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46,000 in 1976, 68,000 in 1977, 93,000 in 1978, 117,000 in 1979. A CC for a 1973 Grand Ville convertible can be found here. The film's editors, Walter Hannemann and Angelo Ross, were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. At one point in the movie, the Bandit wrecks a police car. 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. I did help a friend rebuild a late 60s 400 to replace the anemic 301 in his 79, Trans Am. Many of the film's original sounds were replaced. Funny that T/A isnt on the movie poster, considering it was the obvious star of the show. 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! 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. 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. While I have read undocumented accounts of there being more than three Trans Ams, Needham stated three is all that were used. Reynolds was the top box office draw from 1975 to 1982, then his movies really started to go downhill. S&TB was filmed primarily off Route 400 in Georgia. Bill Justis is the first name on the credits for the soundtrack, as he composed and arranged original music throughout the film. The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit is one of the most famous movie cars of all time. Her groom? 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. a custom mandrel bent dual exhaust, and the Mondello bottom end plate to stabilize the windowed mains. This movie trailer gives you an taste of this provocative film, but fails to effectively capture all the subtleties and nuances it contains. Banzai! The roller coaster in the movie was the Greyhound. The Kenworth even achieves a trifecta of sorts, as it gave the first dent to Sheriff Justices LeMans. . Did I mention how much I enjoy reading all the back stories and niggly details I can only get here ? 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". 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. 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. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. It had amazing throttle response, with a hit that either scared people, or made them giggle. 12 A Total Of 3 Trans Ams Were Destroyed During Filming. In addition to the four Trans Ams, Needham also received two Pontiac LeMans models to serve as patrol cars in the movie. I had no idea that it was going to become a 70s classic. . Lets take a look at some more cars found in the movie. 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. I know that Trans Am that . A blackguard? These Furys, as well as some of the LeMans units, have hood scoops. [original research?] Coors is still brewed just outside Denver, Colorado. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. These questions all need to be answered. 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. 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. One of our favorite movies. On the DVD, there is a brief interview with both Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham, who directed this film. The original film had correct sounds that were usually recorded live as the action took place. His expletive is obscured when a passing big rig sounds its horn. If I recall correctly, Firebirds in general (along with Camaros) were selling well prior to 1977, but the Trans Am was not the best-selling one. I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. [5] Reynolds revealed in his autobiography that Needham had written the first draft script on legal pads. He enlists the help of fellow truck driver Cletus The Snowman Snow, played by country music singer Jerry Reed. Smokey & The Bandit was the first of three movies in that franchise. 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. 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. And the 400 Pontiac or 403 Olds versions could be made to run well. Depends upon what he converted it from. The cashier never batted an eye as she sold us the mass quantities of suds. There was still a market for bras in the 1970s. Good silly fun. via iconic premier. The scene featuring the racetrack was filmed at Lakewood Speedway at the old Lakewood Fairgrounds on Atlanta's south side. Producers of Smokey and the Bandit wrecked 26 cars while filming the movie in 1977. Starring Bob Hope, that comedic star of the screen, and the lovely Jane Russell boy what a pair! I never forgot that one. "Smokey and the Bandit Pursuit Pack" is formatted as a box set that in presented in full color in widescreen. I was in the Air Force during this era, stationed in California. I also own a 1:18 scale version of the Bandit Trans Am. A segment of the CMT program Reel Eats used a sloppy joe-style recipe consisting of seasoned ground beef, corn, and sour cream. There was a problem. . Gator , Stroker Ace , lots of them . Also up for auction was a go-kart replica of the car, which sold for nearly $14,000. My family did all grocery shopping in Cape. While it is doubtful Pontiac sold very many LeMans police packages, if one views this show as realistic, it would seem nearly every county and highway patrol in five states purchased one of Pontiacs heavy duty offerings. I loved the fact that Jackie Gleasons brown Lemans had a blue vinyl interior and it even had the luxury cushion steering wheel! In a rare public appearance, Burt Reynolds revealed how many cars they wrecked making Smokey and Jesus, did you just call Carmine a car novice? 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). The theme music "East Bound and Down" was sung and co-written by Reed (credited under his birth name, Jerry Hubbard) and Dick Feller. Reynolds is referenced by name in several early episodes of the series. In Smokey and the Bandit, there were eight 1977 Trans-Am cars and approximately the same number of police cars (but some said ten). 