That's because Pontiac almost canceled the Firebird in the early 1970s. My drivers ed driving range car was an ex-patrol colonnade Pontiac LeMans Enforcer. The other range car was a Chevette for people that wanted to learn on a manual transmission. In 2006, a DVD re-release was issued of Smokey and the Bandit featuring a digitally remastered audio track with 5.1 Dolby-compatible surround sound. Coors wasnt pasteurized. This small modification was made to remind viewers of Trans Am models from 1969, which had in excess of 300 horsepower. I recall reading somewhere that the Trans Am that did the bridge jump had a tweaked Chevy 350 in it with a stick, and of course that it was WO after the jump. Misconception by casual novice car fans is that the Trams Am didnt sell well until S&B. [21], Smokey and the Bandit was a sleeper hit. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1980 ERTL SMOKEY & THE BANDIT PONTIAC FIREBIRD DIECAST CAR police car set at the best online prices at eBay! When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. I dont know if Ive ever seen the unedited version though, so I never realized the orignal phrase was sum bitch, I always assumed it was worse. Justice. These questions all need to be answered. S/E T/A with the round headlights. Revisit this scene featuring "East Bound and. 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. The movies are rated PG with a run time of 282 minutes and released to video by Universal Studios. The differences between the two are major. 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. 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". 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. The original uncut sumbitch version. They find local legend Bo "Bandit" Darville at a roadeo at Lakewood Fairgrounds and offer him US$80,000 (equivalent to $357,738 in 2021) to haul 400 cases of Coors from Texarkana (the closest place it could be legally sold at that time) to Atlanta in 28 hours. Not all the police cars had hood scoops. The film features the custom clothing and costuming of Niver Western Wear of Fort Worth, Texas. When it was over, I cried and cried and cried because I didnt want it to end. Reynolds is referenced by name in several early episodes of the series. Lets take a look at some more cars found in the movie. As the 1969 classic 'The Italian Job' turns 50 years old, TG.com caught up with David Salamone, the man who piloted the red Mini in . A 1977 special-edition model once owned by the late actor Burt Reynolds recently wound up on the car auction website Bring a Trailer. High estimates for the car were up to $80,000, but the actual sale price was $450,000. The cars were wrecked on purpose to create the illusion of a high-speed chase. Luckily, both cars survived, and the Trans Am became famous only five years later. Mr. Reynolds made a bunch of low budget films before this , all had wild chase scenes with cop cars crashing & going into swamps . I drive a conversion van. The cashier never batted an eye as she sold us the mass quantities of suds. It was the second-highest-grossing movie of 1977 after Star Wars. As Frog leaves, we are introduced to Sheriff Buford T. Justice, played by Jackie Gleason. 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. Needham stated that by the end of production, there really wasnt much left of any of the three. 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. Please refresh the page and try again. 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. Most reports of his death still didnt have that right! I think more of Smokey and the Bandit II and the awful part 3 were filmed largely in Florida, I dont know if I-75 construction was started by 1976-77, at least the section down to Miami part, when they filmed. Bill Justis is the first name on the credits for the soundtrack, as he composed and arranged original music throughout the film. 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. Sheriff Justices son, Junior. The MASSIVE year over year sales gains came from somewhere. Frog not included. Nah, they survived by coming up with bras with very thin cups. I recall a big smokey burnout right after they left Snowmans house that looked 455-worthy and also after Bandit picked up Fields he left two strips after nailing second (right before the tire thieves crossed the road), which makes me think there was also a 4 speed car used. Ive since read on the internet that it wasnt illegal so much as a practical thing with it being shipped in refrigerated trucks. Before Gleason was cast in the film, Richard Boone was originally considered for the role of Buford T. I know, Ive owned a 75 for 23 years. Gleason probably wanted too much money to provide the dubbing, which is a shame because it ruins the TV version. With this, the Sheriff begins his pursuit of the Mann Act-violating Banditall the way to Georgia. and the Dixie Dance Kings, and Burts car was a 57 [56?] Id be surprised. The owner restored it and sold it at the Scottsdale 2016 auction by Barrett-Jackson. One guy did a while ago a fan-made trailer of Smokey & the Bandit 4. 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! Burt Reynolds once claimed in an interview that there were actually 12 Trans Ams featured in Smokey and the Banditand he wrecked every one. I'm afraid I was responsible for a good few of those. Further, as Pontiac has deliciously obvious product placement, anyone who delights in 70s era Pontiac iron will experience visual ecstasy. 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!!! And then they made the biggest mistake of their lives and went to national distribution. If they werent burning candles to an image of a cowboy hatted Burt Reynolds at Pontiac headquarters. His personaround, dumpy, and clipping wordsreminds one of another fictional southern sheriff. 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. 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. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. I think thats another line theyve edited out for the television version. [40] Major portions of the audio background have been modified with different engine sounds or tire squeals from the original film. WildI watched this for the first time in years after watching the latest Archer.the whole thing is an homage to S&B. The film's theme song, "East Bound and Down", was written virtually overnight by Reed. 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. Jason, Using the words nuance, subtlety, complexity and intellect to describe this movie, is, as they say, trs amusant! Reynolds actively pushed for her casting after Universal initially resisted, claiming Field was not attractive enough. 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. Starring Bob Hope, that comedic star of the screen, and the lovely Jane Russell boy what a pair! I never forgot that one. Producers of Smokey and the Bandit wrecked 26 cars while filming the movie in 1977. Im gonna barbecue your ass in molasses., Re: The picture with 4 ladies and the wagon and van. 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. In October 2020, a Smokey and the Bandit TV series was revealed to be in development, with a pilot written by David Gordon Green and Brian Sides and also executive produced with his Rough House confederates Jody Hill, Danny McBride and Brandon James, as well as Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins of Fuzzy Door.[44]. Sonny Shroyer (Enos) was the motorcycle cop who was given the 1-finger salute by Sally Field. Reynolds was the top box office draw from 1975 to 1982, then his movies really started to go downhill. So why did they go with sound effects instead of the Trans Am's actually exhaust noise? The story replaced the Coors beer with Mobil 1 products. And Burt may be from GA originally, but he calls Florida home, which is another reason I heard the movie was filmed here. Haul my wife and four shelter adoptee mutts in it. How did any bra manufacturers survive the 70s? I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. However, as our heroes were successful in delivering their truckload of Coors, the writers effectively poised themselves for a sequel. Free shipping for many products! Regular film-goers might not pay much attention to the car's engine sound, but gearheads will quickly notice that something is off. [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. Hal Needham did pass away as someone earlier said. 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. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Required fields are marked *. I was to be paid a salary plus own 7% of the profits. [22] It premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where it performed badly. Wealthy Texan Big Enos Burdette and his son Little Enos have sponsored a racer in Atlanta's Southern Classic and want to celebrate in style when he wins, so they are seeking a trucker willing to bootleg Coors Beer to Atlanta for their refreshment. 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. Though no authoritative source identifies the composition of the sandwich, there are several possibilities. The Trans Am was already pretty popular in the mid-1970s, with sales hitting 68,745 units in 1977. So many classic quotes in this movie. UNIVERSAL CUT THE BUDGET JUST AS PRODUCTION WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN. "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. No more needs to be said. As a publicity stunt, the Trans Ams used in the movie had different decals on the hood scoop. I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean.

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