My drivers ed driving range car was an ex-patrol colonnade Pontiac LeMans Enforcer. And theres beer in Texarkana.. News . Needham had great difficulty getting any studios or producers to take his project seriously, being better known in the film industry as a stuntman. Coors was legal in Missouri and illegal in Illinois. Unfortunately he passed away a few months ago or that would have been a great question to ask. It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. [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. I was in West Plains the other day and there is yet another variation of it there. Needham originally planned the film as a low-budget B movie with a production cost of $1 million,[4] with Reed as the Bandit. Theres really nothing like an old cop car. 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. Most of the dialogue was improvised on set. [6] It would become one of Reed's biggest hits and his signature song.[7]. His expletive is obscured when a passing big rig sounds its horn. 46,000 in 1976, 68,000 in 1977, 93,000 in 1978, 117,000 in 1979. Burt Reynolds himself drove the car on stage to the song "East Bound and Down" and signed it. Ive always wanted some sort of de-commission/ex unmarked cop car, something from the 70s preferably. I know, Ive owned a 75 for 23 years. 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. [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. A paper on Cognitive psychology was published in the 1990 issue of Computers in Human Perception. 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. 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. The side vents give it away. The Trans Am was already pretty popular in the mid-1970s, with sales hitting 68,745 units in 1977. 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. Called Smoke is the Bandit and playing on Stewart's nickname, the commercials featured him as the Bandit opposite commentators Darrell Waltrip as the Snowman and Jeff Hammond as Buford T. Justice. What Sports Cars Are In Smokey And The Bandit - OsVehicle I distinctly remember my mother buying Coors and being asked if she lived in Missouri or Illinois by the cashier. Gotta love that guy! I enjoyed the hell out of my 1976 Dart Pursuit. Thats all true. [22] It premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where it performed badly. Every idiot with more money than brains wanted a Trans Am. Set with his . Out of four Trans Ams used for the filming of Smokey And The Bandit, three were completely totaled in the process. Some weren't that lucky and were discontinued altogether. 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. That parking lot was full of Trans Ams! S&B is one of my all-time favorite movies and Im not apologizing. 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. But 1978 returned sales of 93,351 examples, a jump of around 25,000 cars. 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. Id be surprised. Burt Reynolds recently revealed the ridiculous number of Pontiac Trans Ams they went through filming 1977s Smokey and the Bandit. For Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), Needham asked for and received 10 Trans Ams and 55 Bonnevilles with no trouble. 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. [original research?] It had not been used for some time and was repainted for the film. 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. I'm afraid I was responsible for a good few of those. For this purpose, they overdubbed dialogue deemed offensive, which was common practice. The change was somewhat strange as most automakers were using cubic-inch numerals to advertise engines. Additionally, he can give you several reasons why theres still no replacement for displacement. And then they made the biggest mistake of their lives and went to national distribution. Gas was a buck a gallon at the time so fuel economy wasnt a major issue. 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. 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!!! Coors is still brewed just outside Denver, Colorado. During their run, they are pursued by Texas county sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason). Whaddya expect outta a guy what drives a conversion van? . The soundtrack album was released in 1977 on vinyl, cassette, and 8-track through MCA Records. But would the black and gold T/As be as desirable today without the movie? At the time, Reynolds was the top box office star in the world. I loved the fact that Jackie Gleasons brown Lemans had a blue vinyl interior and it even had the luxury cushion steering wheel! how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2 Depends upon what he converted it from. Movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Furious 7 may ruin a lot of cars, but they were far from the first. One of those things that will make my kids think Im crazy some day. Chevy almost did the same with its counterpart, the Camaro. Justice. This movie came out during my early formative years pre grade school. As the 1969 classic 'The Italian Job' turns 50 years old, TG.com caught up with David Salamone, the man who piloted the red Mini in . S/E T/A with the round headlights. I've heard . It is now sold in all states as Coors ships it in refrigerated train cars and bottled locally and sold in different parts of the country including the eastern US states. The 403 Olds T/A was a dog, stock, but with some easily obtained parts, could be turned into a very nice low 13 second tire melter. Three actors from the main cast of The Dukes of Hazzard appear in small uncredited roles in Smokey and the Bandit: Ben Jones, John Schneider, and Sonny Shroyer (who played a police officer in both). 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. Ive always loved this movie. You will receive a verification email shortly. 