However, as our heroes were successful in delivering their truckload of Coors, the writers effectively poised themselves for a sequel. 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. Weve got a long way to go and a short time to get there 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. The worldwide gross is estimated at over $300 million. Free shipping for many products! The 1978 Trans Am is an exact duplicate of the "Smokey and the Bandit" movie car, finished in black and gold with a screaming chicken on the hood. It just seems wrong to see that car in any fashion without hearing that song. In the Reynolds portion of the interview, he stated the movie prompted Trans Am sales to jump around 700%. While they did jump, from 46,700 in 1976 to 69,000 for 1977 with another 93,300 for 1978, it wasnt exactly 700%. I was just tweaking Jason. [30] Upon meeting Reynolds, Billy Bob Thornton told him that the South considers the film to be less cinema and more documentary. Jackie Gleason ad libbed a lot of his lines too. Director Hal Needham convinced Pontiac to feature the Pontiac Trans Am in the movie. It outsold its Chevrolet Camaro counterpart for the first time. Mines never gone away, especially now that I spend every thee month in Memphis. 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. 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. I am pretty sure it was filmed in Florida, when I-75 was under construction so they could use the highways while empty. A 1977 special-edition model once owned by the late actor Burt Reynolds recently wound up on the car auction website Bring a Trailer. Sales of the coupe exploded after the film hit the silver screen and set unprecedented records for both Pontiac and the Firebird nameplate. Even when the 2nd gen was already coasting on fumes, and defanged, and after the reasonably shitty Smokey and the Bandit sequel, Pontiac managed to pump out 107,000 Trans Ams in 1980 and 70,000 for the 2nd gen Trans Ams swan song in 1981. 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. I own all three films on a dvd called the Smokey and The Bandit Pursuit Pack. The scene where Sheriff Justice's car has the door knocked off by a passing . Want proof? 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. My favorite would have been an ex-WSP 1970 Plymouth they were all Fury IIIs, white on blue with factory air and 440s under the hood; but none ever turned up when I was buying. 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. This gives rise to various continuity errors with Justice's patrol car, which during some chase sequences is shown with a black rear fender, which then reverts to the car's bronze color again in later scenes. I still couldnt resist lighting up the Pontiacs tires while executing my T-turns. The movie, in fact, caused sales of the . 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. Round and dumpy, just like the Colonnade LeMans! Let me get the popcorn for this one. This movie trailer gives you an taste of this provocative film, but fails to effectively capture all the subtleties and nuances it contains. Comments 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. Henry Corden, the voice of cartoon character Fred Flintstone. Somewhere along the line, the company acquired a new president who told Reynolds: Im the new president, and I dont like your movies. A strike at General Motors in 1972 limited the production of the Trans Am to less than 1,300 units that year, and Pontiac almost canceled the nameplate. How much did the Smokey and the Bandit car sell for? 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. I have only seen pieces of the second and none of the third; I plan to keep it that way. Now then you mentionned Sheriff JW Pepper, I decided to post some Youtube clips of him. 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. With Reynolds agreement to do the movie, and his insistence upon casting Gleason as Sheriff Justice, the movie became a larger venture. What were the police cars in Smokey and the Bandit? Jason, Using the words nuance, subtlety, complexity and intellect to describe this movie, is, as they say, trs amusant! I distinctly remember my mother buying Coors and being asked if she lived in Missouri or Illinois by the cashier. Always a favorite. [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. Smokey and the Bandit was one of the most iconic movies of the 1970s. 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. And lets not forget the Trans Am rental car Steve McQueen drove in his very last movie, The Hunter from 1980. Im probably in the minority as usual, but I prefer the Black and Gold 50th Anne. My drivers ed driving range car was an ex-patrol colonnade Pontiac LeMans Enforcer. 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!!! Every idiot with more money than brains wanted a Trans Am. [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. As such, it took a lot of sweet talking by former stuntman Needham for Pontiac to cough up three Trans Ams and three LeManses. Id been driving for years by the time I was 15, so I just wanted to complete the course with as little static as possible. How many cars destroyed Blues Brothers 2000? 1979 was equally successful for the brand, joining 1978 to create Pontiac's best sales years ever. 