Plus , I loved those late 1960s through mid 1970s Plymouths even though Im a Bowtie Guy by default . The Trans Am was already pretty popular in the mid-1970s, with sales hitting 68,745 units in 1977. J.J. & The Dixie Dance Kings was a milder one that had (I think) a 56 Buick Century . With this, the Sheriff begins his pursuit of the Mann Act-violating Banditall the way to Georgia. NY 10036. The muscle car market reached a peak in the late 1960s, as the car was becoming larger, more powerful, and more aggressive by looks. When Im driving the Bandit Trans Am while playing one of my many Forza Motorsport games I always put that song on. That's because Pontiac almost canceled the Firebird in the early 1970s. 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. Here's everything you should know about one of the most iconic movie cars ever. 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. [17], In 1977, Coors was unavailable for sale east of Oklahoma. Needham stated that by the end of production, there really wasnt much left of any of the three. A 1977 special-edition model once owned by the late actor Burt Reynolds recently wound up on the car auction website Bring a Trailer. Id like to hear from Mr. Needham why so many of those police cars had what look like shaker hood scoops. Three Kenworth W900A short-frame semi trucks, driven by Reed, were each equipped with 38-inch sleepers. I've heard . Thats all true. Reynolds is referenced by name in several early episodes of the series. I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. [10], Principal photography of the film began on August 30, 1976. Gleason probably wanted too much money to provide the dubbing, which is a shame because it ruins the TV version. Three actors from the main cast of The Dukes of Hazzard appear in small uncredited roles in Smokey and the Bandit: Ben Jones, John Schneider, and Sonny Shroyer (who played a police officer in both). 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. 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. Jackie Gleasons Buford T. Justice character is a supposedly an amalgamation of a few characters, including the real Buford T. Justicethere is obviously the Dodge safety sheriff from the 1970s ads, Burt Reynolds father was chief of police of Jupiter Florida, and a friend of his fathers, a Florida Highway Patrol officer was actually the REAL Buford T. Justice. And Burt may be from GA originally, but he calls Florida home, which is another reason I heard the movie was filmed here. All I know is, at the time, if you lived in the east, Coors was some really special beer not unlike microbrews are now. Jackie Gleason ad libbed a lot of his lines too. The cashier never batted an eye as she sold us the mass quantities of suds. [22] It premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where it performed badly. Just like the exaggeration sales went up 700%. As Frog leaves, we are introduced to Sheriff Buford T. Justice, played by Jackie Gleason. I ended up buying a 1969 Cadillac ambulance a year later! Misconception by casual novice car fans is that the Trams Am didnt sell well until S&B. These were the cans with the two circular push buttons on top instead of pull tabs. Another one is, Theres no way youre from my loins.. 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. 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. The cop cars with the hood scoops were ex-DeKalb County (Georgia) cruisers. Trigger had a big impact on my taste in cars with the Trans Ams of the late 70s being my favorite. I was just tweaking Jason. We just watched this with the kids the other week, along with Cannonball Run. I have at least 4 really good car buddies that will from time to time love popping this movie in to watch. Yet when I think of a 70s T/A, thats the one I and Im sure millions of other folks think of. While the Snowman drives the truck carrying the beer, the Bandit drives a Pontiac Trans Am to distract law enforcement (called blocking) and keep the attention off the Snowman. And lets not forget the Trans Am rental car Steve McQueen drove in his very last movie, The Hunter from 1980. [40] Major portions of the audio background have been modified with different engine sounds or tire squeals from the original film. 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. East bound and down, loaded up and truckin That is an excellent question. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. He's a proud member of the TopSpeed team since early 2014. That parking lot was full of Trans Ams! 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. 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. 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. 