how many cars destroyed in smokey and the bandit

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 Did Blues Brothers Wreck | Car Geek Anyone who enjoys Colonnade sedans will love Smokey & the Bandit. All pictures from the movie were acquired from www.imcdb.org, Fred Lives!!! 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. One of our favorite movies. Some weren't that lucky and were discontinued altogether. 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. I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. 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. [5] Reynolds revealed in his autobiography that Needham had written the first draft script on legal pads. As I am finishing this article while Big Truck Week is winding down, here is a Kenworth with a 1973 Dodge Polara patrol car. 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. 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. Smokey and the Bandit - Wikipedia February 27, 2023 . Id like to hear from Mr. Needham why so many of those police cars had what look like shaker hood scoops. The movie is responsible for something, by 1979 Pontiac was selling 100,000 plus Trans Ams, not the whole Firebird line, JUST Trans Ams, Pontiac sold more T/As in 1979 than any of the cheaper Firebirds combined, Smokey and the Bandit had to have a hand in that. Much of the surrounding scene comes from that immediate vicinity. My family did all grocery shopping in Cape. I did help a friend rebuild a late 60s 400 to replace the anemic 301 in his 79, Trans Am. 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. Everything You Should Know About The The Trans Am From Smokey And The And Burt may be from GA originally, but he calls Florida home, which is another reason I heard the movie was filmed here. Before Gleason was cast in the film, Richard Boone was originally considered for the role of Buford T. This movie just showed how much an urban legend the supposed unobtainability had become. The third-generation Firebird was introduced in 1982, a full two years later than planned. He gave Needham a preview of the song and, getting no reaction, offered to rewrite it. Most of the dialogue was improvised on set. Because sales were so high, Pontiac decided to delay the third-generation model. 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. I think thats another line theyve edited out for the television version. 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. Most reports of his death still didnt have that right! The truck at the shell station is actually a 75 or 76 Toyota Hilux. Mr. Reynolds elevated the dreck that he appeared in to a higher level, that is, enjoyable. 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!!! [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. The DVD set meets NTSC standards. The scene where Sheriff Justice's car has the door knocked off by a passing . [12] The area around Helen, Georgia, was used for some locations. But 1978 returned sales of 93,351 examples, a jump of around 25,000 cars. 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. I have at least 4 really good car buddies that will from time to time love popping this movie in to watch. 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. I grew up in Illinois, within eyeshot of the banks of the MIssissippi River, and ten miles from Cape Girardeau, Missouri. This was the lull between Gas Crisis I and II, 1976-78, and Boomers were wanting stylish cars. Gleason was given free rein to ad-lib dialogue and make suggestions. Out of four Trans Ams used for the filming of Smokey And The Bandit, three were completely totaled in the process. The Trans Am was a high-performance package for the Firebird, Pontiac's take on the Chevrolet Camaro. 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. If you notice there are several different angled skid marks on the road in the scene where the Bandit picks up Frog, you can see that they did a couple of takes of the T/A skidding to a stop and taking off again. 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 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. Arguably the most iconic Pontiac Firebird in history. These Furys, as well as some of the LeMans units, have hood scoops. For Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), Needham asked for and received 10 Trans Ams and 55 Bonnevilles with no trouble. When Im driving the Bandit Trans Am while playing one of my many Forza Motorsport games I always put that song on. I was in the Air Force during this era, stationed in California. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). . 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. S&B is one of my all-time favorite movies and Im not apologizing. Smokey and the Bandit II - Wikipedia [original research?] via iconic premier. In its place was the nonsensical scum bum. The voice over actor? Director Hal Needham convinced Pontiac to feature the Pontiac Trans Am in the movie. I distinctly remember my mother buying Coors and being asked if she lived in Missouri or Illinois by the cashier. Pontiac should have made a radio that played that song automatically simply by pushing a button, or maybe made it the horn sound. 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. The second film was a modest box office success, earning $66.1 million against a $17 million budget. [17], In 1977, Coors was unavailable for sale east of Oklahoma. The commercials were produced after Stewart mentioned that the movie was one of his favorites.