I still think its more entertaining than Star Wars. I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean. But 1978 returned sales of 93,351 examples, a jump of around 25,000 cars. The advertisements lampoon the film and feature a Pontiac Trans Am and a cover version of the song East Bound and Down. Heres how it works. Needing a fast set of wheels to distract law enforcement, Reynolds character purchases this 1977 Pontiac 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. Sales jumped even higher in 1979 when Pontiac moved 117,108 Trans Ams. Burt Reynolds as the Bandit can always count on the truckers on the other end of his C.B. you can find it on amazon.com . The uncut version is the best. As deals were made for the actors and producers, the studio wanted to renegotiate my deal. 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. 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. The comedy has been remastered to DVD standards. Chevy almost did the same with its counterpart, the Camaro. When it was over, I cried and cried and cried because I didnt want it to end. Chevy brought back the Z28, and cant say S&B was reason. The soundtrack album was released in 1977 on vinyl, cassette, and 8-track through MCA Records. Reed would eventually play the Bandit in Smokey and the Bandit Part 3, in which Reynolds only appeared in a cameo near the end. Well, the Corvettes success is clearly due to Corvette Summer, @Jim I remember that movie! [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). It airs on cable tv all the time. The original film had correct sounds that were usually recorded live as the action took place. And Coors itself limited its distribution to west of the Mississippi. 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. Five-string banjo player Bobby Thompson is prominent toward the end of "East Bound and Down". I guess the Trans Am proved to have more staying power than the hot 71 Ford in the earlier movie. However, the U.S. government introduced new emission controls in 1972, and automakers had to step back. He paid $550,000 for it, likely a record for any Pontiac Firebird. Many hardcore fans of Burt Reynolds' most iconic movie, 1977's "Smokey and The Bandit," know that none of those cool black Pontiac Trans Ams with gold trim survived the stunts in the film. If you somehow managed to miss Smokey and the Bandit in the years between the films 1977 release and now, you should rectify that situation immediately (to be fair, it was released two days after Star Wars, so its understandable if it slipped through the cracks). A guy we knew drove his half-ton pickup from western WA to his reserve 2-week stint in his home state in California. 1980 ERTL SMOKEY & THE BANDIT PONTIAC FIREBIRD DIECAST CAR police car Yet when I think of a 70s T/A, thats the one I and Im sure millions of other folks think of. Reynolds is referenced by name in several early episodes of the series. WildI watched this for the first time in years after watching the latest Archer.the whole thing is an homage to S&B. Two units were 1974 models, as evidenced by standard silver Kenworth emblems on the truck grille, and one unit was a 1973 model, as evidenced by the gold-painted Kenworth emblem on the truck's grille, signifying Kenworth's 50 years in business. One of our favorite movies. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. The theme music "East Bound and Down" was sung and co-written by Reed (credited under his birth name, Jerry Hubbard) and Dick Feller. 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. 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". Im east bound, just watch ol Bandit run.. I also own a Etrl replica of the Pontiac Bonneville Buford T. Justice drove in Smokey and The Bandit II. [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. 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. Remember that Smokey and the Bandit was the 2nd biggest movie of the year, right after Star Wars. Luckily, both cars survived, and the Trans Am became famous only five years later. The scenes set in Texarkana were filmed in Jonesboro and the surrounding area and many of the chase scenes were filmed in the surrounding areas on Highway 54 between Fayetteville and Jonesboro for a majority of the driving scenes, Mundy's Mill Road, Main Street in Jonesboro, Georgia State Route 400, I-85 (Pleasant Hill exit) and in McDonough. That is why there are not any left. 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. And lets not forget the Trans Am rental car Steve McQueen drove in his very last movie, The Hunter from 1980. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cODPt3T0cHE, We got a cage strong enough to hold you 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. Out of four Trans Ams used for the filming of Smokey And The Bandit, three were completely totaled in the process. 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. 1975 Plymouth Fury Police Pursuit Arkansas State Police "Smokey and The Coors was legal in Missouri and illegal in Illinois. Car movies are notorious for being tough on the very vehicles that give them their allure. 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. Check out the entire video below. 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. The original Blues Brothers movie from 1980 is a classic, and fans were excited when a sequel was announced in 1998. . [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). Jackie Gleason ad libbed a lot of his lines too. A movie for the people, "Smokey and the Bandit" is more - Hagerty 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. 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. Smokey and the Bandit | 4K Ultra HD | The Bandit Takes a 28 Hour Trip Except that shes not sagging. But would the black and gold T/As be as desirable today without the movie? Im pretty sure that the car that barks second when he takes off with Frog had to be a stick. 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. [32], After the debut of the film, the Pontiac Trans Am became wildly popular, with sales almost doubling within two years of the film's release. 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. 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]. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. 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. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. The three original films introduced two generations of the Pontiac Trans Am and the Dodge Stealth in the television movies. The scene featuring the racetrack was filmed at Lakewood Speedway at the old Lakewood Fairgrounds on Atlanta's south side. Conversely, I could go to Paducah and be asked where up north I was from. Required fields are marked *. Supposedly there was a stick car for the burnouts and an automatic car for other shots. During this time, the Firebird also surpassed sales figures of the Chevrolet Camaro. The tow truck driver was a local garage owner, Berlin Wike. Reynolds replied: We went through 12. My drivers ed driving range car was an ex-patrol colonnade Pontiac LeMans Enforcer. Free shipping for many products! In the movie . Reynolds and Field began dating during the filming.[13]. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). I had no idea that it was going to become a 70s classic. She is a runaway bride, sitting on the side of the road in her 1973 Chevrolet Impala coupe. 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. Another one is, Theres no way youre from my loins..