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. The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit is one of the most famous movie cars of all time. And back then what I wanted most of all was a highly customized Vette with exposed headlights. MN12 Thunderbirds had the same appeal to me, for similar reasons. Other sources in East Texas (from whence Sheriff Justice hails) are familiar with the popular regional delicacy known as the Diablo Sandwich. [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. By the end of June, it had played in major Southern markets, including Charlotte, Atlanta, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Memphis, Dallas, and Oklahoma City, grossing $11.9 million. I did help a friend rebuild a late 60s 400 to replace the anemic 301 in his 79, Trans Am. As luck and script writing would have it, Frog has left her groom at the altar. The change was somewhat strange as most automakers were using cubic-inch numerals to advertise engines. Jason, Using the words nuance, subtlety, complexity and intellect to describe this movie, is, as they say, trs amusant! They quickly escape in one of Big Enos's 13 Cadillacs as police flood the racetrack. Regular film-goers might not pay much attention to the car's engine sound, but gearheads will quickly notice that something is off. I always think scumbum because when I watched it as a kid in the early 90s, it was usually on TBS. There are an abundance of cars in this movie. So why did they go with sound effects instead of the Trans Am's actually exhaust noise? Whaddya expect outta a guy what drives a conversion van? thebandit77transam 2009-04-14 14:04. andre1969 wrote Pontiac supplied 5 brand-new cars for "Smokey and the Bandit". The side vents give it away. 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. News . How much did the Smokey and the Bandit car sell for? Every idiot with more money than brains wanted a Trans Am. Here in Canada they didnt censor it, so we always got the sumbitch version. The advertisements lampoon the film and feature a Pontiac Trans Am and a cover version of the song East Bound and Down. Supposedly there was a stick car for the burnouts and an automatic car for other shots. Director Hal Needham convinced Pontiac to feature the Pontiac Trans Am in the movie. And Coors itself limited its distribution to west of the Mississippi. The redesign was originally planned for 1980, but 1978 and 1979 became record years for GM's division, so the new model was pushed back. 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. [8] Niver provided much of the western attire worn in the film, as well as the custom-made sheriff's uniforms (waist size 64") that Gleason wore throughout the film. 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. [5] Reynolds revealed in his autobiography that Needham had written the first draft script on legal pads. Thanks for this, Jason. 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. Sally Field and Burt Reynolds began a relationship after meeting on set. 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. 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. When I was a kid I thought they were the same person. 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. Of the many cars saved from the fire was the only surviving Knight Rider KITT Super Pursuit Mode car created by Jay Orberg. Always loved this movie growing up. The area around Helen, Georgia, was used for some locations. When Im driving the Bandit Trans Am while playing one of my many Forza Motorsport games I always put that song on. As a publicity stunt, the Trans Ams used in the movie had different decals on the hood scoop. [14] The Trans Ams were actually 1976-model cars with 1977 front ends (from 1970 to 1976, both the Firebird/Trans Am and Chevrolet Camaro have two round headlights and in 1977, the Firebird/Trans Am was changed to four rectangular headlights, and the Camaro remained unchanged). I have always loved this movie, watched it dozens and dozens of times on TV, video, DVD, laserdisc, almost any form of media. With this, the Sheriff begins his pursuit of the Mann Act-violating Banditall the way to Georgia. There was a true concern (for some minuscule reason) about it going east of the Mississippi River. 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". It airs on cable tv all the time. This movie was filmed in Georgia as well. 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. 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. One guy did a while ago a fan-made trailer of Smokey & the Bandit 4. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_301466-Ford-LTD-II-1977.html. 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. 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. Not a bad deal, but on the fourth year, no new car. In its place was the nonsensical "scum bum." . Needham served as the driver for the stunt (in place of Reynolds), while Lada St. Edmund was in the same car (in place of Field). Henry Corden, the voice of cartoon character Fred Flintstone. There has never been anything quite like late 1970s fashion in clothing. [11] The movie was primarily filmed in Georgia, in the cities of McDonough, Jonesboro, and Lithonia. This movie came out during my early formative years pre grade school. At one point in the movie, the Bandit wrecks a police car. Depends upon what he converted it from. 