how many cars destroyed in smokey and the bandit

Well, the Corvettes success is clearly due to Corvette Summer, @Jim I remember that movie! Car movies are notorious for being tough on the very vehicles that give them their allure. 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. If you watched the second clip above, this truck should look familiar. 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. 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. 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. I only got one of them LOL. The original film had correct sounds that were usually recorded live as the action took place. [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. J.J. & The Dixie Dance Kings was a milder one that had (I think) a 56 Buick Century . A CC for a 1973 Grand Ville convertible can be found here. Reynolds is referenced by name in several early episodes of the series. Not a bad deal, but on the fourth year, no new car. 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]. 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. 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 return, Reynolds portrayed Boss Hogg (originally portrayed by Sorrell Booke) in the film adaptation The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). It just seems wrong to see that car in any fashion without hearing that song. Sally Field and Burt Reynolds began a relationship after meeting on set. radio to help him out. 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. you can find it on amazon.com . Always a favorite. I know that Trans Am that . The scene where Sheriff Justice's car has the door knocked off by a passing . Dodge pitchman Sheriff Joe Higgins. Whaddya expect outta a guy what drives a conversion van? As a former Club Wagon pilot, I happen to like his Econoline. 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 remember borrowing my brothers red 1976 T/A to take a girl to the theater to see Smokey and the Bandit. I certainly hope the guy hired to drive that 74 Ford Torino wagon was paid well for his work. In the U.K., the heavily dubbed version was shown for several years, particularly by the BBC. 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. Sure Smokey helped, but was not the sole reason T/A and F body sales went up. It outsold its Chevrolet Camaro counterpart for the first time. 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: . It became Reed's signature song and is on multiple albums, including Country Legends and his live album Jerry Reed "Live!" how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2. Was it a heathen? The side vents give it away. Sales almost doubled in two years, which is a very big deal given that the Trans Ams 1978 facelift was rather minor save for the front fascia. Yet when I think of a 70s T/A, thats the one I and Im sure millions of other folks think of. 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. In particular, the scene where Sheriff Justice unknowingly encounters the Bandit in the "choke and puke" (a roadside diner) was not in the original story but was rather Gleason's idea. 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.. Alan Reed was the original voice of Fred Flintstone; Henry Corden only took over after Reeds death in 1977. A black Trans Am is parked in my garage because of this movie. Many of the film's original sounds were replaced. It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. 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. How much did the Smokey and the Bandit car sell for? However, the U.S. government introduced new emission controls in 1972, and automakers had to step back. News . Wouldnt the accent give you away? You might think that seeing their cars routinely destroyed on movie screens across the country would give the manufacturer pause, but that is not the case at all. The LeMans police car did nothing for me because there was a colonnade LeMans sedan in the garage at home. But would the black and gold T/As be as desirable today without the movie? I remember that it had a bunch of trim badges on the center of the dashboard. The roller coaster in the movie was the Greyhound. 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. The cars were 1976 models, the engines fitted to them were 455ci powerplants, the last year these engines were offered for sale before withdrawal. 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. As a publicity stunt, the Trans Ams used in the movie had different decals on the hood scoop. I guess the Trans Am proved to have more staying power than the hot 71 Ford in the earlier movie. The differences between the two are major. 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. As I did Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. 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. It took four evenings to see almost all of the movie in bits and pieces. American Brands: AMC, Jeep and All Others, Tractors, Lawn Mowers, Off-Road Equipment, CC Outtake: The CC House, and With a New Recent Exotic Addition, CC TV Outtake: This Used Car Commercial Didn't Make It On The Air, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cODPt3T0cHE. I think thats another line theyve edited out for the television version. The other range car was a Chevette for people that wanted to learn on a manual transmission. 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. I own all three films on a dvd called the Smokey and The Bandit Pursuit Pack. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_301466-Ford-LTD-II-1977.html. I remember reading somewhere that one of the cars was equipped with a 455 for some of the higher speed scenes. 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. The roundup sequence in the desert shows many new Pontiac Le Mans sedans decorated as police cars being destroyed. Burt Reynolds once claimed in an interview that there were actually 12 Trans Ams featured in Smokey and the Banditand he wrecked every one. Smokey and the Bandit was one of the most iconic movies of the 1970s. 46,000 in 1976, 68,000 in 1977, 93,000 in 1978, 117,000 in 1979. Stroker Ace is after S&B, 1983, and features the then new for 83 aero Fox Body Thunderbird. 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. 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. Thats all well and good, and it worked smooth as silk for a good while. So why did they go with sound effects instead of the Trans Am's actually exhaust noise? In its place was the nonsensical "scum bum." . 