After the movie came out, Firebird sales increased even more, but the Trans Am was now the most popular one. I guess the Trans Am proved to have more staying power than the hot 71 Ford in the earlier movie. . Hes fodder enough for his own article at some point. 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. It was the second-highest-grossing movie of 1977 after Star Wars. At the drive-in of all places. The third-generation Firebird was introduced in 1982, a full two years later than planned. We just watched this with the kids the other week, along with Cannonball Run. 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. That's because Pontiac almost canceled the Firebird in the early 1970s. It was a powerful car, and I was glad to be issued it as my range car instead of one of the new but already disintegrating 1985 Oldsmobiles supplied by a local dealer that most people had. Sheriff Justices son, Junior. Also up for auction was a go-kart replica of the car, which sold for nearly $14,000. Supposedly there was a stick car for the burnouts and an automatic car for other shots. I was just tweaking Jason. [6] It would become one of Reed's biggest hits and his signature song.[7]. Earlier DVD releases and the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray of the film have the original soundtrack intact. 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. He enlists the help of fellow truck driver Cletus The Snowman Snow, played by country music singer Jerry Reed. I ended up buying a 1969 Cadillac ambulance a year later! There has never been anything quite like late 1970s fashion in clothing. 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. The original film had correct sounds that were usually recorded live as the action took place. Three Kenworth W900A short-frame semi trucks, driven by Reed, were each equipped with 38-inch sleepers. I did help a friend rebuild a late 60s 400 to replace the anemic 301 in his 79, Trans Am. It seems Plymouth was in a distant second for product placement. 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. A series of four made-for-TV spin-off films (Bandit Goes Country, Bandit Bandit, Beauty and the Bandit, and Bandit's Silver Angel) were produced in 1994 for Universal Television's Action Pack with actor Brian Bloom playing a younger version of the Bandit. I distinctly remember my mother buying Coors and being asked if she lived in Missouri or Illinois by the cashier. I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean. a custom mandrel bent dual exhaust, and the Mondello bottom end plate to stabilize the windowed mains. That song often pops into my head at the start of long drives. Back in 1984, I went to look at a late 1970s Plymouth cop car as well. I've heard . [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. Coors wasnt pasteurized. Good silly fun. So, for years one, two, and three, he got a shiny new Pontiac. As I did Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. One time a friend and I drove back to Kentucky on leave rather than flying; no particular reason, we had plenty of time and wanted to see some of the country. 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. However, as our heroes were successful in delivering their truckload of Coors, the writers effectively poised themselves for a sequel. 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! Some of the more recent DVD releases of it redid all of the engine sounds and it sounds much more mellow than the original(not happy about that). http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/john-fedack-my-days-as-a-dekalb-county-police-officer/. Please to note I didnt say _I_ didnt like them as I was in my 20s then (early 1970s) so I hustled my self and my Russian girlfriend right on down to the cinema every time Burt Reynolds had a new flick , I personally loved his movies even the chick flicks like The Man Who Loved Women , I just had to hear earfuls from everyone else about how awful he / those movies were.. We even bought one of those Pontiac Police Specials on auction from. S&TB was filmed primarily off Route 400 in Georgia. February 27, 2023 . Needham served as the driver for the stunt (in place of Reynolds), while Lada St. Edmund was in the same car (in place of Field). 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. 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 . At the time, Reynolds was the top box office star in the world. As deals were made for the actors and producers, the studio wanted to renegotiate my deal. Sales jumped even higher in 1979 when Pontiac moved 117,108 Trans Ams. I certainly hope the guy hired to drive that 74 Ford Torino wagon was paid well for his work. The scoops were added by the department because the engines ran so hot. Most of the dialogue was improvised on set. It wasnt distributed in Washington in those days either. Frog not included. I'm afraid I was responsible for a good few of those. He gave Needham a preview of the song and, getting no reaction, offered to rewrite it. Jason, Using the words nuance, subtlety, complexity and intellect to describe this movie, is, as they say, trs amusant! [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. As Frog leaves, we are introduced to Sheriff Buford T. Justice, played by Jackie Gleason. Please refresh the page and try again. 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. The film was followed by two sequels: Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). We also learn that every launched satellite will eventually fall back to Earth, such as this 1972 Plymouth Satellite (CC here). A 1975 Pontiac Grand Ville, seen toward the end of the movie. 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. In the 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit, a high-speed chase ensues between the police and the Bandit (Burt Reynolds). Smokey and the Bandit | East Bound and Down - YouTube 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. Reynolds actively pushed for her casting after Universal initially resisted, claiming Field was not attractive enough. Im pretty sure that the car that barks second when he takes off with Frog had to be a stick. Did I mention how much I enjoy reading all the back stories and niggly details I can only get here ? I know that Trans Am that jumped that bridge broke the axle when it landed. The sticker read "T/A 6.6," which was a reminder of the engine's 6.6-liter displacement. 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. Smokey and the Bandit: Behind-the-Scenes Details With - MotorTrend The dubbed version is awful. And it was worth it for the brand, as the nameplate sales decided following the redesign. 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. Only one survived, and it's priceless. . 