I remember reading somewhere that one of the cars was equipped with a 455 for some of the higher speed scenes. However, the U.S. government introduced new emission controls in 1972, and automakers had to step back. [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. Jesus, did you just call Carmine a car novice? . Its W.W. The muscle car market reached a peak in the late 1960s, as the car was becoming larger, more powerful, and more aggressive by looks. WildI watched this for the first time in years after watching the latest Archer.the whole thing is an homage to S&B. I actually remember the construction of that segment of I-75, as it stopped around Tampa prior to that time. Coors wasnt pasteurized. And Coors itself limited its distribution to west of the Mississippi. Great article! "Smokey and the Bandit" stars Burt Reynolds, Sally . In return, Reynolds portrayed Boss Hogg (originally portrayed by Sorrell Booke) in the film adaptation The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). The advertisements lampoon the film and feature a Pontiac Trans Am and a cover version of the song East Bound and Down. As a kid that T/A, the General Lee, and KITT were largely responsible for defining my taste in cars and that carries through to today. Though no authoritative source identifies the composition of the sandwich, there are several possibilities. The soundtrack album was released in 1977 on vinyl, cassette, and 8-track through MCA Records. I really enjoyed this discussion. It became Reed's signature song and is on multiple albums, including Country Legends and his live album Jerry Reed "Live!" A 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix with a Buick Electra behind it. The film's editors, Walter Hannemann and Angelo Ross, were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. Even when the 2nd gen was already coasting on fumes, and defanged, and after the reasonably shitty Smokey and the Bandit sequel, Pontiac managed to pump out 107,000 Trans Ams in 1980 and 70,000 for the 2nd gen Trans Ams swan song in 1981. Actually, there were 2 future Dukes stars in the movie: Ben Jones (Cooter) was in an early scene helping Big Enos find Bandit. Always loved this movie growing up. It was something regarding distribution limits. Lets take a look at some more cars found in the movie. It made no sense to me as it was fifty miles north and fifty miles south. This movie trailer gives you an taste of this provocative film, but fails to effectively capture all the subtleties and nuances it contains. However, as our heroes were successful in delivering their truckload of Coors, the writers effectively poised themselves for a sequel. It airs on cable tv all the time. Not all the police cars had hood scoops. Unfortunately he passed away a few months ago or that would have been a great question to ask. The other range car was a Chevette for people that wanted to learn on a manual transmission. As a former Club Wagon pilot, I happen to like his Econoline. Likely this isnt any rare engine venting package, but I could be wrong. As such, it took a lot of sweet talking by former stuntman Needham for Pontiac to cough up three Trans Ams and three LeManses. There has never been anything quite like late 1970s fashion in clothing. Im still trying to get clarification on what a diablo sandwich is though. There was a true concern (for some minuscule reason) about it going east of the Mississippi River. That girl from the McCoys video probably looks like Paula Deen now. Of course, it wasnt hard to wake them up. The truck at the shell station is actually a 75 or 76 Toyota Hilux. After the movie came out, Firebird sales increased even more, but the Trans Am was now the most popular one. That song often pops into my head at the start of long drives. She is a runaway bride, sitting on the side of the road in her 1973 Chevrolet Impala coupe. [22] It premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where it performed badly. Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox would bring several cases after playing on the West Coast, by stashing them in the equipment trunks on the team's plane. Sales of the coupe exploded after the film hit the silver screen and set unprecedented records for both Pontiac and the Firebird nameplate. 1-Smokey and the Bandit-The classic, the original, and the best one by FAR. Did I mention how much I enjoy reading all the back stories and niggly details I can only get here ? 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. Required fields are marked *. Every idiot with more money than brains wanted a Trans Am. A blackguard? 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. 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. 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. [4] Reynolds said in 2015 that he most enjoyed this film, and had the most fun making it, of his career.[26]. Somewhere along the line, the company acquired a new president who told Reynolds: Im the new president, and I dont like your movies. Director Hal Needham convinced Pontiac to feature the Pontiac Trans Am in the movie. Jane Russell hawked bras on television for full-figured gals like her, a line that evoked snickers among my high-school classmates. The DVD set meets NTSC standards. Justice. February 27, 2023 . Of the many cars saved from the fire was the only surviving Knight Rider KITT Super Pursuit Mode car created by Jay Orberg. It was his idea to have Junior alongside him throughout the film. I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. The three movie cars were destroyed during various stunts, so the promo car is the only surviving Trans Am connected to this film. Amazing how a combination of desire and unobtainability can make an ordinary product special. 