When I was a kid, there was an old record from the 50s around the house that was a collection of radio and tv bloopers. One was a radio ad for a movie that went something like: . Though no authoritative source identifies the composition of the sandwich, there are several possibilities. Smokey and the Bandit | East Bound and Down - YouTube He obtained the attention of studios and aimed the film at a more mainstream release after his friend Reynolds read the script and agreed to portray the Bandit, with Reed now portraying the Bandit's friend the Snowman. The trip to Texarkana is uneventful; soon after leaving for the return trip to Georgia, The Bandit encounters Frog, played by Sally Field. 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 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. 20 Surprising Facts About The Trans Am From Smokey And The Bandit - HotCars I'm afraid I was responsible for a good few of those. Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox would bring several cases after playing on the West Coast, by stashing them in the equipment trunks on the team's plane. Called Smoke is the Bandit and playing on Stewart's nickname, the commercials featured him as the Bandit opposite commentators Darrell Waltrip as the Snowman and Jeff Hammond as Buford T. Justice. I also own a Etrl replica of the Pontiac Bonneville Buford T. Justice drove in Smokey and The Bandit II. Only one survived, and it's priceless. The change was somewhat strange as most automakers were using cubic-inch numerals to advertise engines. Smokey and the Bandit was the second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States. 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. Everything You Should Know About The The Trans Am From Smokey And The Bandit, 10 Most Potentially Unreliable Electric Vehicles According To Consumer Reports, 10 Reasons Why It's Time You Should Buy A Bagger, Here's How Solid-State Batteries Will Change EVs Forever. 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]. This movie trailer gives you an taste of this provocative film, but fails to effectively capture all the subtleties and nuances it contains. In a rare public appearance, Burt Reynolds revealed how many cars they wrecked making Smokey and 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. This movie came out during my early formative years pre grade school. Chevy brought back the Z28, and cant say S&B was reason. Smokey and the Bandit was one of the most iconic movies of the 1970s. 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. 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. 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! Field enjoyed making the film, but remembers that virtually the entire project was improvised. Im still trying to get clarification on what a diablo sandwich is though. I am pretty sure it was filmed in Florida, when I-75 was under construction so they could use the highways while empty. Burt Reynolds recently revealed the ridiculous number of Pontiac Trans Ams they went through filming 1977s Smokey and the Bandit. [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. A paper on Cognitive psychology was published in the 1990 issue of Computers in Human Perception. The Kenworth even achieves a trifecta of sorts, as it gave the first dent to Sheriff Justices LeMans. As a former Club Wagon pilot, I happen to like his Econoline. The films are indeed classic and very funny to this day. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? [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. 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 took four evenings to see almost all of the movie in bits and pieces. A 1977 special-edition model once owned by the late actor Burt Reynolds recently wound up on the car auction website Bring a Trailer. 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. Of the many cars saved from the fire was the only surviving Knight Rider KITT Super Pursuit Mode car created by Jay Orberg. I developed a pretty good bootheel accent during my time in New Madrid. Originally, the film was going to be a B-movie played only in the Southern United States. It had amazing throttle response, with a hit that either scared people, or made them giggle. High estimates for the car were up to $80,000, but the actual sale price was $450,000. The film's theme song, "East Bound and Down", was written virtually overnight by Reed. Reynolds replied: We went through 12. As I am finishing this article while Big Truck Week is winding down, here is a Kenworth with a 1973 Dodge Polara patrol car. While it's sad that the other two cars were destroyed . So why did they go with sound effects instead of the Trans Am's actually exhaust noise? How Many Cars Did Blues Brothers Wreck | Car Geek 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. Comments Many nameplates lost their performance credentials, and some of them, like the Ford Mustang, were redesigned without a V-8 engine. 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 . On the DVD, there is a brief interview with both Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham, who directed this film. When Im driving the Bandit Trans Am while playing one of my many Forza Motorsport games I always put that song on. . 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. 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. Jesus, did you just call Carmine a car novice? 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. Always a favorite. Burt Reynolds once claimed in an interview that there were actually 12 Trans Ams featured in Smokey and the Banditand he wrecked every one. Frederick Amon smuggled it from Colorado to North Carolina and sold it for four times the retail price.[19]. From what I have read the artist did the poster rendering from some blown up stills that he was shown from the movie, and none of them for some mysterious reason included the Trans Am, the truck, Reynolds, Gleason, Sally Field, crashing police cars, but no T/A. 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. 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. There was a true concern (for some minuscule reason) about it going east of the Mississippi River. Anyone who enjoys Colonnade sedans will love Smokey & the Bandit. Funny that T/A isnt on the movie poster, considering it was the obvious star of the show. 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 . It seems Plymouth was in a distant second for product placement. How much did the Smokey and the Bandit car sell for? Needham stated that by the end of production, there really wasnt much left of any of the three. I have only seen pieces of the second and none of the third; I plan to keep it that way. New York, His personaround, dumpy, and clipping wordsreminds one of another fictional southern sheriff. 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. [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. Mr. Reynolds elevated the dreck that he appeared in to a higher level, that is, enjoyable. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. Olds 88. Burt Reynolds plays truck driver Bo Bandit Darville. I was 10 when this movie came out and I loved it then and I still do. [4] Reynolds said in 2015 that he most enjoyed this film, and had the most fun making it, of his career.[26]. [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). These questions all need to be answered. These were the cans with the two circular push buttons on top instead of pull tabs. Will Walker: Independence Return For Season 2 Amid CW Shakeups? At one point in the movie, the Bandit wrecks a police car. Luckily, both cars survived, and the Trans Am became famous only five years later. Mines never gone away, especially now that I spend every thee month in Memphis. J.J. & The Dixie Dance Kings was a milder one that had (I think) a 56 Buick Century . 