During the production process, an estimated 300 cars were destroyed, reports . In 1978, Pontiac delivered 93,351 Trans Ams and 93,944 regular Firebirds for a grand total of 187,295 cars. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. While the initial concern was it having a regional appeal, it would ultimately play as well in New York City and Chicago as it did Atlanta, Georgia, or Biloxi, Mississippi. So to get a respectable amount of speed out of them, they installed nitrous oxide tanks. Dom DeLuise, Doc, shows up in an ambulance. 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. [3][4] It also set a record for an opening week, with a gross of $18,108,031. The MASSIVE year over year sales gains came from somewhere. Around the 23 minute mark Burt Reynolds breaks the fourth wall when he looks into the camera and says "She still loves me" referring to Sally Field's character Carrie (Frog). 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. There has never been anything quite like late 1970s fashion in clothing. 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!!! During this time, the Firebird also surpassed sales figures of the Chevrolet Camaro. Coors wasnt pasteurized. Final 'Smokey and the Bandit' movie for Burt Reynolds in a lead starring role. It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. So we all hung together. It was also shown in the background during the first Smokey and the Bandit (1977) movie. But the producer of that was Michael Deeley, who then happened to produce The Italian Job. I still regret selling mine almost 30 years ago. Only one survived, and it's priceless. you can find it on amazon.com . Logos 1996. I am still drawn to the shape of these cars, and others that have that long and low look about them. The sequel to this movie was titled Gator (1976) (1976). A black Trans Am is parked in my garage because of this movie. It was complete madness. Bill was a second generation elephant trainer. Haul my wife and four shelter adoptee mutts in it. Every idiot with more money than brains wanted a Trans Am. 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. A world-record automobile jump was captured on film during the "roundup sequence", when stuntman Gary Davis jumped a 1974 Dodge Monaco over 150 feet. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, It was something regarding distribution limits. We had to carry on shooting and it wasnt worth it. Sure Smokey helped, but was not the sole reason T/A and F body sales went up. The Pontiac Trans Am seems like a natural choice for Smokey and the Bandit, but the car was only a few inches close to not being used in the movie. Great article! The Trans Am was already pretty popular in the mid-1970s, with sales hitting 68,745 units in 1977. Soon after the trio start off for Dallas, they are accosted for the first of several times by Sheriff Justice, but Bandit outwits him and they escape. Please to note I didnt say _I_ didnt like them as I was in my 20s then (early 1970s) so I hustled my self and my Russian girlfriend right on down to the cinema every time Burt Reynolds had a new flick , I personally loved his movies even the chick flicks like The Man Who Loved Women , I just had to hear earfuls from everyone else about how awful he / those movies were.. We even bought one of those Pontiac Police Specials on auction from. This "new rig" suggests that the pair were successful in the "double or nothing" wager offered by the Burdettes at the end of the first film, where they were persuaded to drive from Atlanta to Boston and back in 18 hours to buy clam chowder and bring it to the Burdettes. Carrie is overjoyed when she sees Charlotte's baby, and Bandit asks Charlotte's permission for him and Carrie to get hitched, to which Charlotte trumpets her approval; Doc, now riding in the cab with Cledus and Fred, also voices his approval, and they all drive away with Charlotte and her baby in tow in circus carts, with Buford still in pursuit, now driving a Greyhound bus. Thats all well and good, and it worked smooth as silk for a good while. I'm afraid I was responsible for a good few of those. In addition to the four Trans Ams, Needham also received two Pontiac LeMans models to serve as patrol cars in the movie. 20. Now then you mentionned Sheriff JW Pepper, I decided to post some Youtube clips of him. Reynolds is seen only in a small cameo in Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). Chevy brought back the Z28, and cant say S&B was reason. Needham stated that by the end of production, there really wasnt much left of any of the three. 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?????? Accueil; Consoles. I guess the Trans Am proved to have more staying power than the hot 71 Ford in the earlier movie. This was the lull between Gas Crisis I and II, 1976-78, and Boomers were wanting stylish cars. Because sales were so high, Pontiac decided to delay the third-generation model. We were allowed to rent Fiat 500s at a very good price, I think they were 1,000 Lira per day, so instead of being sensible and renting a couple of them for the gang, we got 10 of them - one each. Vintage R&T Road Test: 1956 Corvette, Powerglide And Stick Shift Fast And Faster. Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. People keep telling me this tuner did it and that tuner did it. Nah, they survived by coming up with bras with very thin cups. 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. Many nameplates lost their performance credentials, and some of them, like the Ford Mustang, were redesigned without a V-8 engine. It was a powerful car, and I was glad to be issued it as my range car instead of one of the new but already disintegrating 1985 Oldsmobiles supplied by a local dealer that most people had. All Rights Reserved. Many brand new Pontiac Le Mans sedan cars decked out as police cars were seen during the roundup sequence. 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. Web. Top Gear gives you lessons on winter car care, Top Gears guide to buying a used BMW 3 Series, 10 used cars for 5k or less we found this week, The new Gran Turismo movie will hit cinemas on 11 August 2023, Carlos Sainz Sr flips his Audi Dakar car, gets airlifted to hospital, tells pilot to turn around, returns to race, The UKs cheapest, decent cars to insureincluding a few fast ones. There was, however, one "promotion" car that traveled hither and thither to plug the movie, which had an initial budget of $1,000,000 and ended up . 3-Smokey and the Bandit 3-A crime against humanity, not even LSD can make it watchable since you spend the whole night fighting imaginary flying cobras with Jackie Gleasons head on them. Somehow this store had a regular supply. American Brands: AMC, Jeep and All Others, Tractors, Lawn Mowers, Off-Road Equipment, CC Cinema: The Cars of Smokey & The Bandit What We Have Here Is a Total Lack of Respect for the Law, CC TV Outtake: This Used Car Commercial Didnt Make It On The Air, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cODPt3T0cHE, Vintage R&T Road Test: 1959 Studebaker Lark Six Slower Than The 1939 Champion, COAL: 1995 Saturn SW2 My Brief Fling With The Enemy. Im probably in the minority as usual, but I prefer the Black and Gold 50th Anne. 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. This is one of the plot lines in Smokey and the Bandit Part 3. " Sales jumped even higher in 1979 when Pontiac moved 117,108 Trans Ams. I remember reading somewhere that one of the cars was equipped with a 455 for some of the higher speed scenes. The roundup sequence in the desert shows many new Pontiac Le Mans sedans decorated as police cars being destroyed. The movie had an even bigger impact on the Trans Am. The other range car was a Chevette for people that wanted to learn on a manual transmission. At least at the time the movie was made, this picture contained one of the biggest car chases in film history. Reportedly, when this movie was first released, Burt Reynolds was planning to star in Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). Yet, the set used a 1976 model, as the 1977 vehicle was not ready. Its amazing, you should watch it. You know, the ones that are the gang and then us the drivers. I remember I'd obviously done a load of handbrake turns in my time, but suddenly Rmy was telling me to get it in reverse halfway through and to roar out of them. According to Wikipedia, the second movie was able to get away with destroying an INSANE number of brand-new Pontiac LeMans police cars because Pontiac had them sitting around in the southwest region, having been sent to a rental fleet in Phoenix without a/c. The car was not used in the making of Smokey and the Bandit but was given to the actor as a thank you for his role in the film, the company said. 6 The Police Pile-Up In The Blues Brothers. Car movies are notorious for being tough on the very vehicles that give them their allure. 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. Is It Better to Do a Face Mask at Night or in the Morning? Did Jerry Reed drive the truck in Smokey and the Bandit 2? In my area, nearly every one listed is an ex cop car. However, two of the principal stars of the film, Burt Reynolds and Sally Field declined to participate due to a contract dispute. MN12 Thunderbirds had the same appeal to me, for similar reasons. Burt Reynolds plays Bandit, who drives this powerhouse while dodging the cops, while Snowman, played by Jerry Reed, is not only an actor but also a country music star, a Kenworth W- 900 A a really powerful semitrailer. A couple of years ago, I was sitting around on a lazy Saturday afternoon and it was on TV. We could go round roundabouts and not let anyone on, just by going round and round. Were they dummies? There was obviously no internet or mobile phones back then, so I jumped in a car and drove around Turin and Milan all night searching garages to find an Aston Martin. Football players Joe Klecko and Terry Bradshaw also appear in both films. The roller coaster destroyed