[39]. I remember borrowing my brothers red 1976 T/A to take a girl to the theater to see Smokey and the Bandit. The trip to Texarkana is uneventful; soon after leaving for the return trip to Georgia, The Bandit encounters Frog, played by Sally Field. I know that Trans Am that . I know, Ive owned a 75 for 23 years. you can find it on amazon.com . As such, it took a lot of sweet talking by former stuntman Needham for Pontiac to cough up three Trans Ams and three LeManses. In fact, after Smokey and the Bandit became a box office hit, Pontiac saw a marked increase in their stock prices. Other than Jackie Gleason upstaging every other cast member, the perceived star of the show is this 1977 Pontiac Trans Am. 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. Want proof? In return, Reynolds portrayed Boss Hogg (originally portrayed by Sorrell Booke) in the film adaptation The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). I ended up buying a 1969 Cadillac ambulance a year later! 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. [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. 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 guy we knew drove his half-ton pickup from western WA to his reserve 2-week stint in his home state in California. Thanks for this, Jason. [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). 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. 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. [4] Reynolds said in 2015 that he most enjoyed this film, and had the most fun making it, of his career.[26]. About two seconds after this picture was taken, these motorcycles were doing their best imitation of a stack of pancakes. Needham stated that by the end of production, there really wasnt much left of any of the three. It wasnt distributed in Washington in those days either. [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. [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. Trigger had a big impact on my taste in cars with the Trans Ams of the late 70s being my favorite. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? . They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. East bound and down, loaded up and truckin 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. A couple of years ago, I was sitting around on a lazy Saturday afternoon and it was on TV. In the U.K., the heavily dubbed version was shown for several years, particularly by the BBC. Depends upon what he converted it from. Nice job, I know its cheesy as heck but I love this movie and still tend to watch it when I see its on TV. The original film had correct sounds that were usually recorded live as the action took place. Conversely, I could go to Paducah and be asked where up north I was from. 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 . 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. Well, they simply considered that the Trans Am didn't sound intimidating enough. After the movie did well, Pontiac gave Burt a free Trans Am to drive for a few years. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. How much did the Smokey and the Bandit car sell for? I also own a Etrl replica of the Pontiac Bonneville Buford T. Justice drove in Smokey and The Bandit II. I've heard . It became Reed's signature song and is on multiple albums, including Country Legends and his live album Jerry Reed "Live!" As deals were made for the actors and producers, the studio wanted to renegotiate my deal. Naturally, it fetched the highest price with a . 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. A 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix with a Buick Electra behind it. The Bandit's car was a second-generation Trans Am and the prize for completing the run was a new truck rather than $80,000. Heres how it works. These two 1967 Ford Galaxies (CC here), soon to be redecorated by a Kenworth road tractor, do not. It seems Plymouth was in a distant second for product placement. A dastardly scoundrel? Nothing annoys him more than car electronics, and he just hates it when performance cars lack a third pedal. Producers of Smokey and the Bandit wrecked 26 cars while filming the movie in 1977. 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. 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. Its lack of additives and preservatives meant that Coors could spoil in one week without refrigeration, explaining the film's 28-hour deadline. Due to his financial difficulties in 2014, Reynolds put his vast collection of artwork and memorabilia up for auction, including the Trans Am. Reynolds was the top box office draw from 1975 to 1982, then his movies really started to go downhill. 1975 Plymouth Fury Police Pursuit Arkansas State Police "Smokey and The [38], In 2014, petroleum company Mobil 1 produced television commercials, featuring then-NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, closely based on the film. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_301466-Ford-LTD-II-1977.html. How "Smokey and the Bandit" was born | Fortune The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. Sales of the coupe exploded after the film hit the silver screen and set unprecedented records for both Pontiac and the Firebird nameplate. Here are 20 facts about the Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit. This small modification was made to remind viewers of Trans Am models from 1969, which had in excess of 300 horsepower. 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. Let us dissect this flick to better examine it. Only one survived, and it's priceless. As if GM owes them something. Frog not included. Comments It airs on cable tv all the time. Chevy almost did the same with its counterpart, the Camaro. As I did Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. 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 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.

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