When Bandit removes a splinter from Charlotte's foot, she takes a liking to him. These were the cans with the two circular push buttons on top instead of pull tabs. Your email address will not be published. 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. Smokey & The Bandit is the greatest movie of the 20th Century! In the scene where "Frog" Sally Field meets back up with "The Bandit" Burt Reynolds, they meet at "Gator Motel". 1979 was equally successful for the brand, joining 1978 to create Pontiac's best sales years ever. Bandit later finds Carrie and tells her that he likes himself now, and that he does not want to be without her. What Trans Am was in Smokey and the Bandit 2? The other range car was a Chevette for people that wanted to learn on a manual transmission. Yet, the set used a 1976 model, as the 1977 vehicle was not ready. That was a car we abandoned on the side of the road. Coors was legal in Missouri and illegal in Illinois. As such, it took a lot of sweet talking by former stuntman Needham for Pontiac to cough up three Trans Ams and three LeManses. It was the second-highest-grossing movie of 1977 after Star Wars. Smokey and the Bandit II is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason and Dom DeLuise. 103 cars destroyed in the 1980 film, 104 cars destroyed in Blues Brothers 2000. There was very much an 'us and them' attitude. Cause theyre thirsty in Atlanta The 'Smokey and the Bandit' Trans Am was a 1976 model, and three were destroyed. 46,000 in 1976, 68,000 in 1977, 93,000 in 1978, 117,000 in 1979. They return later that night to steal it, only to find the "package" is a live elephant (the G.O.P. and used hard. Davis suffered compressed vertebrae as a result of a hard landing. and the Dixie Dance Kings, and Burts car was a 57 [56?] Lets take a look at some more cars found in the movie. Burt Reynolds was promised a car if the movie was successful. Some people have ripped this film as being thin on plot; others have called it a documentary about life south of the Mason-Dixon Line.. Burt Reynolds himself drove the car on stage to the song "East Bound and Down" and signed it. No money from the licence fee was used to create this website. This movie's budget was about US $ 17 million which was about four times the budget of the first Smokey and the Bandit (1977) movie. I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. Only 1,107 Y84 Special Edition Bandit Trans Ams were produced in 1979, according to sportscarmarket.com. 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. . This is one of the plot lines in Smokey and the Bandit Part 3. " My family did all grocery shopping in Cape. Back in 1984, I went to look at a late 1970s Plymouth cop car as well. DS: I had done a movie called Robbery where Id supplied all the cars. There was a problem. I am indeed a fan. http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/john-fedack-my-days-as-a-dekalb-county-police-officer/. This website is made by BBC Studios Distribution. Web. Unlike many iconic muscle cars that we've all come to know and love, the Trans Am was not that fast. Funny that T/A isnt on the movie poster, considering it was the obvious star of the show. 10. The film was followed by another sequel three years later, Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983), in which Reynolds only made a brief cameo appearance, and Sally Field did not appear. Hustlers' (1976), which features the term, was first released the year before. 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. So, it seems apt to end on this one, how was that final cliffhanger scene filmed? How Many Electrons Does Phosphorus Have to Gain in Order to Achieve an Octet? Texans Big Enos and Little Enos (Pat McCormick and Paul Williams respectively) deliver $400 boxes of Coors to a trucker named Bandit (Burt Reynolds) that they have to smuggle back to Atlanta. It took four evenings to see almost all of the movie in bits and pieces. I'm afraid I was responsible for a good few of those. There was a whole gang of young lads on that movie. They were maneuverable. HotCars covers all things automotive: the latest auto news and informative reviews on the car, pickup truck and motorcycle industries. How did any bra manufacturers survive the 70s? At the drive-in of all places. Entering Louisiana, Doc says that Charlotte is almost in labor and needs to be off her feet. There was a case of real beer in the shot though, and gradually as the day went on everyone was getting drunk and falling about so that probably helped with the sense that we were on the edge of the cliff. Thats all true. I remember borrowing my brothers red 1976 T/A to take a girl to the theater to see Smokey and the Bandit. When he sees Charlotte in tears, Bandit finally comes to his senses and apologizes. Burt Reynolds may be 79, but he shows no signs of slowing down. It was a quick, quick bodge, but thats the car that went over the cliff. COAL Update: 1963 Buick Riviera A Journey Of A Thousand Miles, Etc. Your information will be used in accordance with our privacy policy. That's because Pontiac almost canceled the Firebird in the early 1970s. So why did they go with sound effects instead of the Trans Am's actually exhaust noise? The film received almost completely negative reviews from critics who felt that it suffered badly in comparison to the original. The dubbed version isnt as bad as the Remastered Blu-ray. A Phoenix car agency declined to deliver the vehicles when it was made aware that they did not include air conditioning. Please refresh the page and try again. Are there any other stories from filming that have stuck in your brain all this time? Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Web. Reynolds replied: We went through 12. The movie had an even bigger impact on the Trans Am. So, the Aston Martin was supposed to be thrown over and explode as it went down. That is an excellent question. 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!. New York, My drivers ed driving range car was an ex-patrol colonnade Pontiac LeMans Enforcer. But that doesnt make for an interesting movie premise. AWESOME! As Frog leaves, we are introduced to Sheriff Buford T. Justice, played by Jackie Gleason. Jackie Gleason plays three characters in this movie: Sheriff Buford T. Justice, Gaylord Justice and Reginald Van Justice. The car used in the movie was a 1980 Pontiac Firebird Turbo Trans-Am. When Rmy Julienne was taken on he mainly wanted everything stripped out of the inside so that nothing would fly about. 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 dont know whose idea was to replace the wicked Two Lane Blacktop Chevy sourced engine sound effects with an authentic 200 horsepower muffled smogger 400, but that sumbitch is a scumbum!!! We were up a mountain and had to filmthe three cars being wrecked and thrown over the cliff. Call Of Duty 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. Gotta love that guy! The Pontiac Trans Am car belonging to the Bandit - Bo Darville was jokingly special billed by the production as "Son of Trigger". Top Gear gives you lessons on winter car care, Top Gears guide to buying a used BMW 3 Series, 10 used cars for 5k or less we found this week, The new Gran Turismo movie will hit cinemas on 11 August 2023, Carlos Sainz Sr flips his Audi Dakar car, gets airlifted to hospital, tells pilot to turn around, returns to race, The UKs cheapest, decent cars to insureincluding a few fast ones. BBC is a trademark of the British Broadcasting Corporation. He is hired by Big Enos Burdette and his son Little Enos to transport a truck load of Coors beer from Texarkana, Texas, back to Georgia in 28 hours. The area around Helen, Georgia , was used for some locations. Regular film-goers might not pay much attention to the car's engine sound, but gearheads will quickly notice that something is off. Sheriff Justice doesn't drive a Bonneville until the sequel, Smokey and the Bandit 2. I will confess that by the time this movie was out, I was a Mopar guy. Not all the police cars had hood scoops. Blimey. Mr. Reynolds elevated the dreck that he appeared in to a higher level, that is, enjoyable. Here in Canada they didnt censor it, so we always got the sumbitch version. 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. Nintendo; PS4; Xbox; PS5; Stadia; Gaming. Although 1977 models also featured 6.6-liter engines, they were rated at only 200 horses. Hes fodder enough for his own article at some point. Put one on and the lady looks like shes not wearing a bra. Burt Reynolds is originally a Georgia boy. But while the cars shown in the movie look like 1977-model-year Trans Ams, they were actually 1976 models. It was due to be torn down and rebuilt after being deemed in unsafe condition so its destruction was written into this movie. Pontiac gave Needham a total of four cars, three to use in the movie, and one as a promotional vehicle to drive around and advertise Smokey and the Bandit following its release. To give the 1976 model the look of the upcoming vehicle, the carmaker installed the bumper of the 1977 Pontiac. With this, the Sheriff begins his pursuit of the Mann Act-violating Banditall the way to Georgia. I grew up in Illinois, within eyeshot of the banks of the MIssissippi River, and ten miles from Cape Girardeau, Missouri. 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. It is the first film to feature director Hal Needham's "Blooper Reel Credit Crawl" at the end, in that a collection of bloopers and outtakes from the film showed on one side of the screen while the closing credits slowly scrolled up the other side. The assumption is that his favorite country singer is Jerry Reed. So lets explore this car (and truck) heavy flick, all while giving those who have not seen it a glimpse into a movie whose complexity and intellect remains unparalleled within the history of cinema. 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. The sound came from a 1955 Chevrolet Custom, the same car that was used in Two-Lane Blacktop and American Graffiti, films launched in 1971 and 1973, respectively. 