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. Field enjoyed making the film, but remembers that virtually the entire project was improvised. Gleason was given free rein to ad-lib dialogue and make suggestions. via iconic premier. Im east bound, just watch ol Bandit run.. UNIVERSAL CUT THE BUDGET JUST AS PRODUCTION WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN. This movie just showed how much an urban legend the supposed unobtainability had become. Was it a heathen? [30] Upon meeting Reynolds, Billy Bob Thornton told him that the South considers the film to be less cinema and more documentary. Comments Were they dummies? New York, 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 . They find local legend Bo "Bandit" Darville at a roadeo at Lakewood Fairgrounds and offer him US$80,000 (equivalent to $357,738 in 2021) to haul 400 cases of Coors from Texarkana (the closest place it could be legally sold at that time) to Atlanta in 28 hours. The scene where Sheriff Justice's car has the door knocked off by a passing . It outsold its Chevrolet Camaro counterpart for the first time. 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. In the movie . I still regret selling mine almost 30 years ago. Pontiac should have made a radio that played that song automatically simply by pushing a button, or maybe made it the horn sound. Every idiot with more money than brains wanted a Trans Am. http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/john-fedack-my-days-as-a-dekalb-county-police-officer/. 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. 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. . And back then what I wanted most of all was a highly customized Vette with exposed headlights. [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. Depends upon what he converted it from. It became Reed's signature song and is on multiple albums, including Country Legends and his live album Jerry Reed "Live!" 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. Additionally, he can give you several reasons why theres still no replacement for displacement. Conversely, I could go to Paducah and be asked where up north I was from. 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. In 1976-78, while a high school student in Norwalk, CT, me and a few buddies would routinely drive up to Vista, NY, which was just over the state line. 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. I never understood why dragging a truckload of beer from Colorado to Georgia was such a big deal. I remember borrowing my brothers red 1976 T/A to take a girl to the theater to see Smokey and the Bandit. Due to his financial difficulties in 2014, Reynolds put his vast collection of artwork and memorabilia up for auction, including the Trans Am. 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. 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 change was somewhat strange as most automakers were using cubic-inch numerals to advertise engines. Mrs Jason wont let me sell the sumbitch. You will receive a verification email shortly. And Coors itself limited its distribution to west of the Mississippi. If you watched the second clip above, this truck should look familiar. Many people believed beforehand that the film was not right for . Burt Reynolds himself drove the car on stage to the song "East Bound and Down" and signed it. Your email address will not be published. HotCars covers all things automotive: the latest auto news and informative reviews on the car, pickup truck and motorcycle industries. Check out the entire video below. In 1978, Pontiac delivered 93,351 Trans Ams and 93,944 regular Firebirds for a grand total of 187,295 cars. Its lack of additives and preservatives meant that Coors could spoil in one week without refrigeration, explaining the film's 28-hour deadline. Originally, the film was going to be a B-movie played only in the Southern United States. Movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Furious 7 may ruin a lot of cars, but they were far from the first. The Trans Am used in the movie was a 1976 model with the front end of a 1977 car. Except for Gleason, the original actors mostly redubbed their lines for the television version. Out of four Trans Ams used for the filming of Smokey And The Bandit, three were completely totaled in the process. How many cars destroyed Blues Brothers 2000? Producer Hal Needham intended Smokey and the Bandit to be one of the best product placement films of all time. A couple of years ago, I was sitting around on a lazy Saturday afternoon and it was on TV. Lets take a look at some more cars found in the movie. I think thats another line theyve edited out for the television version. 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. (Still). In a rare public appearance, Burt Reynolds revealed how many cars they wrecked making Smokey and How did any bra manufacturers survive the 70s? Put one on and the lady looks like shes not wearing a bra. An effort to recreate a jump from Smokey and the Bandit doesn't go perfectly when the car takes a rough course off the ramp. Burt Reynolds is originally a Georgia boy. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? 