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. High estimates for the car were up to $80,000, but the actual sale price was $450,000. East bound and down, loaded up and truckin [30] Upon meeting Reynolds, Billy Bob Thornton told him that the South considers the film to be less cinema and more documentary. Learn how your comment data is processed. UNIVERSAL CUT THE BUDGET JUST AS PRODUCTION WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN. Many nameplates lost their performance credentials, and some of them, like the Ford Mustang, were redesigned without a V-8 engine. 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. In the original script, Carrie was called Kate while Big Enos and Little Enos were called Kyle and Dickey. Good silly fun. Yet when I think of a 70s T/A, thats the one I and Im sure millions of other folks think of. 1975 PLYMOUTH FURY HIGHWAY PATROL "SMOKEY & THE BANDIT" 1/18 BY . Jackie Gleason ad libbed a lot of his lines too. The new Hot Pants scene had to quickly be refilmed as a part of a second unit in the San Fernando Valley and was shot at a drive-in restaurant near Hansen Dam named Baby Beef Burgers, which has since been demolished. I distinctly remember my mother buying Coors and being asked if she lived in Missouri or Illinois by the cashier. Now then you mentionned Sheriff JW Pepper, I decided to post some Youtube clips of him. And it was worth it for the brand, as the nameplate sales decided following the redesign. Duarte or maybe ir was Arcadia , it was white with a red & blue pinstripe , we dropped $400 (an ungodly sum back then) on a re paint and pin striping but could _not_ sell that wretched POC , it took us two years IIRC . This phrase achieved a level of popularity with children and the 2007 Hot Wheels release of the 1970s Firebird Trans Am has "scum bum" emblazoned on its tail. Sally Field and Burt Reynolds began a relationship after meeting on set. Ive since read on the internet that it wasnt illegal so much as a practical thing with it being shipped in refrigerated trucks. The third-generation Firebird was introduced in 1982, a full two years later than planned. At one point in the movie, the Bandit wrecks a police 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. Thats all true. January 24, 2019 100 comments. 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!. A couple of years ago, I was sitting around on a lazy Saturday afternoon and it was on TV. Nuts about any form of classic motorsport and muscle cars, Ciprian's currently working on a time machine that would take him back to the 1960s for a long vacation alongside Dan Gurney and Jim Hall. But while the cars shown in the movie look like 1977-model-year Trans Ams, they were actually 1976 models. 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. Soon as I get home, first thing Im gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth!. A black Trans Am is parked in my garage because of this movie. $30.00 + $11.45 shipping. Since mentioning the Kenworth, it must be noted it was a redecorator of the highest fashion. The side vents give it away. It took four evenings to see almost all of the movie in bits and pieces. 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. [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. I beg to differ Mr -Nate. Jason, Using the words nuance, subtlety, complexity and intellect to describe this movie, is, as they say, trs amusant! 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. I developed a pretty good bootheel accent during my time in New Madrid. 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. Burt Reynolds' 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Sold for $240,000. I know, Ive owned a 75 for 23 years. [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 comedy has been remastered to DVD standards. I fondly remember lots and lots of terrible B grade movies @ the drive in in the early to mid 1970s all featuring cars racing , smashing and so on . Sales jumped even higher in 1979 when Pontiac moved 117,108 Trans Ams. One of our favorite movies. With Reynolds' salary at $1 million, Needham was left with only $3.3 million to make the film. While watching the movie (yes, I did have to diligently research this article), one shot seemed to indicate this may be a dummy scoop. 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. Now, having only three Trans Ams to wreck for a movie is minimalist, to say the least. Hes fodder enough for his own article at some point. Tragically, every Trans Am used in filming was destroyed. I think you may be confusing the movie Honky-Tonk Freeway with the filming done during I-75 construction near Sarasota. 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. 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). His automotive adventure started reporting on various motorsport events as a sports writer before moving onto a full-time auto career with various sites, including This Week In Motors and Autoevolution. Some weren't that lucky and were discontinued altogether. 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. 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. Smokey & The Bandit is the greatest movie of the 20th Century! If they werent burning candles to an image of a cowboy hatted Burt Reynolds at Pontiac headquarters. Other sources in East Texas (from whence Sheriff Justice hails) are familiar with the popular regional delicacy known as the Diablo Sandwich. [6] It would become one of Reed's biggest hits and his signature song.[7]. [21], Smokey and the Bandit was a sleeper hit. He enlists the help of fellow truck driver Cletus The Snowman Snow, played by country music singer Jerry Reed. ", "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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