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. Nuts about any form of classic motorsport and muscle cars, Ciprian's currently working on a time machine that would take him back to the 1960s for a long vacation alongside Dan Gurney and Jim Hall. 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. Trio of Burt Reynolds movie cars fetch $330,000 at auction, including 1980 ERTL SMOKEY & THE BANDIT PONTIAC FIREBIRD DIECAST CAR police car How many cop cars were destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit? 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). Was it a heathen? The Smokey and the Bandit Car - Carsforsale.com Hal Needham did pass away as someone earlier said. 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. How many cars did they wreck in Smokey and the Bandit? Ask him to choose between a BMW M4 and an Audi RS5, and hell gladly trade both for a beat-up Cuda. Actually, there were 2 future Dukes stars in the movie: Ben Jones (Cooter) was in an early scene helping Big Enos find Bandit. In return, Reynolds portrayed Boss Hogg (originally portrayed by Sorrell Booke) in the film adaptation The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). Plus , I loved those late 1960s through mid 1970s Plymouths even though Im a Bowtie Guy by default . 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. 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. 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. I have worked a long time to eradicate the one I had but it still crops up periodically from exposure, like you experienced. These two 1967 Ford Galaxies (CC here), soon to be redecorated by a Kenworth road tractor, do not. I had no idea that it was going to become a 70s classic. There was still a market for bras in the 1970s. A couple of years ago, I was sitting around on a lazy Saturday afternoon and it was on TV. The original Blues Brothers movie from 1980 is a classic, and fans were excited when a sequel was announced in 1998. . 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. Just do a search for Crown Victorias on your local CL. CC Cinema: The Cars of "Smokey & The Bandit - Curbside Classic [15] All four of the cars were badly damaged during production,[16] one of which was all but destroyed during the jump over the dismantled Mulberry bridge. If they werent burning candles to an image of a cowboy hatted Burt Reynolds at Pontiac headquarters. 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. He enlists the help of fellow truck driver Cletus The Snowman Snow, played by country music singer Jerry Reed. This movie was filmed in Georgia as well. However, the U.S. government introduced new emission controls in 1972, and automakers had to step back. [5] Sally Field only accepted the part after her agent advised her that she needed a big movie role on her rsum. 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. Good silly fun. The scene where Sheriff Justice's car has the door knocked off by a passing . 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). WildI watched this for the first time in years after watching the latest Archer.the whole thing is an homage to S&B. And back then what I wanted most of all was a highly customized Vette with exposed headlights. How did any bra manufacturers survive the 70s? In the U.K., the heavily dubbed version was shown for several years, particularly by the BBC. Over many viewings I noticed some scenes the car would skate around and take off like an animal while in others there were one-tire-fires and it would struggle to get going. Burt Reynolds plays truck driver Bo Bandit Darville. They quickly escape in one of Big Enos's 13 Cadillacs as police flood the racetrack. Field enjoyed making the film, but remembers that virtually the entire project was improvised. It seems Plymouth was in a distant second for product placement. Smokey & The Bandit was the first of three movies in that franchise. Here's everything you should know about one of the most iconic movie cars ever. I still think its more entertaining than Star Wars. The worldwide gross is estimated at over $300 million. 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]. 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). Get ready to tear up the highway with the Bandit (Burt Reynolds), a fun-loving, fast-talking trucker who takes on his craziest haul yet - delivering 400 case. 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. How many cars destroyed Blues Brothers 2000? A group of Trans Am owners and fans of the movie take part in an annual road trip from Texarkana to Jonesboro, recreating the route taken by the characters in the film. The story replaced the Coors beer with Mobil 1 products. Gleason was given free rein to ad-lib dialogue and make suggestions. My family did all grocery shopping in Cape. I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean. J.J. & The Dixie Dance Kings was a milder one that had (I think) a 56 Buick Century . The three movie cars were destroyed during various stunts, so the promo car is the only surviving Trans Am connected to this film. 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!. 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.. Producers of Smokey and the Bandit wrecked 26 cars while filming the movie in 1977. In the original script, Carrie was called Kate while Big Enos and Little Enos were called Kyle and Dickey. Have the movie, cheesy as hell, but does have appearances by several NASCAR drivers of the day, including Dale Earnhardt (Senior, not Jr) Kyle Petty, Harry Gant, and one of my favorites of the era, Tim Richmond. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Needham stated that by the end of production, there really wasnt much left of any of the three. The 1977 features rectangular quad headlamps instead of only two round lights, a unique slanted and V-shaped nose, and a center-mounted hood scoop. Except that shes not sagging. 