Burt Reynolds may be 79, but he shows no signs of slowing down. S&B is one of my all-time favorite movies and Im not apologizing. Of course, it wasnt hard to wake them up. There has never been anything quite like late 1970s fashion in clothing. While it's sad that the other two cars were destroyed . Most of the dialogue was improvised on set. Sales jumped even higher in 1979 when Pontiac moved 117,108 Trans Ams. The roller coaster in the movie was the Greyhound. I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. He is hired by Big Enos Burdette and his son Little Enos to transport a truck load of Coors beer from Texarkana, Texas, back to Georgia in 28 hours. Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. 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. Mines never gone away, especially now that I spend every thee month in Memphis. S&TB was filmed primarily off Route 400 in Georgia. In fact, after Smokey and the Bandit became a box office hit, Pontiac saw a marked increase in their stock prices. . No more needs to be said. With Reynolds agreement to do the movie, and his insistence upon casting Gleason as Sheriff Justice, the movie became a larger venture. As luck and script writing would have it, Frog has left her groom at the altar. All pictures from the movie were acquired from www.imcdb.org, Fred Lives!!! A 1975 Pontiac Grand Ville, seen toward the end of the movie. 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. Amazing how a combination of desire and unobtainability can make an ordinary product special. Frederick Amon smuggled it from Colorado to North Carolina and sold it for four times the retail price.[19]. Just like the exaggeration sales went up 700%. 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. I have always loved this movie, watched it dozens and dozens of times on TV, video, DVD, laserdisc, almost any form of media. The roundup sequence in the desert shows many new Pontiac Le Mans sedans decorated as police cars being destroyed. Of course, nobody else cared if it was in the trunk of the car when heading back home. 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. 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. Rockford Files also featured Firebird, and was on since 1974, and Fs sold well despite gas crunch I and inflation. Somewhere along the line, the company acquired a new president who told Reynolds: Im the new president, and I dont like your movies. That said, an uncomplimentary accent does exist. The next movie, Smokey and the Bandit II, featured the same cast and an updated version of the Trans Am.The second version of the Smokey and the Bandit car was a 1980 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that had a similar paint job, the updated front end, and gold "Turbine" style wheels.The 1980 models featured a turbocharged 4.9L Pontiac V8, but that still wasn't enough power for the stunt personnel. Lets take a look. via iconic premier. Trigger had a big impact on my taste in cars with the Trans Ams of the late 70s being my favorite. What were the police cars in Smokey and the Bandit? And back then what I wanted most of all was a highly customized Vette with exposed headlights. It consists of any of the various Louisiana-style hot sauces on Texas toast-style bread alongside the fourth most famous product of Pittsburg, Texas (behind Pilgrim's Pride, Cavender's, and Carroll Shelby)Pittsburg Hot Links. Just do a search for Crown Victorias on your local CL. The little packy there had Coors and even though it was horribly expensive, we thought it was the elixer of the Gods. Reynolds actively pushed for her casting after Universal initially resisted, claiming Field was not attractive enough. In the U.K., the heavily dubbed version was shown for several years, particularly by the BBC. "Smokey and the Bandit Pursuit Pack" is formatted as a box set that in presented in full color in widescreen. A few other examples of sound effect replacement occur when the Bandit takes off after getting the reluctant Cledus involved in the bet, the Bandit comes to a screeching halt on a roadway moments before picking up Carrie, and when Buford's car top comes off. Behind Sheriff Justices Pontiac, there is a nice looking 1965 or 1966 Ford Mustang fastback and a Toyota pickup. This small modification was made to remind viewers of Trans Am models from 1969, which had in excess of 300 horsepower. Regular film-goers might not pay much attention to the car's engine sound, but gearheads will quickly notice that something is off. While watching the movie (yes, I did have to diligently research this article), one shot seemed to indicate this may be a dummy scoop. 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. Jackie Gleason ad libbed a lot of his lines too. Thats all well and good, and it worked smooth as silk for a good while. The owner restored it and sold it at the Scottsdale 2016 auction by Barrett-Jackson. I beg to differ Mr -Nate. . [4] Just two days before production was to begin, Universal sent a "hatchet man" to Atlanta to inform Needham that the budget was being trimmed by $1 million. Smokey & The Bandit is the greatest movie of the 20th Century! . Despite growing up next to Cape, most of relatives are from the Mid-South. I thought at the time that it was a newer version of White Lightning (also with Burt Reynolds) and that Smokey would be forgotten just as soon. Dodge pitchman Sheriff Joe Higgins. 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 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. The Kenworth even achieves a trifecta of sorts, as it gave the first dent to Sheriff Justices LeMans. The cars were originally ordered by a car rental agency in Phoenix, who refused to accept the . 