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 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. The cop cars with the hood scoops were ex-DeKalb County (Georgia) cruisers. Set with his . Her groom? Hes fodder enough for his own article at some point. I am pretty sure it was filmed in Florida, when I-75 was under construction so they could use the highways while empty. 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. [21], Smokey and the Bandit was a sleeper hit. As deals were made for the actors and producers, the studio wanted to renegotiate my deal. The MASSIVE year over year sales gains came from somewhere. My drivers ed driving range car was an ex-patrol colonnade Pontiac LeMans Enforcer. MN12 Thunderbirds had the same appeal to me, for similar reasons. Nice article Jason I was a fan of this movie when it came out I look back now and think, wow, did I really think this was entertainment?????? His expletive is obscured when a passing big rig sounds its horn. The original Blues Brothers movie from 1980 is a classic, and fans were excited when a sequel was announced in 1998. . It had not been used for some time and was repainted for the film. The scene featuring the racetrack was filmed at Lakewood Speedway at the old Lakewood Fairgrounds on Atlanta's south side. During a Q&A session on Saturday, filmed by ComicBook.com, a fan asked how many Trans Ams they burned through during production. 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. 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. [29] Alfred Hitchcock claimed that the film was one of his favorites. As I am finishing this article while Big Truck Week is winding down, here is a Kenworth with a 1973 Dodge Polara patrol car. Ive since read on the internet that it wasnt illegal so much as a practical thing with it being shipped in refrigerated trucks. Other sources in East Texas (from whence Sheriff Justice hails) are familiar with the popular regional delicacy known as the Diablo Sandwich. As a feature-length car chase, the car was as much of a star as Burt Reynolds, and the film gave birth to the cult of the Trans Am. This movie just showed how much an urban legend the supposed unobtainability had become. Pontiac should have made a radio that played that song automatically simply by pushing a button, or maybe made it the horn sound. How many smokey and the bandit movies are there? Soon as I get home, first thing Im gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth!. Will Walker: Independence Return For Season 2 Amid CW Shakeups? The theme music "East Bound and Down" was sung and co-written by Reed (credited under his birth name, Jerry Hubbard) and Dick Feller. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Apparently the engine sounds were lifted from another movie, I think two lane blacktop? The films are indeed classic and very funny to this day. Let me get the popcorn for this one. (first posted 2/28/2014) The fourth highest grossing film in the United States in 1977 was the Academy Award nominatedSmokey & The Bandit. The rub? "Buford T. Justice" was the name of a real Florida Highway Patrolman known to Reynolds' father, who was once Police Chief of Riviera Beach, Florida. In the original script, Carrie was called Kate while Big Enos and Little Enos were called Kyle and Dickey. On the DVD, there is a brief interview with both Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham, who directed this film. Burt Reynolds himself drove the car on stage to the song "East Bound and Down" and signed it. I was a junior high school age kid when this film came out. The whereabouts of the remaining Smokey and the Bandit car, the one that was used to promote the movie, remained a mystery for years. Reynolds replied: We went through 12. Weve got a long way to go and a short time to get there Director Hal Needham convinced Pontiac to feature the Pontiac Trans Am in the movie. I've heard . Id been driving for years by the time I was 15, so I just wanted to complete the course with as little static as possible. Except that shes not sagging. All pictures from the movie were acquired from www.imcdb.org, Fred Lives!!! The muscle car market reached a peak in the late 1960s, as the car was becoming larger, more powerful, and more aggressive by looks. It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. Most of the dialogue was improvised on set. The secrets behind the cars and stunts in 'The Italian Job'. His father was also the inspiration for the word "sumbitch" used in the film, a variation of the phrase "son-of-a-bitch" that, according to Reynolds, he uttered quite often. Upon showing it to his friend, Reynolds told Needham that it was the worst script he had ever read, but that he would still make the movie. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. There was a problem. A 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix with a Buick Electra behind it. A 1977 special-edition model once owned by the late actor Burt Reynolds recently wound up on the car auction website Bring a Trailer. 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. Not everything was Pontiac, as evidenced by this 1973 Plymouth Satellite coupe (CC here). It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. Hal Needham did pass away as someone earlier said. 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. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? Trigger had a big impact on my taste in cars with the Trans Ams of the late 70s being my favorite. Regular film-goers might not pay much attention to the car's engine sound, but gearheads will quickly notice that something is off. Smokey and the Bandit was all realistic and non fictional, and it still was a big hit that brought a lot of money to Hal Needham and the actors, to pay Pontiac back. 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. But while the cars shown in the movie look like 1977-model-year Trans Ams, they were actually 1976 models. And he succeeded as far as the Pontiac Trans Am is concerned. We just watched this with the kids the other week, along with Cannonball Run. 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. It was the second-highest-grossing movie of 1977 after Star Wars. I know, Ive owned a 75 for 23 years. 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). And lets not forget the Trans Am rental car Steve McQueen drove in his very last movie, The Hunter from 1980. 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. 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.

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