As I am finishing this article while Big Truck Week is winding down, here is a Kenworth with a 1973 Dodge Polara patrol car. Another one is, Theres no way youre from my loins.. 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. Most of the dialogue was improvised on set. Soon as I get home, first thing Im gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth!. I was in the Air Force during this era, stationed in California. I was 10 when this movie came out and I loved it then and I still do. 3-Smokey and the Bandit 3-A crime against humanity, not even LSD can make it watchable since you spend the whole night fighting imaginary flying cobras with Jackie Gleasons head on them. S&TB was filmed primarily off Route 400 in Georgia. Ive also looked at a Fox based LTD cop car and an early 1991 whale Caprice 9C1 detective model, burgundy on burgundy cloth. Ive always loved this movie. It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. Further, as Pontiac has deliciously obvious product placement, anyone who delights in 70s era Pontiac iron will experience visual ecstasy. 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. The Bandit's car was a second-generation Trans Am and the prize for completing the run was a new truck rather than $80,000. Watching TV and Movies you would think that sales dropped to nil. Jackie Gleason ad libbed a lot of his lines too. After the movie came out, Firebird sales increased even more, but the Trans Am was now the most popular one. Henry Corden, the voice of cartoon character Fred Flintstone. 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. Not a bad deal, but on the fourth year, no new car. In a rare public appearance, Burt Reynolds revealed how many cars they wrecked making Smokey and Mrs Jason wont let me sell the sumbitch. 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. 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. I've heard . how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2. February 27, 2023 . 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. The original Blues Brothers movie from 1980 is a classic, and fans were excited when a sequel was announced in 1998. . Reynolds is referenced by name in several early episodes of the series. thebandit77transam 2009-04-14 14:04. andre1969 wrote Pontiac supplied 5 brand-new cars for "Smokey and the Bandit". I prefer Buford T. Justices 1980 Pontiac Bonneville and his 1983 Pontiac Bonneville in Smokey and The Bandit III. 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. Bill Justis is the first name on the credits for the soundtrack, as he composed and arranged original music throughout the film. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. [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 secrets behind the cars and stunts in 'The Italian Job'. 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. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. 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. Film critic Leonard Maltin gave the film a good rating (3 stars out of a possible 4) and characterized it as "about as subtle as The Three Stooges, but a classic compared to the sequels and countless rip-offs which followed". The checker, not batting an eye, Do you want that chilled?. Sheriff Justices son, Junior. We also learn that every launched satellite will eventually fall back to Earth, such as this 1972 Plymouth Satellite (CC here). 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. 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. East bound and down, loaded up and truckin 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. I have since moved on from them, mainly because in stock form, they were not particularly great cars (though good enough for the times). New York, 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. 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. Of course, nobody else cared if it was in the trunk of the car when heading back home. The movies are rated PG with a run time of 282 minutes and released to video by Universal Studios. In the original script, Carrie was called Kate while Big Enos and Little Enos were called Kyle and Dickey. Because of the popularity of the film and the sales success of the Trans Am, the president of Pontiac Alex Mair promised to supply Reynolds with a Trans Am each year. The cop cars with the hood scoops were ex-DeKalb County (Georgia) cruisers. And theres beer in Texarkana.. I enjoyed the hell out of my 1976 Dart Pursuit. In the movie . Of course, we could argue that Needham could have used the engine note of a Pontiac GTO from the golden muscle car, but the 1955 Custom recordings were probably readily available, and he just didn't need the hassle. S&B is one of my all-time favorite movies and Im not apologizing. Sonny Shroyer (Enos) was the motorcycle cop who was given the 1-finger salute by Sally Field. The worldwide gross is estimated at over $300 million. Even today when I stumble across this cinematic masterpiece being rerun on cable tv, Ill watch the entire thing. 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.. 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. [12] The area around Helen, Georgia, was used for some locations. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? Im east bound, just watch ol Bandit run.. 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. 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. Smokey and the Bandit was one of the most iconic movies of the 1970s. Earlier DVD releases and the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray of the film have the original soundtrack intact. Dont let his grumpiness fool you though; hes more than excited to provide the latest news and reviews on the most interesting cars in the industry. In my area, nearly every one listed is an ex cop car. When Smokey and the Bandit first aired on American network television in the early 1980s, censors were faced with the challenge of toning down the raw language of the original film. I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit is one of the most famous movie cars of all time. 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. For this purpose, they overdubbed dialogue deemed offensive, which was common practice. And Burt may be from GA originally, but he calls Florida home, which is another reason I heard the movie was filmed here. As if GM owes them something. Was it a heathen? Haul my wife and four shelter adoptee mutts in it. 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. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 78% rating based on 32 reviews. 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). At the drive-in of all places. They quickly escape in one of Big Enos's 13 Cadillacs as police flood the racetrack. Reynolds and Field began dating during the filming.