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. The film's theme song, "East Bound and Down", was written virtually overnight by Reed. 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. Just like the exaggeration sales went up 700%. 1-Smokey and the Bandit-The classic, the original, and the best one by FAR. Here is the LeMans; Gleason literally drives the wheels off: As an aside, heres a curious bit of trivia. Gleason was given free rein to ad-lib dialogue and make suggestions. The side vents give it away. Not all the police cars had hood scoops. Most of the dialogue was improvised on set. (first posted 2/28/2014) The fourth highest grossing film in the United States in 1977 was the Academy Award nominatedSmokey & The Bandit. As deals were made for the actors and producers, the studio wanted to renegotiate my deal. 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. Because sales were so high, Pontiac decided to delay the third-generation model. And Burt may be from GA originally, but he calls Florida home, which is another reason I heard the movie was filmed here. 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. Yet when I think of a 70s T/A, thats the one I and Im sure millions of other folks think of. via iconic premier. With the Smokey and the Bandit actor gone, and the impact the actor had on the Trans Am community, having one of the few connections to him destroyed is too much. But 1978 returned sales of 93,351 examples, a jump of around 25,000 cars. It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. The Bandit Run quickly became a fixture, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the movie with a special 2017 screening of the film attended by Reynolds and a recreation of the jump undertaken by the Bandit and Frog across a river. Needham stated that by the end of production, there really wasnt much left of any of the three. It made no sense to me as it was fifty miles north and fifty miles south. The theatrical release has a few lines deleted, including an edit in which Sheriff Justice tells a state trooper to "fuck off" after the sheriff called his vehicle "a piece of crap". The Trans Am used in the movie was a 1976 model with the front end of a 1977 car. [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. Also up for auction was a go-kart replica of the car, which sold for nearly $14,000. That is an excellent question. 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. Here's What We Know So Far, Jonathan Majors On Getting Jacked To Play Kang The Conqueror: Hes In The Avenger (Weight) Class, How 90 Day Fianc: The Other Way's Kris And Jeymi Might Have Already Spoiled Their Storyline, Why Creed IIIs Michael B. Jordan Avoided Saying Action Or Cut On The Set, Young Sheldon's Iain Armitage Reacting To Surprise Video From Survivor's Jeff Probst Is Like Sheldon Cooper Meeting Leonard Nimoy. 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. While made to take advantage of the ongoing 1970s CB radio fad, the film added to the craze. Reynolds is referenced by name in several early episodes of the series. A 1975 Pontiac Grand Ville, seen toward the end of the movie. I dont know if Ive ever seen the unedited version though, so I never realized the orignal phrase was sum bitch, I always assumed it was worse. I had no idea that it was going to become a 70s classic. Sonny Shroyer (Enos) was the motorcycle cop who was given the 1-finger salute by Sally Field. Whaddya expect outta a guy what drives a conversion van? 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!) February 27, 2023 . Only one survived, and it's priceless. 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. However, in more recent years, the original version has been shown (on ITV, a commercial channel), usually with the stronger language edited out, often quite awkwardly. and the Dixie Dance Kings, and Burts car was a 57 [56?] In the 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit, a high-speed chase ensues between the police and the Bandit (Burt Reynolds). With four miles left, Bandit, discouraged by the unexpected mounting attention, is ready to give up, but Snowman, who initially thought they would fail, takes the lead and smashes through the roadblock at the fairgrounds' main entrance. 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. The change was somewhat strange as most automakers were using cubic-inch numerals to advertise engines. Ive always loved this movie. I prefer Buford T. Justices 1980 Pontiac Bonneville and his 1983 Pontiac Bonneville in Smokey and The Bandit III. We gonna do what they say cant be done [40] Major portions of the audio background have been modified with different engine sounds or tire squeals from the original film. You want to questions bra sales, check out the youtube video of Hang on Sloopy by the Mccoys, the color version.wowza! Burt Reynolds may be 79, but he shows no signs of slowing down. It had amazing throttle response, with a hit that either scared people, or made them giggle. 46,000 in 1976, 68,000 in 1977, 93,000 in 1978, 117,000 in 1979. His father was also the inspiration for the word "sumbitch" used in the film, a variation of the phrase "son-of-a-bitch" that, according to Reynolds, he uttered quite often. 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. 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. 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. Back in 1984, I went to look at a late 1970s Plymouth cop car as well. 