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. [33] Reynolds was given the 1977 vehicle used during promotion of the film as a gift, though the car itself never actually appeared in the film. While Sheriff Justice doesnt deal well with the pressures of high speed pursuit, as seen above, his Pontiac LeMans (CC here) withstands the most abuse of any car in this entire movie. How many police cars were wrecked in Smokey and the Bandit? Other sources in East Texas (from whence Sheriff Justice hails) are familiar with the popular regional delicacy known as the Diablo Sandwich. 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. And theres beer in Texarkana.. 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). Burt Reynolds once claimed in an interview that there were actually 12 Trans Ams featured in Smokey and the Banditand he wrecked every one. . Burt Reynolds himself drove the car on stage to the song "East Bound and Down" and signed it. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 78% rating based on 32 reviews. Much of the surrounding scene comes from that immediate vicinity. A couple of years ago, I was sitting around on a lazy Saturday afternoon and it was on TV. Although he's into just about any type of vehicle, Ciprian is not your typical car enthusiast. [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. Set with his . 2-Smokey and the Bandit II-Pretty bad, still has some funny campy crap, the Dom DeLuise Italian Dr. bit is ok, Gleason is still pretty funny, the Turbo T/A is pretty weak, but still cool to see. I own all three films on a dvd called the Smokey and The Bandit Pursuit Pack. Gleasons Justice is the stereotypical Southern sheriff, as seen in this clip. 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. And the 400 Pontiac or 403 Olds versions could be made to run well. The dubbed version is awful. With this, the Sheriff begins his pursuit of the Mann Act-violating Banditall the way to Georgia. These questions all need to be answered. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. A 1977 special-edition model once owned by the late actor Burt Reynolds recently wound up on the car auction website Bring a Trailer. 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. 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). J.J. & The Dixie Dance Kings was a milder one that had (I think) a 56 Buick Century . Because sales were so high, Pontiac decided to delay the third-generation model. I am still drawn to the shape of these cars, and others that have that long and low look about them. Theres really nothing like an old cop car. 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 dubbed version isnt as bad as the Remastered Blu-ray. In the Reynolds portion of the interview, he stated the movie prompted Trans Am sales to jump around 700%. While they did jump, from 46,700 in 1976 to 69,000 for 1977 with another 93,300 for 1978, it wasnt exactly 700%. Were they dummies? I remember reading somewhere that one of the cars was equipped with a 455 for some of the higher speed scenes. I have only seen pieces of the second and none of the third; I plan to keep it that way. I certainly hope the guy hired to drive that 74 Ford Torino wagon was paid well for his work. 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. The 79-year-old 70s and 80s heartthrob made a rare public appearance over the weekend at Wizard World Chicago. Television censorship and alternative versions, second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977, AFI's 100 Years100 Heroes and Villains, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Smokey and the Bandit at 35: A Case for the Genius of Hal Needham", "Greyhound Lakewood Park (Atlanta, Georgia, USA)", "Burt Reynolds' old Pontiac Trans Am replica sold for $317,500", "An Interview With Jim Wangers: Pontiac and the 1970's", "How the Bandit, Coors and a bunch of Makers changed the course of booze history", "Various Smokey And The Bandit (Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)", "Smokey and the Bandit, Box Office Information", "Burt Reynolds at the 2015 Macon Film Festival", "Seven Quirky Lowbrow Favorite Films of Highbrow Directors", "Remembering Hal Needham and the Birth of Redneck Cinema", "Smokey and the Bandit Film from RadioTimes", "Burt Reynolds' Bandit Trans Am sells for $450,000", "See a "New" Vintage Bandit Trans Am Approved by Burt Reynolds Himself", "Diablo Sandwich Recipe from CMT's Reel Eats", "Diablo Sandwich / "Diablo & Doc" From Smokey & the Bandit, Identified! I distinctly remember my mother buying Coors and being asked if she lived in Missouri or Illinois by the cashier. Conversely, I could go to Paducah and be asked where up north I was from. The movie, in fact, caused sales of the . In return, Reynolds portrayed Boss Hogg (originally portrayed by Sorrell Booke) in the film adaptation The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). However, in more recent years, the original version has been shown (on ITV, a commercial channel), usually with the stronger language edited out, often quite awkwardly. Except for Gleason, the original actors mostly redubbed their lines for the television version. [8] Niver provided much of the western attire worn in the film, as well as the custom-made sheriff's uniforms (waist size 64") that Gleason wore throughout the film. The hood scoop on these cars says "6.6 LITRE", which, in 1977, would have denoted an Oldsmobile 403-equipped car or a non-W-72, 180 hp version of the 400 Pontiac engine. The other range car was a Chevette for people that wanted to learn on a manual transmission. [original research?] Misconception by casual novice car fans is that the Trams Am didnt sell well until S&B. Smokey and the Bandit was the second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States. The whereabouts of the remaining Smokey and the Bandit