Burt Reynolds once claimed in an interview that there were actually 12 Trans Ams featured in Smokey and the Banditand he wrecked every one. Additionally, he can give you several reasons why theres still no replacement for displacement. I really enjoyed this discussion. [24] With an original budget of $5.3 million (cut to $4.3 million two days before initial production),[4] the film eventually grossed $126,737,428 in North America,[25] making it the second-highest-grossing movie of 1977 (only Star Wars earned more, with $221.3 million). I also own a Etrl replica of the Pontiac Bonneville Buford T. Justice drove in Smokey and The Bandit II. This gives rise to various continuity errors with Justice's patrol car, which during some chase sequences is shown with a black rear fender, which then reverts to the car's bronze color again in later scenes. 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. 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. I distinctly remember my mother buying Coors and being asked if she lived in Missouri or Illinois by the cashier. 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. Despite growing up next to Cape, most of relatives are from the Mid-South. For Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), Needham asked for and received 10 Trans Ams and 55 Bonnevilles with no trouble. That song often pops into my head at the start of long drives. A blackguard? Id like to hear from Mr. Needham why so many of those police cars had what look like shaker hood scoops. 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. What were the police cars in Smokey and the Bandit? Movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Furious 7 may ruin a lot of cars, but they were far from the first. 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. 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. Except that shes not sagging. That's because Pontiac almost canceled the Firebird in the early 1970s. Not everything was Pontiac, as evidenced by this 1973 Plymouth Satellite coupe (CC here). Much of the surrounding scene comes from that immediate vicinity. Free shipping for many products! I did help a friend rebuild a late 60s 400 to replace the anemic 301 in his 79, Trans Am. Ask him to choose between a BMW M4 and an Audi RS5, and hell gladly trade both for a beat-up Cuda. Round and dumpy, just like the Colonnade LeMans! 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. Its W.W. This small modification was made to remind viewers of Trans Am models from 1969, which had in excess of 300 horsepower. It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. The Trans Am was already pretty popular in the mid-1970s, with sales hitting 68,745 units in 1977. 5. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. This movie was filmed in Georgia as well. Car movies are notorious for being tough on the very vehicles that give them their allure. Many people believed beforehand that the film was not right for . Whaddya expect outta a guy what drives a conversion van? 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. . So many classic quotes in this movie. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 78% rating based on 32 reviews. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, But the true standout of Smokey and the Bandit is the car driven by The Bandit, the iconic black and gold 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. This phrase achieved a level of popularity with children and the 2007 Hot Wheels release of the 1970s Firebird Trans Am has "scum bum" emblazoned on its tail. Have the movie, cheesy as hell, but does have appearances by several NASCAR drivers of the day, including Dale Earnhardt (Senior, not Jr) Kyle Petty, Harry Gant, and one of my favorites of the era, Tim Richmond. 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. Musicians such as Beegie Adair and George Tidwell[20] played on the soundtrack. Out of four Trans Ams used for the filming of Smokey And The Bandit, three were completely totaled in the process. 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). a custom mandrel bent dual exhaust, and the Mondello bottom end plate to stabilize the windowed mains. radio to help him out. Burt Reynolds himself drove the car on stage to the song "East Bound and Down" and signed it. So why did they go with sound effects instead of the Trans Am's actually exhaust noise? Field enjoyed making the film, but remembers that virtually the entire project was improvised. 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. Revisit this scene featuring "East Bound and. Did I mention how much I enjoy reading all the back stories and niggly details I can only get here ? 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. Always loved this movie growing up. 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. 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. Actor Henry Corden, who voiced Fred Flintstone after original performer Alan Reed died the same year the film was released, was used to replace a considerable amount of Sheriff Justice's dialogue. Because sales were so high, Pontiac decided to delay the third-generation model. He gave Needham a preview of the song and, getting no reaction, offered to rewrite it. I never understood why dragging a truckload of beer from Colorado to Georgia was such a big deal. I have to admit, thats a pretty fantastic story, and as a major movie star, Im sure Burt Reynolds was able to figure out another way to acquire a means of transportation. He enlists the help of fellow truck driver Cletus The Snowman Snow, played by country music singer Jerry Reed. [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. 