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. According to an interview with Susie McIver Ewing on The RetroZest Podcast, she was picked to play the role of Hot Pants Hilliard after the dailies footage (shot in the Atlanta area) of the original actress playing the role was inadvertently destroyed on its way from Atlanta to Los Angeles. [5] Reynolds revealed in his autobiography that Needham had written the first draft script on legal pads. It had an AM transmitter and you would tune in the sound on your AM car radio, or on my case, on a transistor radio. 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. 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. They find local legend Bo "Bandit" Darville at a roadeo at Lakewood Fairgrounds and offer him US$80,000 (equivalent to $357,738 in 2021) to haul 400 cases of Coors from Texarkana (the closest place it could be legally sold at that time) to Atlanta in 28 hours. 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. ARRGH! A 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix with a Buick Electra behind it. I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean. A paper on Cognitive psychology was published in the 1990 issue of Computers in Human Perception. The theme music "East Bound and Down" was sung and co-written by Reed (credited under his birth name, Jerry Hubbard) and Dick Feller. [4] Reynolds said in 2015 that he most enjoyed this film, and had the most fun making it, of his career.[26]. Here are 20 facts about the Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit. During this time, the Firebird also surpassed sales figures of the Chevrolet Camaro. [6] It would become one of Reed's biggest hits and his signature song.[7]. [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. 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 destroyed all those cars in the films he said. 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. The commercials were produced after Stewart mentioned that the movie was one of his favorites.[39]. 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. In its place was the nonsensical scum bum. The voice over actor? 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. Not a bad deal, but on the fourth year, no new car. Well, at least that's what you saw in the movie. I drive a conversion van. Of course, nobody else cared if it was in the trunk of the car when heading back home. While I have read undocumented accounts of there being more than three Trans Ams, Needham stated three is all that were used. I think thats another line theyve edited out for the television version. The movie had an even bigger impact on the Trans Am. I beg to differ Mr -Nate. Needham had great difficulty getting any studios or producers to take his project seriously, being better known in the film industry as a stuntman. Sheriff Justices son, Junior. I guess the Trans Am proved to have more staying power than the hot 71 Ford in the earlier movie. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1975 Plymouth Fury Police Pursuit Arkansas State Police "Smokey and The Bandit" at the best online prices at eBay! 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. The movies are rated PG with a run time of 282 minutes and released to video by Universal Studios. So, for years one, two, and three, he got a shiny new Pontiac. 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. [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. Other than Jackie Gleason upstaging every other cast member, the perceived star of the show is this 1977 Pontiac Trans Am. Needham and assistant director David Hamburger spent 30 hours revising the shooting schedule.[4]. January 24, 2019 100 comments. His personaround, dumpy, and clipping wordsreminds one of another fictional southern sheriff. 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. Cause theyre thirsty in Atlanta 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). Heres how it works. how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2. 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. 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. I've heard . Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Ive always wanted some sort of de-commission/ex unmarked cop car, something from the 70s preferably. Free shipping for many products! The muscle car market reached a peak in the late 1960s, as the car was becoming larger, more powerful, and more aggressive by looks. The owner restored it and sold it at the Scottsdale 2016 auction by Barrett-Jackson. a custom mandrel bent dual exhaust, and the Mondello bottom end plate to stabilize the windowed mains. [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. 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. I know that Trans Am that . 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. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. Smokey & The Bandit Police Cars. 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. The LeMans police car did nothing for me because there was a colonnade LeMans sedan in the garage at home. Im east bound, just watch ol Bandit run.. Here's everything you should know about one of the most iconic movie cars ever. 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.
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