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 . This movie trailer gives you an taste of this provocative film, but fails to effectively capture all the subtleties and nuances it contains. The films are indeed classic and very funny to this day. Most reports of his death still didnt have that right! 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 was 10 when this movie came out and I loved it then and I still do. The Kenworth even achieves a trifecta of sorts, as it gave the first dent to Sheriff Justices LeMans. Ive always wanted some sort of de-commission/ex unmarked cop car, something from the 70s preferably. And it was worth it for the brand, as the nameplate sales decided following the redesign. And then they made the biggest mistake of their lives and went to national distribution. In return, Reynolds portrayed Boss Hogg (originally portrayed by Sorrell Booke) in the film adaptation The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). Five-string banjo player Bobby Thompson is prominent toward the end of "East Bound and Down". 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. Unfortunately he passed away a few months ago or that would have been a great question to ask. He's a proud member of the TopSpeed team since early 2014. Today, Smokey and the Bandit remains one of the most popular car action films ever made, and the 1977 Pontiac Trans Am will forever be wed to the movie. In the 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit, a high-speed chase ensues between the police and the Bandit (Burt Reynolds). If they werent burning candles to an image of a cowboy hatted Burt Reynolds at Pontiac headquarters. Though no authoritative source identifies the composition of the sandwich, there are several possibilities. 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). 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. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. Many nameplates lost their performance credentials, and some of them, like the Ford Mustang, were redesigned without a V-8 engine. 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. Gleason probably wanted too much money to provide the dubbing, which is a shame because it ruins the TV version. Filmmakers destroyed 230 cars in the filming of 'Furious 7.' Smokey And The Bandit: A Car-chase Classic. Im east bound, just watch ol Bandit run.. 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. 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 roundup sequence in the desert shows many new Pontiac Le Mans sedans decorated as police cars being destroyed. At one point in the movie, the Bandit wrecks a police car. I was in West Plains the other day and there is yet another variation of it there. 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 Smokey and the Bandit star Burt Reynolds passed away in 2018 . I actually remember the construction of that segment of I-75, as it stopped around Tampa prior to that time. Always a favorite. Here in Canada they didnt censor it, so we always got the sumbitch version. Gas was a buck a gallon at the time so fuel economy wasnt a major issue. There was still a market for bras in the 1970s. With Reynolds' salary at $1 million, Needham was left with only $3.3 million to make the film. 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. Well, at least that's what you saw in the movie. Free shipping for many products! 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. Well, they simply considered that the Trans Am didn't sound intimidating enough. But 1978 returned sales of 93,351 examples, a jump of around 25,000 cars. 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. That's because the Trans Am in Smokey and the Bandit didn't sound like a Trans Am. [38], In 2014, petroleum company Mobil 1 produced television commercials, featuring then-NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, closely based on the film. That parking lot was full of Trans Ams! So many classic quotes in this movie. A paper on Cognitive psychology was published in the 1990 issue of Computers in Human Perception. 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 other range car was a Chevette for people that wanted to learn on a manual transmission. Much of the surrounding scene comes from that immediate vicinity. Nah, they survived by coming up with bras with very thin cups. It seems Plymouth was in a distant second for product placement. Its W.W. 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. Put one on and the lady looks like shes not wearing a bra. Just like the exaggeration sales went up 700%. [11] The movie was primarily filmed in Georgia, in the cities of McDonough, Jonesboro, and Lithonia. 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. 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. This was the lull between Gas Crisis I and II, 1976-78, and Boomers were wanting stylish cars. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. Burt Reynolds as the Bandit can always count on the truckers on the other end of his C.B. We just watched this with the kids the other week, along with Cannonball Run. The dubbed version isnt as bad as the Remastered Blu-ray. Gleason was given free rein to ad-lib dialogue and make suggestions. Henry Corden, the voice of cartoon character Fred Flintstone. Mines never gone away, especially now that I spend every thee month in Memphis. 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. 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. He obtained the attention of studios and aimed the film at a more mainstream release after his friend Reynolds read the script and agreed to portray the Bandit, with Reed now portraying the Bandit's friend the Snowman. 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. You will receive a verification email shortly. Further, as Pontiac has deliciously obvious product placement, anyone who delights in 70s era Pontiac iron will experience visual ecstasy. radio to help him out. The LeMans police car did nothing for me because there was a colonnade LeMans sedan in the garage at home. The little packy there had Coors and even though it was horribly expensive, we thought it was the elixer of the Gods. These were the cans with the two circular push buttons on top instead of pull tabs. I was a junior high school age kid when this film came out. [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. And theres beer in Texarkana.. We gonna do what they say cant be done One of those things that will make my kids think Im crazy some day. Ive always loved this movie. It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. Cape was far enough north that it was watered down and there was so much cross-pollination with the Illinois side you really didnt discern much difference. Want proof? Not all the police cars had hood scoops. 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. 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. A 1977 special-edition model once owned by the late actor Burt Reynolds recently wound up on the car auction website Bring a Trailer. It became Reed's signature song and is on multiple albums, including Country Legends and his live album Jerry Reed "Live!" Here is the LeMans; Gleason literally drives the wheels off: As an aside, heres a curious bit of trivia. . 