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! The dubbed version is awful. Pontiac should have made a radio that played that song automatically simply by pushing a button, or maybe made it the horn sound. HotCars covers all things automotive: the latest auto news and informative reviews on the car, pickup truck and motorcycle industries. And lets not forget the Trans Am rental car Steve McQueen drove in his very last movie, The Hunter from 1980. Mr. Reynolds elevated the dreck that he appeared in to a higher level, that is, enjoyable. Im pretty sure that the car that barks second when he takes off with Frog had to be a stick. [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. Well, at least that's what you saw in the movie. Justice. The hood scoop on these cars says "6.6 LITRE", which, in 1977, would have denoted an Oldsmobile 403-equipped car or a non-W-72, 180 hp version of the 400 Pontiac engine. 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 . 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. 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 . 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. Put one on and the lady looks like shes not wearing a bra. Id be surprised. That came out in 1981. Got Greyhound cutout decals on the rear side windows. At the time, it was illegal to transport Coors east of the Mississippi River and a series of other truckers had been apprehended for trying to accomplish this feat for the Burdettes. 46,000 in 1976, 68,000 in 1977, 93,000 in 1978, 117,000 in 1979. Was it a heathen? Both sequels used another Trans Am, not a Cadillac Eldorado, as seen below. Movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Furious 7 may ruin a lot of cars, but they were far from the first. 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. 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. [30] Upon meeting Reynolds, Billy Bob Thornton told him that the South considers the film to be less cinema and more documentary. 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. 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. Gleasons Justice is the stereotypical Southern sheriff, as seen in this clip. January 24, 2019 100 comments. While made to take advantage of the ongoing 1970s CB radio fad, the film added to the craze. I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, In fact, after Smokey and the Bandit became a box office hit, Pontiac saw a marked increase in their stock prices. Heres how it works. Some fellow classmates were extras on the film set, and it was a big deal around here at the time. Gleason was a genius, but this was not one of his better outings I prefer the Hustler and Gigot. Well, they simply considered that the Trans Am didn't sound intimidating enough. In addition to the four Trans Ams, Needham also received two Pontiac LeMans models to serve as patrol cars in the movie. That song often pops into my head at the start of long drives. We also learn that every launched satellite will eventually fall back to Earth, such as this 1972 Plymouth Satellite (CC here). Due to his financial difficulties in 2014, Reynolds put his vast collection of artwork and memorabilia up for auction, including the Trans Am. The man does get around. [34] In 2015 a Florida-based automobile customization company built 77 Trans Ams modeled after the car that Reynolds drove in the film. 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. For Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), Needham asked for and received 10 Trans Ams and 55 Bonnevilles with no trouble. As I am finishing this article while Big Truck Week is winding down, here is a Kenworth with a 1973 Dodge Polara patrol car. For this purpose, they overdubbed dialogue deemed offensive, which was common practice. . Chevy almost did the same with its counterpart, the Camaro. a custom mandrel bent dual exhaust, and the Mondello bottom end plate to stabilize the windowed mains. ARRGH! A black Trans Am is parked in my garage because of this movie. It wasnt distributed in Washington in those days either. 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. Alan Reed was the original voice of Fred Flintstone; Henry Corden only took over after Reeds death in 1977. The commercials were produced after Stewart mentioned that the movie was one of his favorites.[39]. Great fun! I dont know if Ive ever seen the unedited version though, so I never realized the orignal phrase was sum bitch, I always assumed it was worse. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? 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 . Because sales were so high, Pontiac decided to delay the third-generation model. The film was followed by two sequels: Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). Ask him to choose between a BMW M4 and an Audi RS5, and hell gladly trade both for a beat-up Cuda. The cars were wrecked on purpose to create the illusion of a high-speed chase. I know that Trans Am that jumped that bridge broke the axle when it landed. S&TB was filmed primarily off Route 400 in Georgia. The uncut version is the best. [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. Sales jumped even higher in 1979 when Pontiac moved 117,108 Trans Ams. I actually remember the construction of that segment of I-75, as it stopped around Tampa prior to that time. 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. 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. Hes fodder enough for his own article at some point. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. 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. The differences between the two are major. 5. But would the black and gold T/As be as desirable today without the movie? [5] Sally Field only accepted the part after her agent advised her that she needed a big movie role on her rsum. Her groom? With Reynolds agreement to do the movie, and his insistence upon casting Gleason as Sheriff Justice, the movie became a larger venture. 