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. The roundup sequence in the desert shows many new Pontiac Le Mans sedans decorated as police cars being destroyed. S/E T/A with the round headlights. Just do a search for Crown Victorias on your local CL. When Im driving the Bandit Trans Am while playing one of my many Forza Motorsport games I always put that song on. The unrestored car reportedly showed up on eBay back in 2015, but no one wanted to buy it. The advertisements lampoon the film and feature a Pontiac Trans Am and a cover version of the song East Bound and Down. How "Smokey and the Bandit" was born | Fortune 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. Im gonna barbecue your ass in molasses., Re: The picture with 4 ladies and the wagon and van. 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. 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. Now then you mentionned Sheriff JW Pepper, I decided to post some Youtube clips of him. 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. Smokey & The Bandit Police Cars. I was to be paid a salary plus own 7% of the profits. The trip to Texarkana is uneventful; soon after leaving for the return trip to Georgia, The Bandit encounters Frog, played by Sally Field. From living there for my first two decades, I noticed the accent didnt get going good until around Sikeston (not Saxton as it would seem) and it progressed as you went deeper into the Bootheel. "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. Florida Trans Am Shop Burns - Motorious (Still). 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. Reynolds is referenced by name in several early episodes of the series. It made no sense to me as it was fifty miles north and fifty miles south. 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. Smokey & The Bandit is the greatest movie of the 20th Century! 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: . S&B is one of my all-time favorite movies and Im not apologizing. 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. Needham and assistant director David Hamburger spent 30 hours revising the shooting schedule.[4]. This movie just showed how much an urban legend the supposed unobtainability had become. 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! Filmmakers destroyed 230 cars in the filming of 'Furious 7.' Smokey And The Bandit: A Car-chase Classic. The scene where Sheriff Justice's car has the door knocked off by a passing . 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. But while the cars shown in the movie look like 1977-model-year Trans Ams, they were actually 1976 models. The whereabouts of the remaining Smokey and the Bandit car, the one that was used to promote the movie, remained a mystery for years. and the Dixie Dance Kings, and Burts car was a 57 [56?] Pontiac should have made a radio that played that song automatically simply by pushing a button, or maybe made it the horn sound. Let us dissect this flick to better examine it. How Many Cars Did Blues Brothers Wreck | Car Geek document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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 just dont like car novices that assume the Pontiac T/A was soley a movie tie in car and the it started in 1977.. Regular film-goers might not pay much attention to the car's engine sound, but gearheads will quickly notice that something is off. 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 . Although 1977 models also featured 6.6-liter engines, they were rated at only 200 horses. Producer Hal Needham intended Smokey and the Bandit to be one of the best product placement films of all time. If you notice there are several different angled skid marks on the road in the scene where the Bandit picks up Frog, you can see that they did a couple of takes of the T/A skidding to a stop and taking off again. When I was a kid I thought they were the same person. Just like the exaggeration sales went up 700%. I really enjoyed this discussion. 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. 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. 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. The secrets behind the cars and stunts in 'The Italian Job'. Ive since read on the internet that it wasnt illegal so much as a practical thing with it being shipped in refrigerated trucks. 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!. The movie is responsible for something, by 1979 Pontiac was selling 100,000 plus Trans Ams, not the whole Firebird line, JUST Trans Ams, Pontiac sold more T/As in 1979 than any of the cheaper Firebirds combined, Smokey and the Bandit had to have a hand in that. 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. Gator , Stroker Ace , lots of them . Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, [original research?] I have worked a long time to eradicate the one I had but it still crops up periodically from exposure, like you experienced. A Pontiac wagon from earlier in the decade. This movie trailer gives you an taste of this provocative film, but fails to effectively capture all the subtleties and nuances it contains. These Furys, as well as some of the LeMans units, have hood scoops. Oh, and a hooker girlfriend that looked like Annie Potts. Well, they simply considered that the Trans Am didn't sound intimidating enough. Chevy brought back the Z28, and cant say S&B was reason. You want to questions bra sales, check out the youtube video of Hang on Sloopy by the Mccoys, the color version.wowza! For this purpose, they overdubbed dialogue deemed offensive, which was common practice. [29] Alfred Hitchcock claimed that the film was one of his favorites. The theme music "East Bound and Down" was sung and co-written by Reed (credited under his birth name, Jerry Hubbard) and Dick Feller. My family did all grocery shopping in Cape. After the movie did well, Pontiac gave Burt a free Trans Am to drive for a few years. Field enjoyed making the film, but remembers that virtually the entire project was improvised. When it was over, I cried and cried and cried because I didnt want it to end. 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. [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. I have only seen pieces of the second and none of the third; I plan to keep it that way. During a Q&A session on Saturday, filmed by ComicBook.com, a fan asked how many Trans Ams they burned through during production. AWESOME! Smokey and the Bandit Pursuit Pack 1 2 3 DVD Burt Reynolds Cult Car Free shipping for many products! No more needs to be said. radio to help him out. Mines never gone away, especially now that I spend every thee month in Memphis. 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. I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. But 1978 returned sales of 93,351 examples, a jump of around 25,000 cars. Learn how your comment data is processed. In its place was the nonsensical scum bum. The voice over actor? 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. I still couldnt resist lighting up the Pontiacs tires while executing my T-turns. January 24, 2019 100 comments.