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. Stroker Ace is after S&B, 1983, and features the then new for 83 aero Fox Body Thunderbird. No more needs to be said. I prefer Buford T. Justices 1980 Pontiac Bonneville and his 1983 Pontiac Bonneville in Smokey and The Bandit III. [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). While it's sad that the other two cars were destroyed . However, the U.S. government introduced new emission controls in 1972, and automakers had to step back. Burt Reynolds as the Bandit can always count on the truckers on the other end of his C.B. A segment of the CMT program Reel Eats used a sloppy joe-style recipe consisting of seasoned ground beef, corn, and sour cream. 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! Now then you mentionned Sheriff JW Pepper, I decided to post some Youtube clips of him. Henry Corden, the voice of cartoon character Fred Flintstone. The movie had an even bigger impact on the Trans Am. 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 . (it did taste a lot better than Bud as I recall). That song often pops into my head at the start of long drives. The 403 Olds T/A was a dog, stock, but with some easily obtained parts, could be turned into a very nice low 13 second tire melter. The film features the custom clothing and costuming of Niver Western Wear of Fort Worth, Texas. 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. 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. 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. During this time, the Firebird also surpassed sales figures of the Chevrolet Camaro. Set with his . The owner restored it and sold it at the Scottsdale 2016 auction by Barrett-Jackson. Great fun! It had the Modello cam kit, ported 69(I think) heads with upsized valves, headers, aftermarket intake, 3.21 gears (Up from 2.41 stock!) [6] It would become one of Reed's biggest hits and his signature song.[7]. I recall a big smokey burnout right after they left Snowmans house that looked 455-worthy and also after Bandit picked up Fields he left two strips after nailing second (right before the tire thieves crossed the road), which makes me think there was also a 4 speed car used. So, for years one, two, and three, he got a shiny new Pontiac. Some of the more recent DVD releases of it redid all of the engine sounds and it sounds much more mellow than the original(not happy about that). Back in 1984, I went to look at a late 1970s Plymouth cop car as well. During their run, they are pursued by Texas county sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason). Burt Reynolds once claimed in an interview that there were actually 12 Trans Ams featured in Smokey and the Banditand he wrecked every one. Because sales were so high, Pontiac decided to delay the third-generation model. He has no less than four movies listed as coming out, and they run the gamut from romantic drama to family comedy to horror mystery to action thriller. The roller coaster in the movie was the Greyhound. This small modification was made to remind viewers of Trans Am models from 1969, which had in excess of 300 horsepower. A Pontiac wagon from earlier in the decade. Watching TV and Movies you would think that sales dropped to nil. Although 1977 models also featured 6.6-liter engines, they were rated at only 200 horses. With Reynolds agreement to do the movie, and his insistence upon casting Gleason as Sheriff Justice, the movie became a larger venture. Other than Jackie Gleason upstaging every other cast member, the perceived star of the show is this 1977 Pontiac Trans Am. 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. Jason, Using the words nuance, subtlety, complexity and intellect to describe this movie, is, as they say, trs amusant! 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. With that in mind, Ill go with what Ive heard from my Georgia friends, to wit Sheriff Justices diablo sandwich is the Macon version, which is made with fried eggs and red hots. Well, at least that's what you saw in the movie. [original research?] The movie is responsible for something, by 1979 Pontiac was selling 100,000 plus Trans Ams, not the whole Firebird line, JUST Trans Ams, Pontiac sold more T/As in 1979 than any of the cheaper Firebirds combined, Smokey and the Bandit had to have a hand in that. Sales jumped even higher in 1979 when Pontiac moved 117,108 Trans Ams. 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 . [4] Reynolds said in 2015 that he most enjoyed this film, and had the most fun making it, of his career.[26]. This movie trailer gives you an taste of this provocative film, but fails to effectively capture all the subtleties and nuances it contains. 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". These two 1967 Ford Galaxies (CC here), soon to be redecorated by a Kenworth road tractor, do not. I know that Trans Am that . When it was over, I cried and cried and cried because I didnt want it to end. I am indeed a fan. It had amazing throttle response, with a hit that either scared people, or made them giggle. There definitely was a halo cast around the 2nd gen F-body from its appearance in the movie, which I believe even did extend to the Camaro, which was probably the cheapest way to at least get some of the Bandit vibe, where there other factors too, probably, the 70s, disco, cocaine, mustaches and probably a bunch others.many thought that these car would be the last hurrah for anything performance oriented. Hal Needham did pass away as someone earlier said. 