East bound and down, loaded up and truckin In its place was the nonsensical scum bum. The voice over actor? Actually, there were 2 future Dukes stars in the movie: Ben Jones (Cooter) was in an early scene helping Big Enos find Bandit. 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: . Car movies are notorious for being tough on the very vehicles that give them their allure. You will receive a verification email shortly. For Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), Needham asked for and received 10 Trans Ams and 55 Bonnevilles with no trouble. Because sales were so high, Pontiac decided to delay the third-generation model. Supposedly there was a stick car for the burnouts and an automatic car for other shots. I have worked a long time to eradicate the one I had but it still crops up periodically from exposure, like you experienced. 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. http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/john-fedack-my-days-as-a-dekalb-county-police-officer/. I actually remember the construction of that segment of I-75, as it stopped around Tampa prior to that time. As a publicity stunt, the Trans Ams used in the movie had different decals on the hood scoop. 5. Due to his financial difficulties in 2014, Reynolds put his vast collection of artwork and memorabilia up for auction, including the Trans Am. As I am finishing this article while Big Truck Week is winding down, here is a Kenworth with a 1973 Dodge Polara patrol car. Misconception by casual novice car fans is that the Trams Am didnt sell well until S&B. 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. Gleason was given free rein to ad-lib dialogue and make suggestions. The three movie cars were destroyed during various stunts, so the promo car is the only surviving Trans Am connected to this film. I will confess, however, that it was a fun movie to watch and I have caught it on TV a time or two in recent years with my kids. Please refresh the page and try again. Unfortunately he passed away a few months ago or that would have been a great question to ask. Cause theyre thirsty in Atlanta how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2 - onlytows.com.au Cinemablend is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. [22] It premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where it performed badly. Im still trying to get clarification on what a diablo sandwich is though. As Frog leaves, we are introduced to Sheriff Buford T. Justice, played by Jackie Gleason. The scene where Sheriff Justice's car has the door knocked off by a passing semi-truck was shot on Georgia State Route 75, 3 miles (4.8km) north of Helen. 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. That is why there are not any left. A 1975 Pontiac Grand Ville, seen toward the end of the movie. I have always loved this movie, watched it dozens and dozens of times on TV, video, DVD, laserdisc, almost any form of media. 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. He enlists the help of fellow truck driver Cletus The Snowman Snow, played by country music singer Jerry Reed. One guy did a while ago a fan-made trailer of Smokey & the Bandit 4. Lets take a look. 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. I developed a pretty good bootheel accent during my time in New Madrid. With this, the Sheriff begins his pursuit of the Mann Act-violating Banditall the way to Georgia. 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! 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. Burt Reynolds recently revealed the ridiculous number of Pontiac Trans Ams they went through filming 1977s Smokey and the Bandit. 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. 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 . Stroker Ace is after S&B, 1983, and features the then new for 83 aero Fox Body Thunderbird. How Many Cars Did Blues Brothers Wreck | Car Geek His expletive is obscured when a passing big rig sounds its horn. The movie had an even bigger impact on the Trans Am. In the Reynolds portion of the interview, he stated the movie prompted Trans Am sales to jump around 700%. While they did jump, from 46,700 in 1976 to 69,000 for 1977 with another 93,300 for 1978, it wasnt exactly 700%. A 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix with a Buick Electra behind it. Lets take a look at some more cars found in the movie. A CC for a 1973 Grand Ville convertible can be found here. The rub? 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. [11] The movie was primarily filmed in Georgia, in the cities of McDonough, Jonesboro, and Lithonia. 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. These Furys, as well as some of the LeMans units, have hood scoops. This was the lull between Gas Crisis I and II, 1976-78, and Boomers were wanting stylish cars. Conversely, I could go to Paducah and be asked where up north I was from. [4] Just two days before production was to begin, Universal sent a "hatchet man" to Atlanta to inform Needham that the budget was being trimmed by $1 million. That said, an uncomplimentary accent does exist. 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. Ive also looked at a Fox based LTD cop car and an early 1991 whale Caprice 9C1 detective model, burgundy on burgundy cloth. The little packy there had Coors and even though it was horribly expensive, we thought it was the elixer of the Gods. I still couldnt resist lighting up the Pontiacs tires while executing my T-turns. Hes fodder enough for his own article at some point. Additionally, he can give you several reasons why theres still no replacement for displacement. The original Blues Brothers movie from 1980 is a classic, and fans were excited when a sequel was announced in 1998. . 