-figured gals like her, a line that evoked snickers among my high-school classmates. 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. (Still). 46,000 in 1976, 68,000 in 1977, 93,000 in 1978, 117,000 in 1979. Henry Corden, the voice of cartoon character Fred Flintstone. The secrets behind the cars and stunts in 'The Italian Job'. and the Dixie Dance Kings, and Burts car was a 57 [56?] There was a problem. Cape was far enough north that it was watered down and there was so much cross-pollination with the Illinois side you really didnt discern much difference. But 1978 returned sales of 93,351 examples, a jump of around 25,000 cars. According to Wikipedia, the second movie was able to get away with destroying an INSANE number of brand-new Pontiac LeMans police cars because Pontiac had them sitting around in the southwest region, having been sent to a rental fleet in Phoenix without a/c. Just do a search for Crown Victorias on your local CL. It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. [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. 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. Both sequels used another Trans Am, not a Cadillac Eldorado, as seen below. You will receive a verification email shortly. I was just tweaking Jason. I think Stroker Ace is after Smokey and the Bandit, though there was Hooper, which was about a stuntman, it also had Sally Field, it was from 1978 or so. I will confess that by the time this movie was out, I was a Mopar guy. I am still drawn to the shape of these cars, and others that have that long and low look about them. Oh, and a hooker girlfriend that looked like Annie Potts. The third-generation Firebird was introduced in 1982, a full two years later than planned. Remember that Smokey and the Bandit was the 2nd biggest movie of the year, right after Star Wars. Lets take a look. I have to admit, thats a pretty fantastic story, and as a major movie star, Im sure Burt Reynolds was able to figure out another way to acquire a means of transportation. A group of Trans Am owners and fans of the movie take part in an annual road trip from Texarkana to Jonesboro, recreating the route taken by the characters in the film. 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. Needham and assistant director David Hamburger spent 30 hours revising the shooting schedule.[4]. Even today when I stumble across this cinematic masterpiece being rerun on cable tv, Ill watch the entire thing. I dunno about the Foley sounds, I have a T/A with a 400 and an open/no catalytic true dual exhaust, and it sounds really close to how the Bandit car sounds at idle during some scenes from the movie. News . Id like to hear from Mr. Needham why so many of those police cars had what look like shaker hood scoops. 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. Anyone who enjoys Colonnade sedans will love Smokey & the Bandit. Here in Canada they didnt censor it, so we always got the sumbitch version. About two seconds after this picture was taken, these motorcycles were doing their best imitation of a stack of pancakes. 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. Required fields are marked *. Luckily, both cars survived, and the Trans Am became famous only five years later. How many smokey and the bandit movies are there? No more needs to be said. In Smokey and the Bandit, there were eight 1977 Trans-Am cars and approximately the same number of police cars (but some said ten). If you watched the second clip above, this truck should look familiar. New York, We just watched this with the kids the other week, along with Cannonball Run. Gotta love that guy! But that doesnt make for an interesting movie premise. Coors was legal in Missouri and illegal in Illinois. Its W.W. As Fred Flintstone was modeled off Ralph Kramden, the Jackie Gleason character from the 1950s television showThe Honeymooners, the tone and intonation of the dubbing was highly convincing. 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. Lets take a look at some more cars found in the movie. The dubbed version isnt as bad as the Remastered Blu-ray. Haul my wife and four shelter adoptee mutts in it. 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". 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. Was it a heathen? These new models were built off the same Camaro platform, came with the Pontiac arrowhead, flaming bird, and Bandit logos, and the instrument panels, center consoles, and hood scoops emulating their 1977 counterparts, and were signed by Reynolds. Yet when I think of a 70s T/A, thats the one I and Im sure millions of other folks think of. Additionally, he can give you several reasons why theres still no replacement for displacement. As such, it took a lot of sweet talking by former stuntman Needham for Pontiac to cough up three Trans Ams and three LeManses. how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2 how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2 (No Ratings Yet) . 