Justice. I have worked a long time to eradicate the one I had but it still crops up periodically from exposure, like you experienced. (Still). Smokey & The Bandit is the greatest movie of the 20th Century! 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. Frederick Amon smuggled it from Colorado to North Carolina and sold it for four times the retail price.[19]. 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. [33] Reynolds was given the 1977 vehicle used during promotion of the film as a gift, though the car itself never actually appeared in the film. In the U.K., the heavily dubbed version was shown for several years, particularly by the BBC. via iconic premier. For a little visual variety of sorts, and possibly an indicator of what car was about to be wrecked, the producers did branch out to use the 1975-era Plymouth Fury as another police car. [5], Universal Studios bankrolled Smokey and the Bandit for $5.3 million, figuring it was a good risk. Well, at least that's what you saw in the movie. I was in the Air Force during this era, stationed in California. Smokey and the Bandit II is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, . Except that shes not sagging. Seven: (Three with Burt Reynolds and Crew, and Four without) Smokey and the Bandit - 1977 Smokey and the Bandit II - 1980 Smokey and the Bandit III . 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. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. Cinemablend is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. I certainly hope the guy hired to drive that 74 Ford Torino wagon was paid well for his work. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. Lets take a look. My family did all grocery shopping in Cape. Burt Reynolds himself drove the car on stage to the song "East Bound and Down" and signed it. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. 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. What were the police cars in Smokey and the Bandit? The owner restored it and sold it at the Scottsdale 2016 auction by Barrett-Jackson. Coors is still brewed just outside Denver, Colorado. It made no sense to me as it was fifty miles north and fifty miles south. Two of the most high-octane films of 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road and Furious 7, each burned through hundreds (Furious 7 alone destroyed a reported 230 cars), but theyre far from the first to do so. 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. 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. Some fellow classmates were extras on the film set, and it was a big deal around here at the time. Smokey & The Bandit Police Cars. Here's everything you should know about one of the most iconic movie cars ever. 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. The original Blues Brothers movie from 1980 is a classic, and fans were excited when a sequel was announced in 1998. . The second film was a modest box office success, earning $66.1 million against a $17 million budget. I have always loved this movie, watched it dozens and dozens of times on TV, video, DVD, laserdisc, almost any form of media. In my area, nearly every one listed is an ex cop car. While watching the movie (yes, I did have to diligently research this article), one shot seemed to indicate this may be a dummy scoop. Most of the shots that show Reynolds and Field in the car talking were filmed with the T/A being towed along on a lowboy trailer. 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. [21], Smokey and the Bandit was a sleeper hit. So many classic quotes in this movie. 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. This was the lull between Gas Crisis I and II, 1976-78, and Boomers were wanting stylish cars. It cornered amazingly well for such a large car, but the posi rear end emitted ominous sounds so I passed on it (I was in college and didnt have any place to do major repairs). If it wasnt for Smokey & the Bandit, the Dukes of Hazzard TV series would not exist. Producers of Smokey and the Bandit wrecked 26 cars while filming the movie in 1977. A guy we knew drove his half-ton pickup from western WA to his reserve 2-week stint in his home state in California. 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. Let us dissect this flick to better examine it. As a publicity stunt, the Trans Ams used in the movie had different decals on the hood scoop. Im still trying to get clarification on what a diablo sandwich is though. (first posted 2/28/2014) The fourth highest grossing film in the United States in 1977 was the Academy Award nominatedSmokey & The Bandit. And back then what I wanted most of all was a highly customized Vette with exposed headlights. As I did Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. A few other examples of sound effect replacement occur when the Bandit takes off after getting the reluctant Cledus involved in the bet, the Bandit comes to a screeching halt on a roadway moments before picking up Carrie, and when Buford's car top comes off. 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. Mrs Jason wont let me sell the sumbitch. Here are 20 facts about the Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit. I actually remember the construction of that segment of I-75, as it stopped around Tampa prior to that time. At one point in the movie, the Bandit wrecks a police car. The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit is one of the most famous movie cars of all time. I distinctly remember my mother buying Coors and being asked if she lived in Missouri or Illinois by the cashier. The scene featuring the racetrack was filmed at Lakewood Speedway at the old Lakewood Fairgrounds on Atlanta's south side. As I am finishing this article while Big Truck Week is winding down, here is a Kenworth with a 1973 Dodge Polara patrol car. After the movie came out, Firebird sales increased even more, but the Trans Am was now the most popular one. Just do a search for Crown Victorias on your local CL. The film features the custom clothing and costuming of Niver Western Wear of Fort Worth, Texas. His expletive is obscured when a passing big rig sounds its horn. A 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix with a Buick Electra behind it. [17], In 1977, Coors was unavailable for sale east of Oklahoma. 