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. I remember reading somewhere that one of the cars was equipped with a 455 for some of the higher speed scenes. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_301466-Ford-LTD-II-1977.html. 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. The scene where Sheriff Justice's car has the door knocked off by a passing . 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". [14] The Trans Ams were actually 1976-model cars with 1977 front ends (from 1970 to 1976, both the Firebird/Trans Am and Chevrolet Camaro have two round headlights and in 1977, the Firebird/Trans Am was changed to four rectangular headlights, and the Camaro remained unchanged). As I am finishing this article while Big Truck Week is winding down, here is a Kenworth with a 1973 Dodge Polara patrol car. In the original script, Carrie was called Kate while Big Enos and Little Enos were called Kyle and Dickey. [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. Id like to hear from Mr. Needham why so many of those police cars had what look like shaker hood scoops. The dubbed version isnt as bad as the Remastered Blu-ray. Chevy almost did the same with its counterpart, the Camaro. Here is the LeMans; Gleason literally drives the wheels off: As an aside, heres a curious bit of trivia. Im gonna barbecue your ass in molasses., Re: The picture with 4 ladies and the wagon and van. He paid $550,000 for it, likely a record for any Pontiac Firebird. 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. The area around Helen, Georgia, was used for some locations. The Trans Am used in the movie was a 1976 model with the front end of a 1977 car. Amazing how a combination of desire and unobtainability can make an ordinary product special. The DVD set meets NTSC standards. Of course, it wasnt hard to wake them up. The pair arrive in Texarkana one hour early and load up the truck, but just as they head back, Carrie, a runaway bride, intercepts Bandit and jumps in his car, unwittingly making him an indirect target of Sheriff Buford T. Justice, a career Texas lawman whose witless son Junior was to have married Carrie. The 1977 model wasn't out yet when filming began, so General Motors provided 1976 cars with front clips from the soon-to-be-released 1977 update. [4] Just two days before production was to begin, Universal sent a "hatchet man" to Atlanta to inform Needham that the budget was being trimmed by $1 million. Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. Reed would eventually play the Bandit in Smokey and the Bandit Part 3, in which Reynolds only appeared in a cameo near the end. Not everything was Pontiac, as evidenced by this 1973 Plymouth Satellite coupe (CC here). Needham originally planned the film as a low-budget B movie with a production cost of $1 million,[4] with Reed as the Bandit. . Most of the dialogue was improvised on set. I drive a conversion van. During this time, the Firebird also surpassed sales figures of the Chevrolet Camaro. Probably the most interesting thing about this movie and Burt Reynolds is that he is not originally a Southern boy at all he was actually born in the Wolverine State Lansing, Michigan to be precise. I distinctly remember my mother buying Coors and being asked if she lived in Missouri or Illinois by the cashier. Sales jumped even higher in 1979 when Pontiac moved 117,108 Trans Ams. Burt Reynolds himself drove the car on stage to the song "East Bound and Down" and signed it. I have only seen pieces of the second and none of the third; I plan to keep it that way. 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. "Smokey and the Bandit" stars Burt Reynolds, Sally . AWESOME! Yet when I think of a 70s T/A, thats the one I and Im sure millions of other folks think of. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? Gotta love that guy! 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. [9] Though the film Moonrunners (1975) is the precursor to the television series The Dukes of Hazzard (19791985), from the same creator and with many identical settings and concepts, the popularity of Smokey and the Bandit and similar films helped get the Dukes series on the air. 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. Coors was legal in Missouri and illegal in Illinois. 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. [22] It premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where it performed badly. 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!!! The soundtrack album was released in 1977 on vinyl, cassette, and 8-track through MCA Records. 1-Smokey and the Bandit-The classic, the original, and the best one by FAR. [29] Alfred Hitchcock claimed that the film was one of his favorites. Watching TV and Movies you would think that sales dropped to nil. He gave Needham a preview of the song and, getting no reaction, offered to rewrite it. [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. It had not been used for some time and was repainted for the film. [23] It then opened in just the South of the United States over the Memorial Day weekend and grossed $2,689,851 in 386 theaters. thebandit77transam 2009-04-14 14:04. andre1969 wrote Pontiac supplied 5 brand-new cars for "Smokey and the Bandit". And back then what I wanted most of all was a highly customized Vette with exposed headlights. Luckily, both cars survived, and the Trans Am became famous only five years later. Frederick Amon smuggled it from Colorado to North Carolina and sold it for four times the retail price.[19].