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. And all of us easterners suddenly discovered it was nothing more than another Budweiser/Miller/etc. 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". 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. This movie was filmed in Georgia as well. As deals were made for the actors and producers, the studio wanted to renegotiate my deal. Oh, and a hooker girlfriend that looked like Annie Potts. [33] Reynolds was given the 1977 vehicle used during promotion of the film as a gift, though the car itself never actually appeared in the film. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1980 ERTL SMOKEY & THE BANDIT PONTIAC FIREBIRD DIECAST CAR police car set at the best online prices at eBay! The film was followed by two sequels: Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). Some differences included the use of a supercharged 454-CID (7.4-liter) Chevrolet-sourced engine that put out 840 HP, and four round headlights, which appeared on the 196769 Firebirds/Trans Ams only; the actual 197781 models had rectangular headlights. ", "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. Naturally, it fetched the highest price with a . (first posted 2/28/2014) The fourth highest grossing film in the United States in 1977 was the Academy Award nominatedSmokey & The Bandit. You want to questions bra sales, check out the youtube video of Hang on Sloopy by the Mccoys, the color version.wowza! But while the cars shown in the movie look like 1977-model-year Trans Ams, they were actually 1976 models. The worldwide gross is estimated at over $300 million. Please refresh the page and try again. Gleasons Justice is the stereotypical Southern sheriff, as seen in this clip. A CC for a 1973 Grand Ville convertible can be found here. Heres how it works. The scene featuring the racetrack was filmed at Lakewood Speedway at the old Lakewood Fairgrounds on Atlanta's south side. Neither Buford nor any other lawmen know of Snowman's illegal manifest, while Bandit is likewise unaware that Buford is chasing him because of Carrie, whose jumpiness inspires Bandit to give her the CB handle "Frog". I distinctly remember my mother buying Coors and being asked if she lived in Missouri or Illinois by the cashier. [34] In 2015 a Florida-based automobile customization company built 77 Trans Ams modeled after the car that Reynolds drove in the film. The original uncut sumbitch version. 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. In the movie . Television censorship and alternative versions, second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977, AFI's 100 Years100 Heroes and Villains, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Smokey and the Bandit at 35: A Case for the Genius of Hal Needham", "Greyhound Lakewood Park (Atlanta, Georgia, USA)", "Burt Reynolds' old Pontiac Trans Am replica sold for $317,500", "An Interview With Jim Wangers: Pontiac and the 1970's", "How the Bandit, Coors and a bunch of Makers changed the course of booze history", "Various Smokey And The Bandit (Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)", "Smokey and the Bandit, Box Office Information", "Burt Reynolds at the 2015 Macon Film Festival", "Seven Quirky Lowbrow Favorite Films of Highbrow Directors", "Remembering Hal Needham and the Birth of Redneck Cinema", "Smokey and the Bandit Film from RadioTimes", "Burt Reynolds' Bandit Trans Am sells for $450,000", "See a "New" Vintage Bandit Trans Am Approved by Burt Reynolds Himself", "Diablo Sandwich Recipe from CMT's Reel Eats", "Diablo Sandwich / "Diablo & Doc" From Smokey & the Bandit, Identified! [40] Major portions of the audio background have been modified with different engine sounds or tire squeals from the original film. Were they dummies? The redesign was originally planned for 1980, but 1978 and 1979 became record years for GM's division, so the new model was pushed back. I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. 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. Additionally, he can give you several reasons why theres still no replacement for displacement. Field enjoyed making the film, but remembers that virtually the entire project was improvised. HotCars covers all things automotive: the latest auto news and informative reviews on the car, pickup truck and motorcycle industries. Only one survived, and it's priceless. I know, Ive owned a 75 for 23 years. I guess the Trans Am proved to have more staying power than the hot 71 Ford in the earlier movie. Reynolds is referenced by name in several early episodes of the series. I was just tweaking Jason. Trigger had a big impact on my taste in cars with the Trans Ams of the late 70s being my favorite. Just do a search for Crown Victorias on your local CL. 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.. 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. Of the many cars saved from the fire was the only surviving Knight Rider KITT Super Pursuit Mode car created by Jay Orberg. In my area, nearly every one listed is an ex cop car. [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. A blackguard? When I was a kid, there was an old record from the 50s around the house that was a collection of radio and tv bloopers. One was a radio ad for a movie that went something like: . Musicians such as Beegie Adair and George Tidwell[20] played on the soundtrack. It was his idea to have Junior alongside him throughout the film. The Trans Am used in the movie was a 1976 model with the front end of a 1977 car. The scene where Sheriff Justice's car has the door knocked off by a passing semi-truck was shot on Georgia State Route 75, 3 miles (4.8km) north of Helen. This reminds me of the classic introduction (actually written by Dick Cavett) said by Jack Paar on The Tonight Show: I was 3 years old when the original came out, and do not remember any of these details but, supposedly this was the first movie my parents ever took me to. I ended up buying a 1969 Cadillac ambulance a year later! Now, having only three Trans Ams to wreck for a movie is minimalist, to say the least. 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. While I have read undocumented accounts of there being more than three Trans Ams, Needham stated three is all that were used. 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. Great write up. 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. 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. I have at least 4 really good car buddies that will from time to time love popping this movie in to watch. As a former Club Wagon pilot, I happen to like his Econoline. I will confess that by the time this movie was out, I was a Mopar guy. Pontiac should have made a radio that played that song automatically simply by pushing a button, or maybe made it the horn sound. My family did all grocery shopping in Cape. 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.