Required fields are marked *. If you watched the second clip above, this truck should look familiar. Back in 1984, I went to look at a late 1970s Plymouth cop car as well. It took four evenings to see almost all of the movie in bits and pieces. I was a junior high school age kid when this film came out. 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. That is an excellent question. 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). I certainly hope the guy hired to drive that 74 Ford Torino wagon was paid well for his work. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. Mr. Reynolds elevated the dreck that he appeared in to a higher level, that is, enjoyable. [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. Free shipping for many products! Gleason was a genius, but this was not one of his better outings I prefer the Hustler and Gigot. [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. My family did all grocery shopping in Cape. He contacted Pontiac and an agreement was made that four 1977 Trans Ams and two Pontiac LeMans four-door sedans would be provided for the movie. Supposedly there was a stick car for the burnouts and an automatic car for other shots. 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. 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. As if GM owes them something. 5. [4] Reynolds said in 2015 that he most enjoyed this film, and had the most fun making it, of his career.[26]. You can see in some shots in the movie that the Bandit Trans Am has 1976 style gold honeycomb wheels instead of the gold snowflake wheels from the 1977, I think at least one of the cars used in filming was a 1976 converted with a 1977 front clip. 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. Burt Reynolds himself drove the car on stage to the song "East Bound and Down" and signed it. Chevy almost did the same with its counterpart, the Camaro. Five-string banjo player Bobby Thompson is prominent toward the end of "East Bound and Down". 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. [5], Universal Studios bankrolled Smokey and the Bandit for $5.3 million, figuring it was a good risk. The film was followed by two sequels: Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). I also own a Etrl replica of the Pontiac Bonneville Buford T. Justice drove in Smokey and The Bandit II. 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 . Great fun! [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). [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. The original Blues Brothers movie from 1980 is a classic, and fans were excited when a sequel was announced in 1998. . The $%&#* Germans got nuthin to do with it!, Such a great movie I grew up in the 80s, so it was comforting to watch this, Blues Brothers, or Animal House once a week on TBS/TNT. I beg to differ Mr -Nate. As I did Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. The paint code for each truck was coffee brown with gold trims and the 48-foot (15m) mural trailer used was manufactured by Hobbs Trailers in Texas with a non-operational Thermo King Refrigeration unit. The checker, not batting an eye, Do you want that chilled?. 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. The soundtrack album was released in 1977 on vinyl, cassette, and 8-track through MCA Records. 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. 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. February 27, 2023 . Id like to hear from Mr. Needham why so many of those police cars had what look like shaker hood scoops. No more needs to be said. The sticker read "T/A 6.6," which was a reminder of the engine's 6.6-liter displacement. 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. 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!) As deals were made for the actors and producers, the studio wanted to renegotiate my deal. He enlists the help of fellow truck driver Cletus The Snowman Snow, played by country music singer Jerry Reed. And Coors itself limited its distribution to west of the Mississippi. That song often pops into my head at the start of long drives. Further, as Pontiac has deliciously obvious product placement, anyone who delights in 70s era Pontiac iron will experience visual ecstasy. Its weird how it works. I am still drawn to the shape of these cars, and others that have that long and low look about them. Anyone with insight is encouraged to share their knowledge on this. 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. The trip to Texarkana is uneventful; soon after leaving for the return trip to Georgia, The Bandit encounters Frog, played by Sally Field. January 24, 2019 100 comments. Check out the entire video below. how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2. Probably the most famous TV edit of all time is I have had it with these monkey-fightin snakes on this Monday-to-Friday plane!. Burt Reynolds plays truck driver Bo Bandit Darville. I drive a conversion van. 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. This same restaurant was used for a scene in the 1983 Stephen King Movie Christine, which was ultimately cut in the final film (it can be viewed as a deleted scene on the DVD release of the film). Hes fodder enough for his own article at some point. Due to his financial difficulties in 2014, Reynolds put his vast collection of artwork and memorabilia up for auction, including the Trans Am. a custom mandrel bent dual exhaust, and the Mondello bottom end plate to stabilize the windowed mains. The dubbed version is awful. 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. I also own a 1:18 scale version of the Bandit Trans Am. A diablo sammich from my understanding is a like a Sloppy Joe but with taco seasoning added in for spice. [38], In 2014, petroleum company Mobil 1 produced television commercials, featuring then-NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, closely based on the film. 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. That is why there are not any left. Jackie Gleason ad libbed a lot of his lines too. Car movies are notorious for being tough on the very vehicles that give them their allure. I was in the Air Force during this era, stationed in California. When it was over, I cried and cried and cried because I didnt want it to end. I actually remember the construction of that segment of I-75, as it stopped around Tampa prior to that time. 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. 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. Pontiac should have made a radio that played that song automatically simply by pushing a button, or maybe made it the horn sound. [12] The area around Helen, Georgia, was used for some locations. Needham had great difficulty getting any studios or producers to take his project seriously, being better known in the film industry as a stuntman. 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. It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. But that doesnt make for an interesting movie premise. There was still a market for bras in the 1970s. Reynolds and Field began dating during the filming.[13]. 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. I was in West Plains the other day and there is yet another variation of it there. WildI watched this for the first time in years after watching the latest Archer.the whole thing is an homage to S&B. Actually, there were 2 future Dukes stars in the movie: Ben Jones (Cooter) was in an early scene helping Big Enos find Bandit. By the end of June, it had played in major Southern markets, including Charlotte, Atlanta, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Memphis, Dallas, and Oklahoma City, grossing $11.9 million. Always a favorite. What were the police cars in Smokey and the Bandit? The next movie, Smokey and the Bandit II, featured the same cast and an updated version of the Trans Am.The second version of the Smokey and the Bandit car was a 1980 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that had a similar paint job, the updated front end, and gold "Turbine" style wheels.The 1980 models featured a turbocharged 4.9L Pontiac V8, but that still wasn't enough power for the stunt personnel. The cars were originally ordered by a car rental agency in Phoenix, who refused to accept the . 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. Well, the Corvettes success is clearly due to Corvette Summer, @Jim I remember that movie! The change was somewhat strange as most automakers were using cubic-inch numerals to advertise engines. I really enjoyed this discussion. 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. Some weren't that lucky and were discontinued altogether. In my area, nearly every one listed is an ex cop car. It made no sense to me as it was fifty miles north and fifty miles south. Producer Hal Needham intended Smokey and the Bandit to be one of the best product placement films of all time. About two seconds after this picture was taken, these motorcycles were doing their best imitation of a stack of pancakes. Smokey and the Bandit II is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, .
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