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. The film was followed by two sequels: Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). Coors wasnt pasteurized. Soon as I get home, first thing Im gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth!. [34] In 2015 a Florida-based automobile customization company built 77 Trans Ams modeled after the car that Reynolds drove in the film. Sally Field and Burt Reynolds began a relationship after meeting on set. Thanks for this, Jason. [6] It would become one of Reed's biggest hits and his signature song.[7]. 2-Smokey and the Bandit II-Pretty bad, still has some funny campy crap, the Dom DeLuise Italian Dr. bit is ok, Gleason is still pretty funny, the Turbo T/A is pretty weak, but still cool to see. At the time, using "fuck" would immediately require an R rating and this self-censorship allowed the film to avoid this rating and reach a much larger audience. . Ask him to choose between a BMW M4 and an Audi RS5, and hell gladly trade both for a beat-up Cuda. The commercials were produced after Stewart mentioned that the movie was one of his favorites.[39]. Of course, it wasnt hard to wake them up. 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. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, The owner restored it and sold it at the Scottsdale 2016 auction by Barrett-Jackson. A black Trans Am is parked in my garage because of this movie. Many nameplates lost their performance credentials, and some of them, like the Ford Mustang, were redesigned without a V-8 engine. Plus , I loved those late 1960s through mid 1970s Plymouths even though Im a Bowtie Guy by default . We gonna do what they say cant be done For Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), Needham asked for and received 10 Trans Ams and 55 Bonnevilles with no trouble. During this time, the Firebird also surpassed sales figures of the Chevrolet Camaro. Her groom? 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. That song often pops into my head at the start of long drives. 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. 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. Mr. Reynolds made a bunch of low budget films before this , all had wild chase scenes with cop cars crashing & going into swamps . The sticker read "T/A 6.6," which was a reminder of the engine's 6.6-liter displacement. [5], Universal Studios bankrolled Smokey and the Bandit for $5.3 million, figuring it was a good risk. Now, having only three Trans Ams to wreck for a movie is minimalist, to say the least. 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. If it wasnt for Smokey & the Bandit, the Dukes of Hazzard TV series would not exist. The most noted change made for network broadcast was the replacing of Buford's often-spoken phrase "sumbitch" (a contraction of "son of a bitch"; usually in reference to the Bandit) with the phrase "scum bum". 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. It was his idea to have Junior alongside him throughout the film. 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. S&TB was filmed primarily off Route 400 in Georgia. [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. They retained the white steering wheels until 72 or so , just the thing to preveny burned fingers in the Desert sun . In the movie . Regular film-goers might not pay much attention to the car's engine sound, but gearheads will quickly notice that something is off. I know that Trans Am that . 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. Ive always loved this movie. Frog not included. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. I have only seen pieces of the second and none of the third; I plan to keep it that way. I also own a Etrl replica of the Pontiac Bonneville Buford T. Justice drove in Smokey and The Bandit II. 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. The films are indeed classic and very funny to this day. 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 story replaced the Coors beer with Mobil 1 products. Reed would eventually play the Bandit in Smokey and the Bandit Part 3, in which Reynolds only appeared in a cameo near the end. I remember reading somewhere that one of the cars was equipped with a 455 for some of the higher speed scenes. 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. Reynolds and Field began dating during the filming.[13]. [31] Smokey and the Bandit was released in the United Kingdom on August 28 and was a success there, garnering positive reviews. I own all three films on a dvd called the Smokey and The Bandit Pursuit Pack. Tragically, every Trans Am used in filming was destroyed. Smokey and the Bandit was the second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States. The movie, in fact, caused sales of the . Your email address will not be published. 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. Wouldnt the accent give you away? This small modification was made to remind viewers of Trans Am models from 1969, which had in excess of 300 horsepower. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. As the 1969 classic 'The Italian Job' turns 50 years old, TG.com caught up with David Salamone, the man who piloted the red Mini in . 