in the movie is the old "Greyhound" coaster that was located at the Lakewood Fairgrounds in Atlanta, Georgia. Misconception by casual novice car fans is that the Trams Am didnt sell well until S&B. Burt Reynolds himself drove the car on stage to the song "East Bound and Down" and signed it. ARRGH! [6] Roger Ebert gave it a one out of four stars and stated that there was "[in 1980] no need for this movie. How do you level a dishwasher from the front to the back? Ive also looked at a Fox based LTD cop car and an early 1991 whale Caprice 9C1 detective model, burgundy on burgundy cloth. A paper on Cognitive psychology was published in the 1990 issue of Computers in Human Perception. a custom mandrel bent dual exhaust, and the Mondello bottom end plate to stabilize the windowed mains. After failing to get the outgoing governor's endorsement, Big Enos overhears him on the phone ordering a crate in Miami to be delivered in nine days to the Republican National Convention in Dallas. That girl from the McCoys video probably looks like Paula Deen now. The film received almost completely negative reviews from critics who felt that it suffered badly in comparison to the original. The uncut version is the best. Somewhere along the line, the company acquired a new president who told Reynolds: Im the new president, and I dont like your movies. A guy we knew drove his half-ton pickup from western WA to his reserve 2-week stint in his home state in California. Are there any other stories from filming that have stuck in your brain all this time? When he sees Charlotte in tears, Bandit finally comes to his senses and apologizes. As a publicity stunt, the Trans Ams used in the movie had different decals on the hood scoop. It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. Not all the police cars had hood scoops. 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. Sheriff Justice doesn't drive a Bonneville until the sequel, Smokey and the Bandit 2. Always loved this movie growing up. Despite the hiccups, the movie still promoted the 1977 model so well. Just do a search for Crown Victorias on your local CL. I certainly hope the guy hired to drive that 74 Ford Torino wagon was paid well for his work. And Coors itself limited its distribution to west of the Mississippi. 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. Did I mention how much I enjoy reading all the back stories and niggly details I can only get here ? View All Result. 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. These questions all need to be answered. Jana, another oddity was that I could go to Carbondale and be asked where down south I was from. They return later that night to steal it, only to find the "package" is a live elephant (the G.O.P. Not everything was Pontiac, as evidenced by this 1973 Plymouth Satellite coupe (CC here). Trigger had a big impact on my taste in cars with the Trans Ams of the late 70s being my favorite. Let me get the popcorn for this one. Nothing annoys him more than car electronics, and he just hates it when performance cars lack a third pedal. 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. Director Hal Needham convinced Pontiac to feature the Pontiac Trans Am in the movie. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. I bought that car for under 1,000, but 45 years later I drove it at the Villa dEste concours and it was valued at 700,000. Check out the entire video below. A diablo sammich from my understanding is a like a Sloppy Joe but with taco seasoning added in for spice. I have at least 4 really good car buddies that will from time to time love popping this movie in to watch. Back in 1984, I went to look at a late 1970s Plymouth cop car as well. Two of the trucks pull away, resulting in Gaylord and Reggie's cruisers crashing in the ensuing gap before they can cross, but Buford is still in pursuit, though his cruiser is barely functioning. How many cars were wrecked filming Smokey and the Bandit? After critics panned the film and his work as Director, Hal Needham took out a full page ad in 'Variety' depicting himself sitting on a wheelbarrow full of cash. According to Motorious, there are four Trans Ams in the film, but three were destroyed. There was a problem. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. And all of us easterners suddenly discovered it was nothing more than another Budweiser/Miller/etc. complete answer on villains.fandom.com, View That was a nightmare. Later that night, a drunken Bandit makes his drawing a reality, and Doc agrees that his idea will work. Let us dissect this flick to better examine it. And how did you as stunt drivers get on with the big-name actors that you were working alongside? Yet, the set used a 1976 model, as the 1977 vehicle was not ready. 