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. ARRGH! Reynolds actively pushed for her casting after Universal initially resisted, claiming Field was not attractive enough. 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. Burt Reynolds' 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Sold for $240,000. "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. Here's What We Know So Far, Jonathan Majors On Getting Jacked To Play Kang The Conqueror: Hes In The Avenger (Weight) Class, How 90 Day Fianc: The Other Way's Kris And Jeymi Might Have Already Spoiled Their Storyline, Why Creed IIIs Michael B. Jordan Avoided Saying Action Or Cut On The Set, Young Sheldon's Iain Armitage Reacting To Surprise Video From Survivor's Jeff Probst Is Like Sheldon Cooper Meeting Leonard Nimoy. It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. This movie came out during my early formative years pre grade school. 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. Apparently the engine sounds were lifted from another movie, I think two lane blacktop? 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. The DVD set meets NTSC standards. 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. Here is the LeMans; Gleason literally drives the wheels off: As an aside, heres a curious bit of trivia. 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. Please refresh the page and try again. If you somehow managed to miss Smokey and the Bandit in the years between the films 1977 release and now, you should rectify that situation immediately (to be fair, it was released two days after Star Wars, so its understandable if it slipped through the cracks). When I was a kid I thought they were the same person. The Trans Am was a high-performance package for the Firebird, Pontiac's take on the Chevrolet Camaro. Needham had great difficulty getting any studios or producers to take his project seriously, being better known in the film industry as a stuntman. 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. You want to questions bra sales, check out the youtube video of Hang on Sloopy by the Mccoys, the color version.wowza! Much of the surrounding scene comes from that immediate vicinity. 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. 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. In its place was the nonsensical "scum bum." . In addition to the four Trans Ams, Needham also received two Pontiac LeMans models to serve as patrol cars in the movie. The cars were originally ordered by a car rental agency in Phoenix, who refused to accept the . Thanks for this, Jason. The Trans Am used for said jump was equipped with a booster rocket, the same type that was used by Evel Knievel during his failed Snake River Canyon jump. The cars were wrecked on purpose to create the illusion of a high-speed chase. The trip to Texarkana is uneventful; soon after leaving for the return trip to Georgia, The Bandit encounters Frog, played by Sally Field. In 2006, a DVD re-release was issued of Smokey and the Bandit featuring a digitally remastered audio track with 5.1 Dolby-compatible surround sound. I still think its more entertaining than Star Wars. Arguably the most iconic Pontiac Firebird in history. I thought at the time that it was a newer version of White Lightning (also with Burt Reynolds) and that Smokey would be forgotten just as soon. 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. $30.00 + $11.45 shipping. The tow truck driver was a local garage owner, Berlin Wike. Dodge pitchman Sheriff Joe Higgins. 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. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1975 Plymouth Fury Police Pursuit Arkansas State Police "Smokey and The Bandit" at the best online prices at eBay! And the 400 Pontiac or 403 Olds versions could be made to run well. Her groom? Let us dissect this flick to better examine it. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. (first posted 2/28/2014) The fourth highest grossing film in the United States in 1977 was the Academy Award nominatedSmokey & The Bandit. 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 . The film's editors, Walter Hannemann and Angelo Ross, were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. 1979 was equally successful for the brand, joining 1978 to create Pontiac's best sales years ever. A guy we knew drove his half-ton pickup from western WA to his reserve 2-week stint in his home state in California. Always loved this movie growing up. and used hard. Jane Russell hawked bras on television for full-figured gals like her, a line that evoked snickers among my high-school classmates. Olds 88. February 27, 2023 . 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.