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. 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. 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. A dastardly scoundrel? Heres how it works. Yet when I think of a 70s T/A, thats the one I and Im sure millions of other folks think of. 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! He paid $550,000 for it, likely a record for any Pontiac Firebird. 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. 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. 5. It just seems wrong to see that car in any fashion without hearing that song. 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. ", "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. Mr. Reynolds made a bunch of low budget films before this , all had wild chase scenes with cop cars crashing & going into swamps . AWESOME! Apparently the engine sounds were lifted from another movie, I think two lane blacktop? This was the lull between Gas Crisis I and II, 1976-78, and Boomers were wanting stylish cars. Producer Hal Needham intended Smokey and the Bandit to be one of the best product placement films of all time. Alan Reed was the original voice of Fred Flintstone; Henry Corden only took over after Reeds death in 1977. S&B is one of my all-time favorite movies and Im not apologizing. The three movie cars were destroyed during various stunts, so the promo car is the only surviving Trans Am connected to this film. Many hardcore fans of Burt Reynolds' most iconic movie, 1977's "Smokey and The Bandit," know that none of those cool black Pontiac Trans Ams with gold trim survived the stunts in the film. The scene where Sheriff Justice's car has the door knocked off by a passing . Jackie Gleason ad libbed a lot of his lines too. Not all the police cars had hood scoops. We also learn that every launched satellite will eventually fall back to Earth, such as this 1972 Plymouth Satellite (CC here). Whaddya expect outta a guy what drives a conversion van? 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. 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. The MASSIVE year over year sales gains came from somewhere. 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. After the movie came out, Firebird sales increased even more, but the Trans Am was now the most popular one. The Trans Am used in the movie was a 1976 model with the front end of a 1977 car. The soundtrack album was released in 1977 on vinyl, cassette, and 8-track through MCA Records. Three Kenworth W900A short-frame semi trucks, driven by Reed, were each equipped with 38-inch sleepers. [10], Principal photography of the film began on August 30, 1976. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. Depends upon what he converted it from. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Great article! Florida Trans Am Shop Burns - Motorious Movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Furious 7 may ruin a lot of cars, but they were far from the first. 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. 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. 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. Not a bad deal, but on the fourth year, no new car. However, as our heroes were successful in delivering their truckload of Coors, the writers effectively poised themselves for a sequel. I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. 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. 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. She is a runaway bride, sitting on the side of the road in her 1973 Chevrolet Impala coupe. A couple of years ago, I was sitting around on a lazy Saturday afternoon and it was on TV. Nothing annoys him more than car electronics, and he just hates it when performance cars lack a third pedal. I drive a conversion van. How many cop cars were destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit? The muscle car market reached a peak in the late 1960s, as the car was becoming larger, more powerful, and more aggressive by looks. Frog not included. 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. Gleason was a genius, but this was not one of his better outings I prefer the Hustler and Gigot. With Reynolds agreement to do the movie, and his insistence upon casting Gleason as Sheriff Justice, the movie became a larger venture. There has never been anything quite like late 1970s fashion in clothing. I think thats another line theyve edited out for the television version. 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. With Reynolds' salary at $1 million, Needham was left with only $3.3 million to make the film. 13 Fast Facts About Smokey and the Bandit - Mental Floss . 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. (first posted 2/28/2014) The fourth highest grossing film in the United States in 1977 was the Academy Award nominatedSmokey & The Bandit. The worldwide gross is estimated at over $300 million. Burt Reynolds is originally a Georgia boy. The uncut version is the best. Hes fodder enough for his own article at some point. Did Jerry Reed really drive the truck in Smokey and the Bandit The side vents give it away. Smokey And The Bandit Tribute Jump Goes About As Well As You'd Expect 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 . There was a problem. However, the U.S. government introduced new emission controls in 1972, and automakers had to step back. 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. Stroker Ace is after S&B, 1983, and features the then new for 83 aero Fox Body Thunderbird. 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. Great fun! Ive always wanted some sort of de-commission/ex unmarked cop car, something from the 70s preferably. 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. When I was a kid I thought they were the same person. Id be surprised. There's one black Trans Am left from 'Smokey and The Bandit.' It's Although he's into just about any type of vehicle, Ciprian is not your typical car enthusiast. The comedy has been remastered to DVD standards. For this purpose, they overdubbed dialogue deemed offensive, which was common practice. 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. Not everything was Pontiac, as evidenced by this 1973 Plymouth Satellite coupe (CC here). And theres beer in Texarkana.. And it was worth it for the brand, as the nameplate sales decided following the redesign. Im probably in the minority as usual, but I prefer the Black and Gold 50th Anne. It wasnt distributed in Washington in those days either. Lets take a look. It had not been used for some time and was repainted for the film. The checker, not batting an eye, Do you want that chilled?. Director Hal Needham convinced Pontiac to feature the Pontiac Trans Am in the movie. In return, Reynolds portrayed Boss Hogg (originally portrayed by Sorrell Booke) in the film adaptation The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). [5] Sally Field only accepted the part after her agent advised her that she needed a big movie role on her rsum. [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. My drivers ed driving range car was an ex-patrol colonnade Pontiac LeMans Enforcer. Well, the Corvettes success is clearly due to Corvette Summer, @Jim I remember that movie! In the movie . [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. 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) . Smokey and the Bandit: Behind-the-Scenes Details With - MotorTrend I know that Trans Am that jumped that bridge broke the axle when it landed. 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. I still regret selling mine almost 30 years ago. It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3.

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