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. I know, Ive owned a 75 for 23 years. Her groom? One of those things that will make my kids think Im crazy some day. He's a proud member of the TopSpeed team since early 2014. One of our favorite movies. Both the 1976 and '77 models had a similar body except for a few bumper and grille modifications. Ironically I never really cared all that much for Coors, I dont think it has much flavor, but it was well received when we got to Kentucky. Even today when I stumble across this cinematic masterpiece being rerun on cable tv, Ill watch the entire thing. According to Motorious, there are four Trans Ams in the film, but three were destroyed. The scene where Carrie (Frog) announces her ending the relationship to Bandit was written by Sally Field, who was about to break up with Burt Reynolds at the time. The Trans Am was a high-performance package for the Firebird, Pontiac's take on the Chevrolet Camaro. His personaround, dumpy, and clipping wordsreminds one of another fictional southern sheriff. Some fellow classmates were extras on the film set, and it was a big deal around here at the time. Another one is, Theres no way youre from my loins.. Jackie Gleason's brief appearance as Reginald Van Justice was a reference to Reginald Van Gleason III, a character he played throughout his TV career. The truck in Smokey and the Bandit (1977) that Cledus 'Snowman' Snow drove was a black and gold 1974 Kenworth W900 Model. 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. So, for years one, two, and three, he got a shiny new Pontiac. Hes fodder enough for his own article at some point. Well, they simply considered that the Trans Am didn't sound intimidating enough. During a Q&A session on Saturday, filmed by ComicBook.com, a fan asked how many Trans Ams they burned through during production. That's because the Trans Am in Smokey and the Bandit didn't sound like a Trans Am. Your email address will not be published. Ive always loved this movie. I really enjoyed this discussion. Gotta love that guy! It airs on cable tv all the time. A number of records were broken at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale sale in Arizona, which ended last weekend. They were the most fun little car to drive. The LCS in Grand Prairie opened in 1971 and operated for 21 years. The Kenworth even achieves a trifecta of sorts, as it gave the first dent to Sheriff Justices LeMans. We were allowed to rent Fiat 500s at a very good price, I think they were 1,000 Lira per day, so instead of being sensible and renting a couple of them for the gang, we got 10 of them one each. So I bought the car, drove back up to the mountains and got there about 20 minutes before we were supposed to shoot. "I think with all of these films, you read the . However, as our heroes were successful in delivering their truckload of Coors, the writers effectively poised themselves for a sequel. 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!. Smokey and the Bandit II was filmed simultaneously with The Cannonball Run, in which Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise also starred. It was all learning on the job, it was fantastic. Jackie Gleason ad libbed a lot of his lines too. You will receive a verification email shortly. So we've got them in our homes this is mad. The film was followed by another sequel three years later, Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983), in which Reynolds only made a brief cameo appearance, and Sally Field did not appear. Bandit is ready to load them both back up in the truck, but Cledus refuses and then knocks Bandit down when he insults him. New York, Dom DeLuise and Burt Reynolds also stared in "Cannonball Run", where they raced across the country in an ambulance. Reynolds wanted Sally to express her feelings about the breakup on film because he wanted to know how she really felt about him. Why isnt Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit 3? The film is the sequel to the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit. Further, as Pontiac has deliciously obvious product placement, anyone who delights in 70s era Pontiac iron will experience visual ecstasy. There is a Basset Hound in the Smokey and the Bandit movie series. Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Jerry Reed) drives the truck while his good buddy Bo "Bandit" Darville (Reynolds) serves as the "blocker," a fast car used to divert police attention away from payload. Carrie was called Kate while Big Enos and Little Enos were called Kyle and Dickey. Im gonna barbecue your ass in molasses., Re: The picture with 4 ladies and the wagon and van. These included Mel Tillis as a Fairground Owner, Brenda Lee as a Nice Lady, Don Williams as himself, and the Statler Brothers, Phil Balsley, Lew DeWitt, Harold Reid and Don Reid also as themselves. Though she still has feelings for Bandit, when Carrie arrives, she initially intones she is only in it for the money, and she and Cledus work on getting Bandit off the booze and back into shape. 10. 'C.B. The Pontiac Trans Am car belonging to the Bandit - Bo Darville was jokingly special billed by the production as "Son of Trigger".

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