how many cars destroyed in smokey and the bandit how many cars destroyed in smokey and the bandit

Heres how it works. Originally, the film was going to be a B-movie played only in the Southern United States. And theres this nugget from the director of the coming new Shazam movie; I first watched Smokey on quiet swing shifts from the drivers seat of a 1977 Pontiac Le Mans patrol car, parked by thr back fence of the drive-in theater at the far end of town. and the Dixie Dance Kings, and Burts car was a 57 [56?] Banzai! At the time, using "fuck" would immediately require an R rating and this self-censorship allowed the film to avoid this rating and reach a much larger audience. And theres beer in Texarkana.. 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. 46,000 in 1976, 68,000 in 1977, 93,000 in 1978, 117,000 in 1979. Smokey and the Bandit was one of the most iconic movies of the 1970s. It was something regarding distribution limits. Here in Canada they didnt censor it, so we always got the sumbitch version. Theres really nothing like an old cop car. 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. The site's consensus states: "Not much in the head but plenty beneath the hood, Smokey and the Bandit is infectious fun with plenty of car wrecks to keep your eyes glued". Jane Russell hawked bras on television for full-figured gals like her, a line that evoked snickers among my high-school classmates. 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). Ask him to choose between a BMW M4 and an Audi RS5, and hell gladly trade both for a beat-up Cuda. As luck and script writing would have it, Frog has left her groom at the altar. And he succeeded as far as the Pontiac Trans Am is concerned. 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. [40] Major portions of the audio background have been modified with different engine sounds or tire squeals from the original film. Back in 1984, I went to look at a late 1970s Plymouth cop car as well. HotCars covers all things automotive: the latest auto news and informative reviews on the car, pickup truck and motorcycle industries. J.J. & The Dixie Dance Kings was a milder one that had (I think) a 56 Buick Century . The muscle car market reached a peak in the late 1960s, as the car was becoming larger, more powerful, and more aggressive by looks. Car movies are notorious for being tough on the very vehicles that give them their allure. 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 . Chevy almost did the same with its counterpart, the Camaro. In a rare public appearance, Burt Reynolds revealed how many cars they wrecked making Smokey and 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. The 79-year-old 70s and 80s heartthrob made a rare public appearance over the weekend at Wizard World Chicago. Burt Reynolds' 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Sold for $240,000. 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 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. Only one survived, and it's priceless. Producers of Smokey and the Bandit wrecked 26 cars while filming the movie in 1977. I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean. 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. [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. 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. I think you may be confusing the movie Honky-Tonk Freeway with the filming done during I-75 construction near Sarasota. I beg to differ Mr -Nate. 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. I really enjoyed this discussion. UNIVERSAL CUT THE BUDGET JUST AS PRODUCTION WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN. Every idiot with more money than brains wanted a Trans Am. Seven: (Three with Burt Reynolds and Crew, and Four without) Smokey and the Bandit - 1977 Smokey and the Bandit II - 1980 Smokey and the Bandit III . Both sequels used another Trans Am, not a Cadillac Eldorado, as seen below. I know, Ive owned a 75 for 23 years. It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. Ive also looked at a Fox based LTD cop car and an early 1991 whale Caprice 9C1 detective model, burgundy on burgundy cloth. In fact, after Smokey and the Bandit became a box office hit, Pontiac saw a marked increase in their stock prices. And back then what I wanted most of all was a highly customized Vette with exposed headlights. Great write up. The roundup sequence in the desert shows many new Pontiac Le Mans sedans decorated as police cars being destroyed. The third-generation Firebird was introduced in 1982, a full two years later than planned. Not that Id kick either front end style out of the garage for dripping oil, as long as they dont have the 403 in them anyway. It outsold its Chevrolet Camaro counterpart for the first time. Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. 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. 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. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_301466-Ford-LTD-II-1977.html. 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. So these kind of represented a rebellion attitude to the government mandated diesel econo hatches everyone thought we were going to be forced to drive in the 80sinterestingly 1979 was also the best year for the Corvette too. 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!. The cars were wrecked on purpose to create the illusion of a high-speed chase. As a former Club Wagon pilot, I happen to like his Econoline. I loved the fact that Jackie Gleasons brown Lemans had a blue vinyl interior and it even had the luxury cushion steering wheel! One guy did a while ago a fan-made trailer of Smokey & the Bandit 4. 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. a custom mandrel bent dual exhaust, and the Mondello bottom end plate to stabilize the windowed mains. Henry Corden, the voice of cartoon character Fred Flintstone. Not everything was Pontiac, as evidenced by this 1973 Plymouth Satellite coupe (CC here). Lets take a look. Required fields are marked *. Needham originally planned the film as a low-budget B movie with a production cost of $1 million,[4] with Reed as the Bandit. 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. Your email address will not be published. The gag with the overpass being blown up was actually a bridge built for the movie on the unfinished highway, and AFAIK, the truck driver who jumps the void ended up breaking his back in the stunt. 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). In response, Needham told Reed that he liked the song so much that if Reed changed even a word or a note, Needham would "choke him". The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit is one of the most famous movie cars of all time. 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". Now, having only three Trans Ams to wreck for a movie is minimalist, to say the least. I imagine that they borrowed some of the character from Sheriff JW Pepper from the 1973 and 1974 James Bond movies, Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun. 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!!! Of the many cars saved from the fire was the only surviving Knight Rider KITT Super Pursuit Mode car created by Jay Orberg. Smokey and the Bandit was the second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States. 