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. Frog not included. 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. I am pretty sure it was filmed in Florida, when I-75 was under construction so they could use the highways while empty. The area around Helen, Georgia, was used for some locations. 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. 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?????? In response, Needham told Reed that he liked the song so much that if Reed changed even a word or a note, Needham would "choke him". Amazing how a combination of desire and unobtainability can make an ordinary product special. Needham originally planned the film as a low-budget B movie with a production cost of $1 million,[4] with Reed as the Bandit. You want to questions bra sales, check out the youtube video of Hang on Sloopy by the Mccoys, the color version.wowza! Jana, another oddity was that I could go to Carbondale and be asked where down south I was from. AWESOME! The scene where Sheriff Justice's car has the door knocked off by a passing . $30.00 + $11.45 shipping. "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. Ive since read on the internet that it wasnt illegal so much as a practical thing with it being shipped in refrigerated trucks. In Smokey and the Bandit, there were eight 1977 Trans-Am cars and approximately the same number of police cars (but some said ten). Watching TV and Movies you would think that sales dropped to nil. After passing Buford's badly damaged cruiser on the roadside, Bandit gets on the CB and initially directs him to the Burdettes, but then respectfully gives his real locationright behind Buford, who continues his chase leaving Junior behind, and with more parts falling off his cruiser as he limps off after Bandit. My drivers ed driving range car was an ex-patrol colonnade Pontiac LeMans Enforcer. Both sequels used another Trans Am, not a Cadillac Eldorado, as seen below. Anyone with insight is encouraged to share their knowledge on this. 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. [31] Smokey and the Bandit was released in the United Kingdom on August 28 and was a success there, garnering positive reviews. Thanks for this, Jason. I was to be paid a salary plus own 7% of the profits. A dastardly scoundrel? His expletive is obscured when a passing big rig sounds its horn. Tragically, every Trans Am used in filming was destroyed. 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. Stroker Ace is after S&B, 1983, and features the then new for 83 aero Fox Body Thunderbird. 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. 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. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. The story replaced the Coors beer with Mobil 1 products. Gleason was given free rein to ad-lib dialogue and make suggestions. The original Blues Brothers movie from 1980 is a classic, and fans were excited when a sequel was announced in 1998. . 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. The Trans Am was a high-performance package for the Firebird, Pontiac's take on the Chevrolet Camaro. The sticker read "T/A 6.6," which was a reminder of the engine's 6.6-liter displacement. 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. I actually remember the construction of that segment of I-75, as it stopped around Tampa prior to that time. I was 10 when this movie came out and I loved it then and I still do. 1-Smokey and the Bandit-The classic, the original, and the best one by FAR. In fact, after Smokey and the Bandit became a box office hit, Pontiac saw a marked increase in their stock prices. But while the cars shown in the movie look like 1977-model-year Trans Ams, they were actually 1976 models. While I have read undocumented accounts of there being more than three Trans Ams, Needham stated three is all that were used. "Smokey and the Bandit" stars Burt Reynolds, Sally . Thats all well and good, and it worked smooth as silk for a good while. 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 . The films are indeed classic and very funny to this day. I was a junior high school age kid when this film came out. American Brands: AMC, Jeep and All Others, Tractors, Lawn Mowers, Off-Road Equipment, CC Outtake: The CC House, and With a New Recent Exotic Addition, CC TV Outtake: This Used Car Commercial Didn't Make It On The Air, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cODPt3T0cHE. The worldwide gross is estimated at over $300 million. As deals were made for the actors and producers, the studio wanted to renegotiate my deal. I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean. [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. Check out the entire video below. I prefer Buford T. Justices 1980 Pontiac Bonneville and his 1983 Pontiac Bonneville in Smokey and The Bandit III. 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. 