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. Let us dissect this flick to better examine it. The checker, not batting an eye, Do you want that chilled?. The trip to Texarkana is uneventful; soon after leaving for the return trip to Georgia, The Bandit encounters Frog, played by Sally Field. (first posted 2/28/2014) The fourth highest grossing film in the United States in 1977 was the Academy Award nominatedSmokey & The Bandit. During their run, they are pursued by Texas county sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason). Depends upon what he converted it from. Round and dumpy, just like the Colonnade LeMans! The Trans Am was already pretty popular in the mid-1970s, with sales hitting 68,745 units in 1977. The Trans Am was a high-performance package for the Firebird, Pontiac's take on the Chevrolet Camaro. The worldwide gross is estimated at over $300 million. A dastardly scoundrel? 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). 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. Great article! I have since moved on from them, mainly because in stock form, they were not particularly great cars (though good enough for the times). It just seems wrong to see that car in any fashion without hearing that song. Reynolds replied: We went through 12. It took four evenings to see almost all of the movie in bits and pieces. The tow truck driver was a local garage owner, Berlin Wike. 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. Stroker Ace is after S&B, 1983, and features the then new for 83 aero Fox Body Thunderbird. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Other sources in East Texas (from whence Sheriff Justice hails) are familiar with the popular regional delicacy known as the Diablo Sandwich. 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]. Im gonna barbecue your ass in molasses., Re: The picture with 4 ladies and the wagon and van. 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. Alan Reed was the original voice of Fred Flintstone; Henry Corden only took over after Reeds death in 1977. 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. Needing a fast set of wheels to distract law enforcement, Reynolds character purchases this 1977 Pontiac Trans-Am. With Reynolds' salary at $1 million, Needham was left with only $3.3 million to make the 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. The original uncut sumbitch version. Producer Hal Needham intended Smokey and the Bandit to be one of the best product placement films of all time. But while the cars shown in the movie look like 1977-model-year Trans Ams, they were actually 1976 models. The updated version of the film features sound inaccurate for what would be produced by the Trans Am or the numerous other Pontiac vehicles in the film. I dont know whose idea was to replace the wicked Two Lane Blacktop Chevy sourced engine sound effects with an authentic 200 horsepower muffled smogger 400, but that sumbitch is a scumbum!!! Burt Reynolds' 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Sold for $240,000. Burt Reynolds as the Bandit can always count on the truckers on the other end of his C.B. 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. Gleason was a genius, but this was not one of his better outings I prefer the Hustler and Gigot. 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 . These two 1967 Ford Galaxies (CC here), soon to be redecorated by a Kenworth road tractor, do not. 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. The change was somewhat strange as most automakers were using cubic-inch numerals to advertise engines. Dodge pitchman Sheriff Joe Higgins. Although 1977 models also featured 6.6-liter engines, they were rated at only 200 horses. All I know is, at the time, if you lived in the east, Coors was some really special beer not unlike microbrews are now. I had no idea that it was going to become a 70s classic. This movie was filmed in Georgia as well. Comments 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. 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 unrestored car reportedly showed up on eBay back in 2015, but no one wanted to buy it. AWESOME! Jason, Using the words nuance, subtlety, complexity and intellect to describe this movie, is, as they say, trs amusant! The rub? 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. Did I mention how much I enjoy reading all the back stories and niggly details I can only get here ? And Coors itself limited its distribution to west of the Mississippi. Likely this isnt any rare engine venting package, but I could be wrong. 5. Actually, there were 2 future Dukes stars in the movie: Ben Jones (Cooter) was in an early scene helping Big Enos find Bandit. "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. 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. Of the many cars saved from the fire was the only surviving Knight Rider KITT Super Pursuit Mode car created by Jay Orberg. While it's sad that the other two cars were destroyed . Originally, the film was going to be a B-movie played only in the Southern United States. Pontiac should have made a radio that played that song automatically simply by pushing a button, or maybe made it the horn sound.