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. Stroker Ace is after S&B, 1983, and features the then new for 83 aero Fox Body Thunderbird. As such, it took a lot of sweet talking by former stuntman Needham for Pontiac to cough up three Trans Ams and three LeManses. Somebody locally is selling a Regis Plymouth Fury ex Florida Police with gasping 318 V8, he will for the right money toss in a 440 with it. Good silly fun. And then they made the biggest mistake of their lives and went to national distribution. Anyone with insight is encouraged to share their knowledge on this. 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. Much of the surrounding scene comes from that immediate vicinity. 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. The cashier never batted an eye as she sold us the mass quantities of suds. The three original films introduced two generations of the Pontiac Trans Am and the Dodge Stealth in the television movies. [37], The first run in 2007 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the movie, The Bandit Run was the brainchild of Dave Hall, owner of Restore A Muscle Car. Lets take a look at some more cars found in the movie. Five-string banjo player Bobby Thompson is prominent toward the end of "East Bound and Down". Out of four Trans Ams used for the filming of Smokey And The Bandit, three were completely totaled in the process. Ive also looked at a Fox based LTD cop car and an early 1991 whale Caprice 9C1 detective model, burgundy on burgundy cloth. The tow truck driver was a local garage owner, Berlin Wike. Needing a fast set of wheels to distract law enforcement, Reynolds character purchases this 1977 Pontiac Trans-Am. Smokey and the Bandit was one of the most iconic movies of the 1970s. It took four evenings to see almost all of the movie in bits and pieces. Only one survived, and it's priceless. Wouldnt the accent give you away? ", "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. The scene where Sheriff Justice's car has the door knocked off by a passing . Ive since read on the internet that it wasnt illegal so much as a practical thing with it being shipped in refrigerated trucks. It made no sense to me as it was fifty miles north and fifty miles south. Pontiac gave Needham a total of four cars, three to use in the movie, and one as a promotional vehicle to drive around and advertise Smokey and the Bandit following its release. Producers of Smokey and the Bandit wrecked 26 cars while filming the movie in 1977. Let us dissect this flick to better examine it. That's because the Trans Am in Smokey and the Bandit didn't sound like a Trans Am. 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.. Mr. Reynolds made a bunch of low budget films before this , all had wild chase scenes with cop cars crashing & going into swamps . The story replaced the Coors beer with Mobil 1 products. 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. 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) . Apparently the engine sounds were lifted from another movie, I think two lane blacktop? Sure Smokey helped, but was not the sole reason T/A and F body sales went up. If it wasnt for Smokey & the Bandit, the Dukes of Hazzard TV series would not exist. The cars were originally ordered by a car rental agency in Phoenix, who refused to accept the . As deals were made for the actors and producers, the studio wanted to renegotiate my deal. The third-generation Firebird was introduced in 1982, a full two years later than planned. In my area, nearly every one listed is an ex cop car. 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. Weve got a long way to go and a short time to get there It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. However, as our heroes were successful in delivering their truckload of Coors, the writers effectively poised themselves for a sequel. The film's editors, Walter Hannemann and Angelo Ross, were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. [18] A 1974 Time magazine article explains that Coors was so coveted for its lack of stabilizers and preservatives, and Coors Banquet Beer had a brief renaissance. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. Nothing annoys him more than car electronics, and he just hates it when performance cars lack a third pedal. My family did all grocery shopping in Cape. 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]. His personaround, dumpy, and clipping wordsreminds one of another fictional southern sheriff. [29] Alfred Hitchcock claimed that the film was one of his favorites. Unfortunately he passed away a few months ago or that would have been a great question to ask. In Smokey and the Bandit, there were eight 1977 Trans-Am cars and approximately the same number of police cars (but some said ten). I've heard . I have at least 4 really good car buddies that will from time to time love popping this movie in to watch. Im east bound, just watch ol Bandit run.. Earlier DVD releases and the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray of the film have the original soundtrack intact. So, for years one, two, and three, he got a shiny new Pontiac. No more needs to be said. I remember borrowing my brothers red 1976 T/A to take a girl to the theater to see Smokey and the Bandit. . Most of the dialogue was improvised on set. 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. It seems Plymouth was in a distant second for product placement. The trip to Texarkana is uneventful; soon after leaving for the return trip to Georgia, The Bandit encounters Frog, played by Sally Field. She is a runaway bride, sitting on the side of the road in her 1973 Chevrolet Impala coupe. 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.
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