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. You want to questions bra sales, check out the youtube video of Hang on Sloopy by the Mccoys, the color version.wowza! Naturally, it fetched the highest price with a . I was just tweaking Jason. Now then you mentionned Sheriff JW Pepper, I decided to post some Youtube clips of him. News . 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. "Smokey and the Bandit" stars Burt Reynolds, Sally . Hes fodder enough for his own article at some point. I remember that it had a bunch of trim badges on the center of the dashboard. Another one is, Theres no way youre from my loins.. 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. I still couldnt resist lighting up the Pontiacs tires while executing my T-turns. 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. That's because Pontiac almost canceled the Firebird in the early 1970s. During a Q&A session on Saturday, filmed by ComicBook.com, a fan asked how many Trans Ams they burned through during production. Additionally, he can give you several reasons why theres still no replacement for displacement. In 1978, Pontiac delivered 93,351 Trans Ams and 93,944 regular Firebirds for a grand total of 187,295 cars. 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. 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. 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. That came out in 1981. . 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. The movie had an even bigger impact on the Trans Am. 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. Much of the surrounding scene comes from that immediate vicinity. . 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. I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean. HotCars covers all things automotive: the latest auto news and informative reviews on the car, pickup truck and motorcycle industries. Burt Reynolds' 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Sold for $240,000. Though no authoritative source identifies the composition of the sandwich, there are several possibilities. I remember reading somewhere that one of the cars was equipped with a 455 for some of the higher speed scenes. Nice article Jason I was a fan of this movie when it came out I look back now and think, wow, did I really think this was entertainment?????? The film's theme song, "East Bound and Down", was written virtually overnight by Reed. The Kenworth even achieves a trifecta of sorts, as it gave the first dent to Sheriff Justices LeMans. 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. Launched on the big screen in 1977, Smokey and the Bandit revolves around two bootleggers as they attempt to illegally transport 400 cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta. I really enjoyed this discussion. Was it a heathen? When Im driving the Bandit Trans Am while playing one of my many Forza Motorsport games I always put that song on. It was the second highest-grossing film of the year, trailing only Star Wars: A New Hope, and it made Burt Reynolds into a certifiable superstar. I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. Because sales were so high, Pontiac decided to delay the third-generation model. Olds 88. 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! Other sources in East Texas (from whence Sheriff Justice hails) are familiar with the popular regional delicacy known as the Diablo Sandwich. And he succeeded as far as the Pontiac Trans Am is concerned. The film's editors, Walter Hannemann and Angelo Ross, were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. The roundup sequence in the desert shows many new Pontiac Le Mans sedans decorated as police cars being destroyed. The rub? Apparently the engine sounds were lifted from another movie, I think two lane blacktop? 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 was given free rein to ad-lib dialogue and make suggestions. I was a junior high school age kid when this film came out. Banzai! Just like the exaggeration sales went up 700%. Your email address will not be published. During their run, they are pursued by Texas county sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason). Theres really nothing like an old cop car. S&TB was filmed primarily off Route 400 in Georgia. It is now sold in all states as Coors ships it in refrigerated train cars and bottled locally and sold in different parts of the country including the eastern US states. 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. The cars were 1976 models, the engines fitted to them were 455ci powerplants, the last year these engines were offered for sale before withdrawal. In the 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit, a high-speed chase ensues between the police and the Bandit (Burt Reynolds). 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. Here is the LeMans; Gleason literally drives the wheels off: As an aside, heres a curious bit of trivia. Five-string banjo player Bobby Thompson is prominent toward the end of "East Bound and Down". These Furys, as well as some of the LeMans units, have hood scoops. As if GM owes them something. 