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. I drive a conversion van. 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. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? I will confess that by the time this movie was out, I was a Mopar guy. Naturally, it fetched the highest price with a . But 1978 returned sales of 93,351 examples, a jump of around 25,000 cars. Not a bad deal, but on the fourth year, no new car. 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. Burt Reynolds is originally a Georgia boy. In fact, after Smokey and the Bandit became a box office hit, Pontiac saw a marked increase in their stock prices. Pontiac should have made a radio that played that song automatically simply by pushing a button, or maybe made it the horn sound. Weve got a long way to go and a short time to get there The advertisements lampoon the film and feature a Pontiac Trans Am and a cover version of the song East Bound and Down. 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. S/E T/A with the round headlights. Starring Bob Hope, that comedic star of the screen, and the lovely Jane Russell boy what a pair! I never forgot that one. And theres this nugget from the director of the coming new Shazam movie; I first watched Smokey on quiet swing shifts from the drivers seat of a 1977 Pontiac Le Mans patrol car, parked by thr back fence of the drive-in theater at the far end of town. [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. Most of the dialogue was improvised on set. It follows the adventures of a couple of truck drivers bootlegging Coors, which couldnt legally be sold East of the Mississippi River at the time. During this time, the Firebird also surpassed sales figures of the Chevrolet Camaro. He paid $550,000 for it, likely a record for any Pontiac Firebird. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. As luck and script writing would have it, Frog has left her groom at the altar. Good silly fun. S&TB was filmed primarily off Route 400 in Georgia. And lets not forget the Trans Am rental car Steve McQueen drove in his very last movie, The Hunter from 1980. Was it a heathen? I still think its more entertaining than Star Wars. The T/A is just as quick as my present Challenger is, but the Challenger doesnt have anything close to the throttle response it had, and I miss it. Sonny Shroyer (Enos) was the motorcycle cop who was given the 1-finger salute by Sally Field. So lets explore this car (and truck) heavy flick, all while giving those who have not seen it a glimpse into a movie whose complexity and intellect remains unparalleled within the history of cinema. When Im driving the Bandit Trans Am while playing one of my many Forza Motorsport games I always put that song on. The story replaced the Coors beer with Mobil 1 products. At the time, Reynolds was the top box office star in the world. 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. A paper on Cognitive psychology was published in the 1990 issue of Computers in Human Perception. 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. Mr. Reynolds elevated the dreck that he appeared in to a higher level, that is, enjoyable. Much of the surrounding scene comes from that immediate vicinity. [30] Upon meeting Reynolds, Billy Bob Thornton told him that the South considers the film to be less cinema and more documentary. The film's editors, Walter Hannemann and Angelo Ross, were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. Along the way they tussle with tough as nails Texas Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason), pick up a runaway bride nicknamed Frog (Sally Field), and have all kinds of awesome times on the highway. Other sources in East Texas (from whence Sheriff Justice hails) are familiar with the popular regional delicacy known as the Diablo Sandwich. I think you may be confusing the movie Honky-Tonk Freeway with the filming done during I-75 construction near Sarasota. CC Cinema: The Cars of "Smokey & The Bandit - Curbside Classic Ive always wanted some sort of de-commission/ex unmarked cop car, something from the 70s preferably. Henry Corden, the voice of cartoon character Fred Flintstone. Needham stated that by the end of production, there really wasnt much left of any of the three. Check out the entire video below. Set with his . 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]. [21], Smokey and the Bandit was a sleeper hit. Many nameplates lost their performance credentials, and some of them, like the Ford Mustang, were redesigned without a V-8 engine. It outsold its Chevrolet Camaro counterpart for the first time. Smokey and the Bandit was one of the most iconic movies of the 1970s. Rockford Files also featured Firebird, and was on since 1974, and Fs sold well despite gas crunch I and inflation. Jesus, did you just call Carmine a car novice? I am still drawn to the shape of these cars, and others that have that long and low look about them. [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 tow truck driver was a local garage owner, Berlin Wike. J.J. & The Dixie Dance Kings was a milder one that had (I think) a 56 Buick Century . 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!) 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! [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. Not everything was Pontiac, as evidenced by this 1973 Plymouth Satellite coupe (CC here). What Sports Cars Are In Smokey And The Bandit - OsVehicle 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. 