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. In October 2020, a Smokey and the Bandit TV series was revealed to be in development, with a pilot written by David Gordon Green and Brian Sides and also executive produced with his Rough House confederates Jody Hill, Danny McBride and Brandon James, as well as Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins of Fuzzy Door.[44]. Reynolds and Field began dating during the filming.[13]. [11] The movie was primarily filmed in Georgia, in the cities of McDonough, Jonesboro, and Lithonia. 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. In the 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit, a high-speed chase ensues between the police and the Bandit (Burt Reynolds). 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. By the film's ending, the final surviving Trans Am and LeMans were both barely running and the other cars had become parts donors to keep them running. 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. [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). A guy we knew drove his half-ton pickup from western WA to his reserve 2-week stint in his home state in California. Theres really nothing like an old cop car. Every idiot with more money than brains wanted a 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. Burt Reynolds recently revealed the ridiculous number of Pontiac Trans Ams they went through filming 1977s Smokey and the Bandit. This movie came out during my early formative years pre grade school. . All pictures from the movie were acquired from www.imcdb.org, Fred Lives!!! This is obvious, because there is no fuel tank on the underside of the trailer to power the refrigeration unit, and the unit is never heard running. Mr. Reynolds made a bunch of low budget films before this , all had wild chase scenes with cop cars crashing & going into swamps . In the U.K., the heavily dubbed version was shown for several years, particularly by the BBC. 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. That said, an uncomplimentary accent does exist. 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. Reynolds replied: We went through 12. Alan Reed was the original voice of Fred Flintstone; Henry Corden only took over after Reeds death in 1977. This was the lull between Gas Crisis I and II, 1976-78, and Boomers were wanting stylish cars. I always think scumbum because when I watched it as a kid in the early 90s, it was usually on TBS. As luck and script writing would have it, Frog has left her groom at the altar. Gleasons Justice is the stereotypical Southern sheriff, as seen in this clip. I will confess that by the time this movie was out, I was a Mopar guy. Earlier DVD releases and the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray of the film have the original soundtrack intact. 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. Director Hal Needham convinced Pontiac to feature the Pontiac Trans Am in the movie. 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. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. 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. Starring Bob Hope, that comedic star of the screen, and the lovely Jane Russell boy what a pair! I never forgot that one. ", "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. His personaround, dumpy, and clipping wordsreminds one of another fictional southern sheriff. 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. Well, at least that's what you saw in the movie. Funny that T/A isnt on the movie poster, considering it was the obvious star of the show. I also own a 1:18 scale version of the Bandit Trans Am. The theme music "East Bound and Down" was sung and co-written by Reed (credited under his birth name, Jerry Hubbard) and Dick Feller. [5] Sally Field only accepted the part after her agent advised her that she needed a big movie role on her rsum. High estimates for the car were up to $80,000, but the actual sale price was $450,000. Good silly fun. I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. 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". 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. Many nameplates lost their performance credentials, and some of them, like the Ford Mustang, were redesigned without a V-8 engine. Here are 20 facts about the Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. You might think that seeing their cars routinely destroyed on movie screens across the country would give the manufacturer pause, but that is not the case at all. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). The soundtrack album was released in 1977 on vinyl, cassette, and 8-track through MCA Records. Now then you mentionned Sheriff JW Pepper, I decided to post some Youtube clips of him. Unfortunately he passed away a few months ago or that would have been a great question to ask. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? He's a proud member of the TopSpeed team since early 2014. Needham stated that by the end of production, there really wasnt much left of any of the three. The cars were originally ordered by a car rental agency in Phoenix, who refused to accept the . The DVD set meets NTSC standards. I looked at a Bluesmobile worthy 1977 Plymouth Grand Fury, the big ones, it was an ex Florida Highway Patrol car, but it had a pretty good amount of rust and it was pretty beat. 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.