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. Despite growing up next to Cape, most of relatives are from the Mid-South. Neither Buford nor any other lawmen know of Snowman's illegal manifest, while Bandit is likewise unaware that Buford is chasing him because of Carrie, whose jumpiness inspires Bandit to give her the CB handle "Frog". 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. The cars were wrecked on purpose to create the illusion of a high-speed chase. I recall reading somewhere that the Trans Am that did the bridge jump had a tweaked Chevy 350 in it with a stick, and of course that it was WO after the jump. Earlier DVD releases and the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray of the film have the original soundtrack intact. And Coors itself limited its distribution to west of the Mississippi. The checker, not batting an eye, Do you want that chilled?. Somewhere along the line, the company acquired a new president who told Reynolds: Im the new president, and I dont like your movies. Only one survived, and it's priceless. With four miles left, Bandit, discouraged by the unexpected mounting attention, is ready to give up, but Snowman, who initially thought they would fail, takes the lead and smashes through the roadblock at the fairgrounds' main entrance. Great write up. Many of the film's original sounds were replaced. Did I mention how much I enjoy reading all the back stories and niggly details I can only get here ? Reynolds and Needham owned the Skoal Bandit team at the time, so getting these other drivers to appear probably would not taken much more than a six pack of beer and a hug from co-star Loni Anderson . [12] The area around Helen, Georgia, was used for some locations. how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2. The change was somewhat strange as most automakers were using cubic-inch numerals to advertise engines. In a rare public appearance, Burt Reynolds revealed how many cars they wrecked making Smokey and We gonna do what they say cant be done They called out equipment like Radial Tuned Suspension, Calibrated Speedometer, and Power Disc Brakes. Maybe even the dual exhausts and the 400-4 merited badges. He gave Needham a preview of the song and, getting no reaction, offered to rewrite it. For Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), Needham asked for and received 10 Trans Ams and 55 Bonnevilles with no trouble. With Reynolds agreement to do the movie, and his insistence upon casting Gleason as Sheriff Justice, the movie became a larger venture. [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. I've heard . The roller coaster in the movie was the Greyhound. 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. 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). That said, an uncomplimentary accent does exist. I always think scumbum because when I watched it as a kid in the early 90s, it was usually on TBS. 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. 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. So why did they go with sound effects instead of the Trans Am's actually exhaust noise? It had amazing throttle response, with a hit that either scared people, or made them giggle. Id been driving for years by the time I was 15, so I just wanted to complete the course with as little static as possible. It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. He claimed that the Bandit is never made aware of Frog's leaving Junior at the altar, which is why the Bandit continually asks why a Texas sheriff is chasing him. If I recall correctly, Firebirds in general (along with Camaros) were selling well prior to 1977, but the Trans Am was not the best-selling one. Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. It consists of any of the various Louisiana-style hot sauces on Texas toast-style bread alongside the fourth most famous product of Pittsburg, Texas (behind Pilgrim's Pride, Cavender's, and Carroll Shelby)Pittsburg Hot Links. Reynolds was the top box office draw from 1975 to 1982, then his movies really started to go downhill. The tow truck driver was a local garage owner, Berlin Wike. 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 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". When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. 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". [30] Upon meeting Reynolds, Billy Bob Thornton told him that the South considers the film to be less cinema and more documentary. 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. 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 . [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. I know that Trans Am that jumped that bridge broke the axle when it landed. you can find it on amazon.com . 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. In fact, after Smokey and the Bandit became a box office hit, Pontiac saw a marked increase in their stock prices. 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. 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! Ironically I never really cared all that much for Coors, I dont think it has much flavor, but it was well received when we got to Kentucky. [5] Reynolds revealed in his autobiography that Needham had written the first draft script on legal pads. Im gonna barbecue your ass in molasses., Re: The picture with 4 ladies and the wagon and van. A 1975 Pontiac Grand Ville, seen toward the end of the movie. 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. Some weren't that lucky and were discontinued altogether. That song often pops into my head at the start of long drives. . "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.
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