[13]. Its W.W. The decals were changed to 1977-style units, as evidenced by the engine size callouts on the hood scoop being in liters rather than cubic inches, as had been the case in 1976. [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. Somewhere along the line, the company acquired a new president who told Reynolds: Im the new president, and I dont like your movies. Heres how it works. 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. 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. And then they made the biggest mistake of their lives and went to national distribution. Of course, it's difficult to asses whether these small decals did something to change buyer perception about the Trans Am, but it's an interesting part of the Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am's history. Sure Smokey helped, but was not the sole reason T/A and F body sales went up. His expletive is obscured when a passing big rig sounds its horn. . J.J. & The Dixie Dance Kings was a milder one that had (I think) a 56 Buick Century . There was still a market for bras in the 1970s. 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. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? "Smokey and the Bandit Pursuit Pack" is formatted as a box set that in presented in full color in widescreen. Gleasons Justice is the stereotypical Southern sheriff, as seen in this clip. 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. UNIVERSAL CUT THE BUDGET JUST AS PRODUCTION WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN. Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Jerry Reed) drives the truck while his good buddy Bo "Bandit" Darville (Reynolds) serves as the "blocker," a fast car used to divert police attention away from payload. 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 79-year-old 70s and 80s heartthrob made a rare public appearance over the weekend at Wizard World Chicago. [40] Major portions of the audio background have been modified with different engine sounds or tire squeals from the original film. Director Hal Needham convinced Pontiac to feature the Pontiac Trans Am in the movie. The little packy there had Coors and even though it was horribly expensive, we thought it was the elixer of the Gods. The original film had correct sounds that were usually recorded live as the action took place. Did I mention how much I enjoy reading all the back stories and niggly details I can only get here ? Gleason probably wanted too much money to provide the dubbing, which is a shame because it ruins the TV version. 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 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. If it wasnt for Smokey & the Bandit, the Dukes of Hazzard TV series would not exist. Now, having only three Trans Ams to wreck for a movie is minimalist, to say the least. [21], Smokey and the Bandit was a sleeper hit. It was his idea to have Junior alongside him throughout the film. 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. That's because the Trans Am in Smokey and the Bandit didn't sound like a Trans Am. If they werent burning candles to an image of a cowboy hatted Burt Reynolds at Pontiac headquarters. When it was over, I cried and cried and cried because I didnt want it to end. The unrestored car reportedly showed up on eBay back in 2015, but no one wanted to buy it. Before Gleason was cast in the film, Richard Boone was originally considered for the role of Buford T. Theres really nothing like an old cop car. 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. That is why there are not any left. [34] In 2015 a Florida-based automobile customization company built 77 Trans Ams modeled after the car that Reynolds drove in the film. He paid $550,000 for it, likely a record for any Pontiac Firebird. 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. 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. 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 . Likely this isnt any rare engine venting package, but I could be wrong. 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. That girl from the McCoys video probably looks like Paula Deen now. Hes fodder enough for his own article at some point. The scoops were added by the department because the engines ran so hot. I really enjoyed this discussion. [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. Supposedly there was a stick car for the burnouts and an automatic car for other shots. In the 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit, a high-speed chase ensues between the police and the Bandit (Burt Reynolds). Many people believed beforehand that the film was not right for . ", "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. Free shipping for many products! 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. 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. Nah, they survived by coming up with bras with very thin cups. 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 outsold its Chevrolet Camaro counterpart for the first time. The Burdettes' car is a 1974 Cadillac Eldorado convertible painted in a "Candy Red" color scheme and is seen briefly at the beginning of the movie and in the final scene as the Bandit, the Snowman, Fred the dog, and Frog use it to make their escape. . [11] The movie was primarily filmed in Georgia, in the cities of McDonough, Jonesboro, and Lithonia. The soundtrack album was released in 1977 on vinyl, cassette, and 8-track through MCA Records. 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. 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. Back in 1984, I went to look at a late 1970s Plymouth cop car as well. [10], Principal photography of the film began on August 30, 1976. Future President Gerald Ford, after a trip to Colorado, hid it in his luggage to take it back to Washington, D.C. President Dwight D. Eisenhower had a steady supply airlifted by the Air Force to Washington. As a publicity stunt, the Trans Ams used in the movie had different decals on the hood scoop. I still regret selling mine almost 30 years ago. According to director Hal Needham in the DVD documentary, Pontiac gave them three Trans-Ams and two LeMans (Sheriff Justice's patrol car) for the film. 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. During a Q&A session on Saturday, filmed by ComicBook.com, a fan asked how many Trans Ams they burned through during production. Stroker Ace is after S&B, 1983, and features the then new for 83 aero Fox Body Thunderbird. MN12 Thunderbirds had the same appeal to me, for similar reasons. Gleason was given free rein to ad-lib dialogue and make suggestions. WildI watched this for the first time in years after watching the latest Archer.the whole thing is an homage to S&B. Put one on and the lady looks like shes not wearing a bra. Whaddya expect outta a guy what drives a conversion van? I have at least 4 really good car buddies that will from time to time love popping this movie in to watch. 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. 