5. During their run, they are pursued by Texas county sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason). 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. The scene where Sheriff Justice's car has the door knocked off by a passing . My family did all grocery shopping in Cape. In 1978, Pontiac delivered 93,351 Trans Ams and 93,944 regular Firebirds for a grand total of 187,295 cars. 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. The MASSIVE year over year sales gains came from somewhere. I was just tweaking Jason. Cinemablend is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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]. 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. Additionally, he can give you several reasons why theres still no replacement for displacement. Soon as I get home, first thing Im gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth!. In 1976-78, while a high school student in Norwalk, CT, me and a few buddies would routinely drive up to Vista, NY, which was just over the state line. Since mentioning the Kenworth, it must be noted it was a redecorator of the highest fashion. The film's theme song, "East Bound and Down", was written virtually overnight by Reed. It made no sense to me as it was fifty miles north and fifty miles south. 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. The film's editors, Walter Hannemann and Angelo Ross, were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. The Trans Am was a high-performance package for the Firebird, Pontiac's take on the Chevrolet Camaro. Needham saw an advertisement for the soon-to-be-released 1977 Pontiac Trans Am and knew right away that would be the Bandit's car, or, as Needham referred to it, a character in the movie. Anyone who enjoys Colonnade sedans will love Smokey & the Bandit. Revisit this scene featuring "East Bound and. Some fellow classmates were extras on the film set, and it was a big deal around here at the time. Needham stated that by the end of production, there really wasnt much left of any of the three. Due to his financial difficulties in 2014, Reynolds put his vast collection of artwork and memorabilia up for auction, including the Trans Am. Im east bound, just watch ol Bandit run.. "Smokey and the Bandit Pursuit Pack" is formatted as a box set that in presented in full color in widescreen. That said, an uncomplimentary accent does exist. That is why there are not any left. 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. Musicians such as Beegie Adair and George Tidwell[20] played on the soundtrack. The third film which had no involvement from either Hal Needham or Sally Field and contained only a short cameo appearance by Burt Reynolds revolved entirely around Jackie Gleason's character, was panned by critics, and was a box office bomb, earning only $7 million against a $9 million budget.[41][42][43]. I have always loved this movie, watched it dozens and dozens of times on TV, video, DVD, laserdisc, almost any form of media. How much did the Smokey and the Bandit car sell for? Much of the surrounding scene comes from that immediate vicinity. An effort to recreate a jump from Smokey and the Bandit doesn't go perfectly when the car takes a rough course off the ramp. Back then if Ida wanted an ex Police Car its be a CHP salvage Dodge or Plymouth ~ BIG roomy and _comfy_ , handled well and went like stink . A segment of the CMT program Reel Eats used a sloppy joe-style recipe consisting of seasoned ground beef, corn, and sour cream. (it did taste a lot better than Bud as I recall). Gleason was a genius, but this was not one of his better outings I prefer the Hustler and Gigot. He has no less than four movies listed as coming out, and they run the gamut from romantic drama to family comedy to horror mystery to action thriller. Tragically, every Trans Am used in filming was destroyed. 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. About two seconds after this picture was taken, these motorcycles were doing their best imitation of a stack of pancakes. Other sources in East Texas (from whence Sheriff Justice hails) are familiar with the popular regional delicacy known as the Diablo Sandwich. Will Walker: Independence Return For Season 2 Amid CW Shakeups? Im gonna barbecue your ass in molasses., Re: The picture with 4 ladies and the wagon and van. 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. One of those things that will make my kids think Im crazy some day. His personaround, dumpy, and clipping wordsreminds one of another fictional southern sheriff. (first posted 2/28/2014) The fourth highest grossing film in the United States in 1977 was the Academy Award nominatedSmokey & The Bandit. Wouldnt the accent give you away? 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. 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. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Reynolds actively pushed for her casting after Universal initially resisted, claiming Field was not attractive enough. Two cars were reportedly badly damaged in early stunts in the film, while a third car was completely destroyed during the famous bridge jump scene. I was 10 when this movie came out and I loved it then and I still do. Although 1977 models also featured 6.6-liter engines, they were rated at only 200 horses. They quickly escape in one of Big Enos's 13 Cadillacs as police flood the racetrack. 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. Reynolds is referenced by name in several early episodes of the series. Thats all well and good, and it worked smooth as silk for a good while. Film critic Leonard Maltin gave the film a good rating (3 stars out of a possible 4) and characterized it as "about as subtle as The Three Stooges, but a classic compared to the sequels and countless rip-offs which followed". I drive a conversion van. Five-string banjo player Bobby Thompson is prominent toward the end of "East Bound and Down". Were they dummies? 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. Round and dumpy, just like the Colonnade LeMans! Got Greyhound cutout decals on the rear side windows. I had a 78 Trigger lookalike for a while in the mid 90s, until a wrist pin went out, ended up selling it to one of my brothers buddys uncles. Sure Smokey helped, but was not the sole reason T/A and F body sales went up. Burt Reynolds is originally a Georgia boy. MN12 Thunderbirds had the same appeal to me, for similar reasons. 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. Another one is, Theres no way youre from my loins.. We gonna do what they say cant be done Movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Furious 7 may ruin a lot of cars, but they were far from the first. . I'm afraid I was responsible for a good few of those. 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. [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. He enlists the help of fellow truck driver Cletus The Snowman Snow, played by country music singer Jerry Reed. 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. The cashier never batted an eye as she sold us the mass quantities of suds. I did help a friend rebuild a late 60s 400 to replace the anemic 301 in his 79, Trans Am. 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. The production team wrecked three for the four cars it received from Pontiac.