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. Her groom? Im still trying to get clarification on what a diablo sandwich is though. We were at a crazy angle, in a Mini with a dodgy handbrake and we had to stay there and hide until the police car came up. That came out in 1981. The three movie cars were destroyed during various stunts, so the promo car is the only surviving Trans Am connected to this film. Other than Jackie Gleason upstaging every other cast member, the perceived star of the show is this 1977 Pontiac Trans Am. Most reports of his death still didnt have that right! How many cars were destroyed in fast and furious? Smokey and the Bandit II grossed $10,883,835 in its opening weekend, the second highest ever at the time, behind Star Trek: The Motion Picture. And the 400 Pontiac or 403 Olds versions could be made to run well. The movies are: Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Hooper (1978), Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and The End (1978). A 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix with a Buick Electra behind it. Around the 23 minute mark Burt Reynolds breaks the fourth wall when he looks into the camera and says "She still loves me" referring to Sally Field's character Carrie (Frog). 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. Genshin Impact; Mobile. I was in West Plains the other day and there is yet another variation of it there. How many cars were wrecked filming Smokey and the Bandit? The LeMans police car did nothing for me because there was a colonnade LeMans sedan in the garage at home. Mines never gone away, especially now that I spend every thee month in Memphis. The third-generation Firebird was introduced in 1982, a full two years later than planned. I also own a 1:18 scale version of the Bandit Trans Am. 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. Jana, another oddity was that I could go to Carbondale and be asked where down south I was from. 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.. Unfortunately, three of the four, The Pontiac Trans Am owned by Burt Reynolds and based on the one in his movie. I really enjoyed this discussion. There has never been anything quite like late 1970s fashion in clothing. Great fun! How many Trans Am cars were used in the original smokey and The Bandit movie? 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. Movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Furious 7 may ruin a lot of cars, but they were far from the first. This movie came out during my early formative years pre grade school. Why Is It Important to Break the Vacuum Seal Before Turning Off the Vacuum? 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. So many classic quotes in this movie. However, two of the principal stars of the film, Burt Reynolds and Sally Field declined to participate due to a contract dispute. . It was also shown in the background during the first Smokey and the Bandit (1977) movie. Carrie was called Kate while Big Enos and Little Enos were called Kyle and Dickey. All pictures from the movie were acquired from www.imcdb.org, Fred Lives!!! Gleason has a treasure trove of hilarious lines and it was this movie that started my love affair of cars back in the early 1980s. The sticker read "T/A 6.6," which was a reminder of the engine's 6.6-liter displacement. 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!) So I bought the car, drove back up to the mountains and got there about 20 minutes before we were supposed to shoot. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_301466-Ford-LTD-II-1977.html. Then I had these huge magnesium sump guards made and we had roll bars inside the car. As a publicity stunt, the Trans Ams used in the movie had different decals on the hood scoop. The original uncut sumbitch version. 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?????? Gleason probably wanted too much money to provide the dubbing, which is a shame because it ruins the TV version. During the production process, an estimated 300 cars were destroyed, reports . 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. Its W.W. Both the 1976 and '77 models had a similar body except for a few bumper and grille modifications. Great write up. You know, the ones that are the gang and then us the drivers. 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. 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). Sure Smokey helped, but was not the sole reason T/A and F body sales went up. The two escape by crossing a makeshift trailer bridge with Buford and his brothers in pursuit. Alan Reed was the original voice of Fred Flintstone; Henry Corden only took over after Reeds death in 1977. It was all learning on the job, it was fantastic. To give the 1976 model the look of the upcoming vehicle, the automaker installed the bumper of the 1977 Pontiac. Ive since read on the internet that it wasnt illegal so much as a practical thing with it being shipped in refrigerated trucks. For the 1980 film's main chase, 60 police cars were bought for $400 a piece, and outfitted. Your email address will not be published. Car movies are notorious for being tough on the very vehicles that give them their allure. Jesus, did you just call Carmine a car novice? The movie made everyone believe that the Trans Am was a 1977 model. I remember I'd obviously done a load of handbrake turns in my time, but suddenly Rmy was telling me to get it in reverse halfway through and to roar out of them. Needham stated that by the end of production, there really wasnt much left of any of the three. To give the 1976 model the look of the upcoming vehicle, the automaker installed the bumper of the 1977 Pontiac. 