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) . Upon showing it to his friend, Reynolds told Needham that it was the worst script he had ever read, but that he would still make the movie. 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. That's because Pontiac almost canceled the Firebird in the early 1970s. Plus , I loved those late 1960s through mid 1970s Plymouths even though Im a Bowtie Guy by default . I think thats another line theyve edited out for the television version. 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. Although 1977 models also featured 6.6-liter engines, they were rated at only 200 horses. Needing a fast set of wheels to distract law enforcement, Reynolds character purchases this 1977 Pontiac Trans-Am. Gator , Stroker Ace , lots of them . Rockford Files also featured Firebird, and was on since 1974, and Fs sold well despite gas crunch I and inflation. The most noted change made for network broadcast was the replacing of Buford's often-spoken phrase "sumbitch" (a contraction of "son of a bitch"; usually in reference to the Bandit) with the phrase "scum bum". Justice. NY 10036. The cars were originally ordered by a car rental agency in Phoenix, who refused to accept the . Smokey & The Bandit is the greatest movie of the 20th Century! 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. That song often pops into my head at the start of long drives. My family did all grocery shopping in Cape. Burt Reynolds may be 79, but he shows no signs of slowing down. The cars were 1976 models, the engines fitted to them were 455ci powerplants, the last year these engines were offered for sale before withdrawal. The films are indeed classic and very funny to this day. All I know is, at the time, if you lived in the east, Coors was some really special beer not unlike microbrews are now. A 1977 special-edition model once owned by the late actor Burt Reynolds recently wound up on the car auction website Bring a Trailer. Needham and assistant director David Hamburger spent 30 hours revising the shooting schedule.[4]. The sticker read "T/A 6.6," which was a reminder of the engine's 6.6-liter displacement. Despite growing up next to Cape, most of relatives are from the Mid-South. 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. Your email address will not be published. These were the cans with the two circular push buttons on top instead of pull tabs. 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. Weve got a long way to go and a short time to get there The differences between the two are major. And it was worth it for the brand, as the nameplate sales decided following the redesign. The gag with the overpass being blown up was actually a bridge built for the movie on the unfinished highway, and AFAIK, the truck driver who jumps the void ended up breaking his back in the stunt. However, the scene and the obscured expletive were played for comedy value and written as such, with the passing truck being the gag of the scene more than a way to avoid the censors. As I did Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. Because sales were so high, Pontiac decided to delay the third-generation model. I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean. Originally, the film was going to be a B-movie played only in the Southern United States. 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. Burt Reynolds plays truck driver Bo Bandit Darville. How much did the Smokey and the Bandit car sell for? Smokey and the Bandit is a 1977 American road action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry. As deals were made for the actors and producers, the studio wanted to renegotiate my deal. I will confess that by the time this movie was out, I was a Mopar guy. For Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), Needham asked for and received 10 Trans Ams and 55 Bonnevilles with no trouble. [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. Smokey and the Bandit was the second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States. Gotta love that guy! Thats all well and good, and it worked smooth as silk for a good while. Always loved this movie growing up. After the movie did well, Pontiac gave Burt a free Trans Am to drive for a few years. How many smokey and the bandit movies are there? The area around Helen, Georgia, was used for some locations. It became Reed's signature song and is on multiple albums, including Country Legends and his live album Jerry Reed "Live!" I think you may be confusing the movie Honky-Tonk Freeway with the filming done during I-75 construction near Sarasota. [6] It would become one of Reed's biggest hits and his signature song.[7]. 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. Lets take a look at some more cars found in the movie. Im gonna barbecue your ass in molasses., Re: The picture with 4 ladies and the wagon and van. . With that in mind, Ill go with what Ive heard from my Georgia friends, to wit Sheriff Justices diablo sandwich is the Macon version, which is made with fried eggs and red hots. In 1978, Pontiac delivered 93,351 Trans Ams and 93,944 regular Firebirds for a grand total of 187,295 cars. In Smokey and the Bandit, there were eight 1977 Trans-Am cars and approximately the same number of police cars (but some said ten). Check out the entire video below. No more needs to be said. [29] Alfred Hitchcock claimed that the film was one of his favorites. 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. Its lack of additives and preservatives meant that Coors could spoil in one week without refrigeration, explaining the film's 28-hour deadline. Required fields are marked *. It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. [5], Universal Studios bankrolled Smokey and the Bandit for $5.3 million, figuring it was a good risk. An effort to recreate a jump from Smokey and the Bandit doesn't go perfectly when the car takes a rough course off the ramp. You want to questions bra sales, check out the youtube video of Hang on Sloopy by the Mccoys, the color version.wowza! I own all three films on a dvd called the Smokey and The Bandit Pursuit Pack. Producers of Smokey and the Bandit wrecked 26 cars while filming the movie in 1977. [30] Upon meeting Reynolds, Billy Bob Thornton told him that the South considers the film to be less cinema and more documentary. Mines never gone away, especially now that I spend every thee month in Memphis. 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. They retained the white steering wheels until 72 or so , just the thing to preveny burned fingers in the Desert sun . I fondly remember lots and lots of terrible B grade movies @ the drive in in the early to mid 1970s all featuring cars racing , smashing and so on . They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. The 1977 model wasn't out yet when filming began, so General Motors provided 1976 cars with front clips from the soon-to-be-released 1977 update.