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. It took four evenings to see almost all of the movie in bits and pieces. I was 10 when this movie came out and I loved it then and I still do. [30] Upon meeting Reynolds, Billy Bob Thornton told him that the South considers the film to be less cinema and more documentary. The original film had correct sounds that were usually recorded live as the action took place. A diablo sammich from my understanding is a like a Sloppy Joe but with taco seasoning added in for spice. This movie trailer gives you an taste of this provocative film, but fails to effectively capture all the subtleties and nuances it contains. Well, they simply considered that the Trans Am didn't sound intimidating enough. As a former Club Wagon pilot, I happen to like his Econoline. 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 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. Needham and assistant director David Hamburger spent 30 hours revising the shooting schedule.[4]. 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. 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. These new models were built off the same Camaro platform, came with the Pontiac arrowhead, flaming bird, and Bandit logos, and the instrument panels, center consoles, and hood scoops emulating their 1977 counterparts, and were signed by Reynolds. Because sales were so high, Pontiac decided to delay the third-generation model. Im east bound, just watch ol Bandit run.. Olds 88. This is obvious, because there is no fuel tank on the underside of the trailer to power the refrigeration unit, and the unit is never heard running. Jana, another oddity was that I could go to Carbondale and be asked where down south I was from. Well, the Corvettes success is clearly due to Corvette Summer, @Jim I remember that movie! Of the many cars saved from the fire was the only surviving Knight Rider KITT Super Pursuit Mode car created by Jay Orberg. Apparently the engine sounds were lifted from another movie, I think two lane blacktop? 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. That is an excellent question. . The roller coaster in the movie was the Greyhound. This was the lull between Gas Crisis I and II, 1976-78, and Boomers were wanting stylish cars. 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. Though no authoritative source identifies the composition of the sandwich, there are several possibilities. What were the police cars in Smokey and the Bandit? 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. Nah, they survived by coming up with bras with very thin cups. 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. You want to questions bra sales, check out the youtube video of Hang on Sloopy by the Mccoys, the color version.wowza! Im gonna barbecue your ass in molasses., Re: The picture with 4 ladies and the wagon and van. It was the second highest-grossing film of the year, trailing only Star Wars: A New Hope, and it made Burt Reynolds into a certifiable superstar. Reynolds is referenced by name in several early episodes of the series. Here in Canada they didnt censor it, so we always got the sumbitch version. 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!) Frog not included. He's a proud member of the TopSpeed team since early 2014. Smokey and the Bandit | 4K Ultra HD | The Bandit Takes a 28 Hour Trip Im pretty sure that the car that barks second when he takes off with Frog had to be a stick. How Many Cars Did Blues Brothers Wreck | Car Geek Smokey & The Bandit is the greatest movie of the 20th Century! I grew up in Illinois, within eyeshot of the banks of the MIssissippi River, and ten miles from Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The paint code for each truck was coffee brown with gold trims and the 48-foot (15m) mural trailer used was manufactured by Hobbs Trailers in Texas with a non-operational Thermo King Refrigeration unit. The cars were wrecked on purpose to create the illusion of a high-speed chase. I really enjoyed this discussion. About two seconds after this picture was taken, these motorcycles were doing their best imitation of a stack of pancakes. This same restaurant was used for a scene in the 1983 Stephen King Movie Christine, which was ultimately cut in the final film (it can be viewed as a deleted scene on the DVD release of the film). 1975 PLYMOUTH FURY HIGHWAY PATROL "SMOKEY & THE BANDIT" 1/18 BY . I think even the 2nd gen Camaro enjoyed some of the blast wave from Smokey and the Bandit, 1979 was the best year ever for Camaros as well, with over 280,000 Camaros being sold. Required fields are marked *. 20 Surprising Facts About The Trans Am From Smokey And The Bandit - HotCars Burt Reynolds' 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Sold for $240,000. Mines never gone away, especially now that I spend every thee month in Memphis. The trip to Texarkana is uneventful; soon after leaving for the return trip to Georgia, The Bandit encounters Frog, played by Sally Field. As such, it took a lot of sweet talking by former stuntman Needham for Pontiac to cough up three Trans Ams and three LeManses. The other range car was a Chevette for people that wanted to learn on a manual transmission. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). [31] Smokey and the Bandit was released in the United Kingdom on August 28 and was a success there, garnering positive reviews. 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. "Smokey and the Bandit" stars Burt Reynolds, Sally . In a rare public appearance, Burt Reynolds revealed how many cars they wrecked making Smokey and 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. 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.