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. Later, as Bandit and Cledus enter Texas, Buford lures the Bandit into a trap: a mass of 40 Texas Patrol and Mountie cruisers pursuing him across a desert basin. According to Motorious, there are four Trans Ams in the film, but three were destroyed. A world-record automobile jump was captured on film during the "roundup sequence", when stuntman Gary Davis jumped a 1974 Dodge Monaco over 150 feet. https://getjerry.com/insights/fun-facts-smokey-bandit-trans, https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0081529/trivia/?ref_=tt_trv_trv, https://www.leithcars.com/blogs/1421/events/a-classic-pontiac-trans-am-worth-six-figures-classic-car-values-skyrocket/, https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/burt-reynolds-smokey-bandit-firebird-trans-am-sells-nearly-500k/4AG3ZHXMQJHMDO47HIFBEZ4JMU/, https://www.motorious.com/articles/features-3/heres-6-6-facts-about-smokey-bandit/, https://www.fox43.com/article/entertainment/arts/theatre/center-stage/iconic-scene-from-smokey-and-the-bandit-is-re-enacted-by-stunt-driver-in-carlisle/521-f27a443d-baeb-4b15-a944-afb6c9e7debf, https://www.hotcars.com/smokey-and-the-bandit-trans-am/, https://horsepowermemories.com/2018/07/17/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-smokey-and-the-bandit/, https://www.hotcars.com/this-truck-from-smokey-and-the-bandit-was-the-perfect-costar/, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086325/trivia/, https://www.guideautoweb.com/en/articles/64294/, https://www.truckersnews.com/trucks/article/15059342/california-truck-driver-climbs-aboard-movie-star-bandit-rig, https://blacktailnyc.com/when-could-you-buy-coors-beer-east-of-the-mississippi/, https://www.boston25news.com/news/trending/burt-reynolds-smokey-bandit-firebird-trans-am-sells-nearly-500k/4AG3ZHXMQJHMDO47HIFBEZ4JMU/. I think you may be confusing the movie Honky-Tonk Freeway with the filming done during I-75 construction near Sarasota. Anyone who enjoys Colonnade sedans will love Smokey & the Bandit. According to early media reports, salary demands and scheduling conflicts led to cuts in the main cast. 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. The problem was that when they opened the boot it was full of gold bars. A CC for a 1973 Grand Ville convertible can be found here. complete answer on findmeabrewery.com, View Although the Bandit again sticks to a Pontiac Trans Am, this time a 1980 Turbo model with five color decals unlike 1981's single color decals, the Snowman switches to a 1980 GMC General, silver with blue trim with the same mural on the trailer as in the original film. Davis unfortunately was injured during the stunt, receiving a compressed vertebra from a hard landing. How many protons and electrons are in a nitrogen atom? There is a Basset Hound in the Smokey and the Bandit movie series. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. complete answer on americanmusclecarmuseum.com. "Smokey and the Bandit" was so successful that it saw sales of the Pontiac Trans Am jump by 25,000 in . A black Trans Am is parked in my garage because of this movie. A blackguard? He had quite a few orders for Coors beer, and when he stopped in Weed, CA, on the way home, he went into the Safeway and asked for twenty-four cases of Coors. Both of his sons have also worked add elephant trainers. If they werent burning candles to an image of a cowboy hatted Burt Reynolds at Pontiac headquarters. The profits we make from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes. So we've got them in our homes this is mad. When Carrie sees Bandit scribbling on a napkin a picture of Charlotte cradled by suspended netting to keep her off her feet, she angrily leaves, but not before telling Bandit that she will come back only when he likes himself again. Below is probably another DeKalb County cop car. The dog, Fred, was personally picked by lead actor Burt Reynolds because it refused to obey commands. The car was not used in the making of Smokey and the Bandit but was given to the actor as a thank you for his role in the film, the company said. Plus , I loved those late 1960s through mid 1970s Plymouths even though Im a Bowtie Guy by default . While the initial concern was it having a regional appeal, it would ultimately play as well in New York City and Chicago as it did Atlanta, Georgia, or Biloxi, Mississippi. Carrie is overjoyed when she sees Charlotte's baby, and Bandit asks Charlotte's permission for him and Carrie to get hitched, to which Charlotte trumpets her approval; Doc, now riding in the cab with Cledus and Fred, also voices his approval, and they all drive away with Charlotte and her baby in tow in circus carts, with Buford still in pursuit, now driving a Greyhound bus.

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