I also own a Etrl replica of the Pontiac Bonneville Buford T. Justice drove in Smokey and The Bandit II. We also learn that every launched satellite will eventually fall back to Earth, such as this 1972 Plymouth Satellite (CC here). If you watched the second clip above, this truck should look familiar. [5] Sally Field only accepted the part after her agent advised her that she needed a big movie role on her rsum. . Yet when I think of a 70s T/A, thats the one I and Im sure millions of other folks think of. 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. Dodge pitchman Sheriff Joe Higgins. WildI watched this for the first time in years after watching the latest Archer.the whole thing is an homage to S&B. For instance, the diesel engine start and run-up sequence in the opening sequence of the film were completely dubbed over with a new sound. I remember that it had a bunch of trim badges on the center of the dashboard. High estimates for the car were up to $80,000, but the actual sale price was $450,000. 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. Always a favorite. But while the cars shown in the movie look like 1977-model-year Trans Ams, they were actually 1976 models. Other sources in East Texas (from whence Sheriff Justice hails) are familiar with the popular regional delicacy known as the Diablo Sandwich. I never understood why dragging a truckload of beer from Colorado to Georgia was such a big deal. 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. A Pontiac wagon from earlier in the decade. 1980 ERTL SMOKEY & THE BANDIT PONTIAC FIREBIRD DIECAST CAR police car Revisit this scene featuring "East Bound and. 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. 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. Producers of Smokey and the Bandit wrecked 26 cars while filming the movie in 1977. Im still trying to get clarification on what a diablo sandwich is though. The story replaced the Coors beer with Mobil 1 products. 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). And lets not forget the Trans Am rental car Steve McQueen drove in his very last movie, The Hunter from 1980. 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. The side vents give it away. He paid $550,000 for it, likely a record for any Pontiac Firebird. 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. 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. I guess the Trans Am proved to have more staying power than the hot 71 Ford in the earlier movie. Sure Smokey helped, but was not the sole reason T/A and F body sales went up. During their run, they are pursued by Texas county sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason). [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. It wasnt distributed in Washington in those days either. 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. It was the second-highest-grossing movie of 1977 after Star Wars. That girl from the McCoys video probably looks like Paula Deen now. As a kid that T/A, the General Lee, and KITT were largely responsible for defining my taste in cars and that carries through to today. 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. 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. 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! It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. There was a true concern (for some minuscule reason) about it going east of the Mississippi River. 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. ", "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. I have at least 4 really good car buddies that will from time to time love popping this movie in to watch. Id be surprised. The whereabouts of the remaining Smokey and the Bandit car, the one that was used to promote the movie, remained a mystery for years. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Mrs Jason wont let me sell the sumbitch. Smokey and the Bandit II is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, . I've heard . That said, an uncomplimentary accent does exist. Always loved this movie growing up. These Furys, as well as some of the LeMans units, have hood scoops. How did any bra manufacturers survive the 70s? And Burt may be from GA originally, but he calls Florida home, which is another reason I heard the movie was filmed here. If they werent burning candles to an image of a cowboy hatted Burt Reynolds at Pontiac headquarters. a custom mandrel bent dual exhaust, and the Mondello bottom end plate to stabilize the windowed mains. [6] It would become one of Reed's biggest hits and his signature song.[7]. you can find it on amazon.com . Musicians such as Beegie Adair and George Tidwell[20] played on the soundtrack. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cODPt3T0cHE, We got a cage strong enough to hold you NY 10036. CC Cinema: The Cars of "Smokey & The Bandit - Curbside Classic I really enjoyed this discussion. Gleason probably wanted too much money to provide the dubbing, which is a shame because it ruins the TV version. Soon as I get home, first thing Im gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth!. I still couldnt resist lighting up the Pontiacs tires while executing my T-turns. Will Walker: Independence Return For Season 2 Amid CW Shakeups? Great article! 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. Gator , Stroker Ace , lots of them . It made no sense to me as it was fifty miles north and fifty miles south. 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. I know, Ive owned a 75 for 23 years. Burt Reynolds plays truck driver Bo Bandit Darville. 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. He gave Needham a preview of the song and, getting no reaction, offered to rewrite it. He's a proud member of the TopSpeed team since early 2014. How many cars did they wreck in Smokey and the Bandit? ARRGH! Burt Reynolds once claimed in an interview that there were actually 12 Trans Ams featured in Smokey and the Banditand he wrecked every one. 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). The scoops were added by the department because the engines ran so hot. For Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), Needham asked for and received 10 Trans Ams and 55 Bonnevilles with no trouble. 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. This small modification was made to remind viewers of Trans Am models from 1969, which had in excess of 300 horsepower. In the original script, Carrie was called Kate while Big Enos and Little Enos were called Kyle and Dickey. All I know is, at the time, if you lived in the east, Coors was some really special beer not unlike microbrews are now. The MASSIVE year over year sales gains came from somewhere. 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". Not everything was Pontiac, as evidenced by this 1973 Plymouth Satellite coupe (CC here). The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit is one of the most famous movie cars of all time. The three movie cars were destroyed during various stunts, so the promo car is the only surviving Trans Am connected to this film. Here is the LeMans; Gleason literally drives the wheels off: As an aside, heres a curious bit of trivia. In addition to the four Trans Ams, Needham also received two Pontiac LeMans models to serve as patrol cars in the movie. At the time, Reynolds was the top box office star in the world. 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. Round and dumpy, just like the Colonnade LeMans! 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. 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. The rub? 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. 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. 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. The checker, not batting an eye, Do you want that chilled?. how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2. 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. I also own a 1:18 scale version of the Bandit Trans Am. For Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), Needham asked for and received 10 Trans Ams and 55 Bonnevilles with no trouble. Due to his financial difficulties in 2014, Reynolds put his vast collection of artwork and memorabilia up for auction, including the Trans Am. 46,000 in 1976, 68,000 in 1977, 93,000 in 1978, 117,000 in 1979. Did Jerry Reed really drive the truck in Smokey and the Bandit Depends upon what he converted it from. 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. Well, at least that's what you saw in the movie. This movie was filmed in Georgia as well. 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. Before Gleason was cast in the film, Richard Boone was originally considered for the role of Buford T. The LeMans police car did nothing for me because there was a colonnade LeMans sedan in the garage at home. 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. Trigger had a big impact on my taste in cars with the Trans Ams of the late 70s being my favorite. Behind Sheriff Justices Pontiac, there is a nice looking 1965 or 1966 Ford Mustang fastback and a Toyota pickup. [21], Smokey and the Bandit was a sleeper hit. Just after re-entering Georgia, Snowman is rescued by Bandit after being stopped by a Georgia State Patrol motorcycle trooper, and state and local police intensely pursue Bandit with roadblocks and a helicopter to track his movement. While made to take advantage of the ongoing 1970s CB radio fad, the film added to the craze. Car movies are notorious for being tough on the very vehicles that give them their allure. In the 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit, a high-speed chase ensues between the police and the Bandit (Burt Reynolds). Gas was a buck a gallon at the time so fuel economy wasnt a major issue. A paper on Cognitive psychology was published in the 1990 issue of Computers in Human Perception. Henry Corden, the voice of cartoon character Fred Flintstone. Needham had great difficulty getting any studios or producers to take his project seriously, being better known in the film industry as a stuntman. Free shipping for many products! 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 production team wrecked three for the four cars it received from Pontiac. Actually, there were 2 future Dukes stars in the movie: Ben Jones (Cooter) was in an early scene helping Big Enos find Bandit. 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. 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.