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. 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. It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. 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. Ask him to choose between a BMW M4 and an Audi RS5, and hell gladly trade both for a beat-up Cuda. 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. I remember borrowing my brothers red 1976 T/A to take a girl to the theater to see Smokey and the Bandit. [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. . In 1978, Pontiac delivered 93,351 Trans Ams and 93,944 regular Firebirds for a grand total of 187,295 cars. The production team wrecked three for the four cars it received from Pontiac. That song often pops into my head at the start of long drives. MN12 Thunderbirds had the same appeal to me, for similar reasons. Smokey & The Bandit is the greatest movie of the 20th Century! (it did taste a lot better than Bud as I recall). They retained the white steering wheels until 72 or so , just the thing to preveny burned fingers in the Desert sun . Soon as I get home, first thing Im gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth!. The Ridiculous Number Of Cars Burt Reynolds Burned - CINEMABLEND The cashier never batted an eye as she sold us the mass quantities of suds. 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. Theres really nothing like an old cop car. NY 10036. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. The value of their stock rose a startling 70 percent after the films release, and to show their appreciation to Reynolds, the president said they would give the actor a new car each and every year. 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. However, in more recent years, the original version has been shown (on ITV, a commercial channel), usually with the stronger language edited out, often quite awkwardly. But would the black and gold T/As be as desirable today without the movie? 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. Reynolds is referenced by name in several early episodes of the series. 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. [17], In 1977, Coors was unavailable for sale east of Oklahoma. The unrestored car reportedly showed up on eBay back in 2015, but no one wanted to buy it. This movie just showed how much an urban legend the supposed unobtainability had become. The 1978 Trans Am is an exact duplicate of the "Smokey and the Bandit" movie car, finished in black and gold with a screaming chicken on the hood. The films are indeed classic and very funny to this day. We stopped in that same Safeway later on the way back home from southern Cal, and they had a huge display of cases of Coors out on the floor near the checkstands. It wasnt distributed in Washington in those days either. The three original films introduced two generations of the Pontiac Trans Am and the Dodge Stealth in the television movies. When I was a kid I thought they were the same person. 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. There's one black Trans Am left from 'Smokey and The Bandit.' It's In my area, nearly every one listed is an ex cop car. Whaddya expect outta a guy what drives a conversion van? Did I mention how much I enjoy reading all the back stories and niggly details I can only get here ? The LeMans police car did nothing for me because there was a colonnade LeMans sedan in the garage at home. 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. 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. [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). January 24, 2019 100 comments. In the 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit, a high-speed chase ensues between the police and the Bandit (Burt Reynolds). Of course, it wasnt hard to wake them up. [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. So why did they go with sound effects instead of the Trans Am's actually exhaust noise? I also own a Etrl replica of the Pontiac Bonneville Buford T. Justice drove in Smokey and The Bandit II. 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. 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. 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. Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. Filmmakers destroyed 230 cars in the filming of 'Furious 7.' Smokey And The Bandit: A Car-chase Classic. It had not been used for some time and was repainted for the film. The 79-year-old 70s and 80s heartthrob made a rare public appearance over the weekend at Wizard World Chicago. I know, Ive owned a 75 for 23 years. His personaround, dumpy, and clipping wordsreminds one of another fictional southern sheriff. The third-generation Firebird was introduced in 1982, a full two years later than planned. No, the T/A was selling fine before the movie, and the black/gold package dates to 1976, a full year before the movie was out in summer 77. How "Smokey and the Bandit" was born | Fortune ", "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 commercials were produced after Stewart mentioned that the movie was one of his favorites.[39]. The Trans Am used in the movie was a 1976 model with the front end of a 1977 car. 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. 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. [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. Sally Field and Burt Reynolds began a relationship after meeting on set. ARRGH! After the movie came out, Firebird sales increased even more, but the Trans Am was now the most popular one.