car, the one that was used to promote the movie, remained a mystery for years. I was a junior high school age kid when this film came out. Pontiac gave Needham a total of four cars, three to use in the movie, and one as a promotional vehicle to drive around and advertise Smokey and the Bandit following its release. Needham originally planned the film as a low-budget B movie with a production cost of $1 million,[4] with Reed as the Bandit. Here is the LeMans; Gleason literally drives the wheels off: As an aside, heres a curious bit of trivia. Im probably in the minority as usual, but I prefer the Black and Gold 50th Anne. Pontiac should have made a radio that played that song automatically simply by pushing a button, or maybe made it the horn sound. However, the U.S. government introduced new emission controls in 1972, and automakers had to step back. The cashier never batted an eye as she sold us the mass quantities of suds. Though no authoritative source identifies the composition of the sandwich, there are several possibilities. This movie was filmed in Georgia as well. Nothing annoys him more than car electronics, and he just hates it when performance cars lack a third pedal. thebandit77transam 2009-04-14 14:04. andre1969 wrote Pontiac supplied 5 brand-new cars for "Smokey and the Bandit". 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. That parking lot was full of Trans Ams! While made to take advantage of the ongoing 1970s CB radio fad, the film added to the craze. 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. When it was over, I cried and cried and cried because I didnt want it to end. When I was a kid I thought they were the same person. Director Hal Needham convinced Pontiac to feature the Pontiac Trans Am in the movie. Burt Reynolds' 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Sold for $240,000. I will confess that by the time this movie was out, I was a Mopar guy. 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 drive a conversion van. But while the cars shown in the movie look like 1977-model-year Trans Ams, they were actually 1976 models. I only got one of them LOL. Not a bad deal, but on the fourth year, no new car. Let me get the popcorn for this one. 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. The value of their stock rose a startling 70 percent after the films release, and to show their appreciation to Reynolds, the president said they would give the actor a new car each and every year. It cornered amazingly well for such a large car, but the posi rear end emitted ominous sounds so I passed on it (I was in college and didnt have any place to do major repairs). Needham and assistant director David Hamburger spent 30 hours revising the shooting schedule.[4]. Coors was legal in Missouri and illegal in Illinois. East bound and down, loaded up and truckin 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. 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. 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. I loved the fact that Jackie Gleasons brown Lemans had a blue vinyl interior and it even had the luxury cushion steering wheel! Jesus, did you just call Carmine a car novice? Of course, it's difficult to asses whether these small decals did something to change buyer perception about the Trans Am, but it's an interesting part of the Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am's history. Earlier DVD releases and the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray of the film have the original soundtrack intact. 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. Great article! 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. Over many viewings I noticed some scenes the car would skate around and take off like an animal while in others there were one-tire-fires and it would struggle to get going. They retained the white steering wheels until 72 or so , just the thing to preveny burned fingers in the Desert sun . I prefer Buford T. Justices 1980 Pontiac Bonneville and his 1983 Pontiac Bonneville in Smokey and The Bandit III. There was a problem. I really enjoyed this discussion. 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: . How much did the Smokey and the Bandit car sell for? 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. [23] It then opened in just the South of the United States over the Memorial Day weekend and grossed $2,689,851 in 386 theaters. Five-string banjo player Bobby Thompson is prominent toward the end of "East Bound and Down". 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. (first posted 2/28/2014) The fourth highest grossing film in the United States in 1977 was the Academy Award nominatedSmokey & The Bandit. From living there for my first two decades, I noticed the accent didnt get going good until around Sikeston (not Saxton as it would seem) and it progressed as you went deeper into the Bootheel. It took four evenings to see almost all of the movie in bits and pieces. Sheriff Justices son, Junior. 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 Trans Am used in the movie was a 1976 model with the front end of a 1977 car. Here in Canada they didnt censor it, so we always got the sumbitch version. 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. 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. Filmmakers destroyed 230 cars in the filming of 'Furious 7.' Smokey And The Bandit: A Car-chase Classic. [31] Smokey and the Bandit was released in the United Kingdom on August 28 and was a success there, garnering positive reviews. 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 area around Helen, Georgia, was used for some locations. 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. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). A Pontiac wagon from earlier in the decade. [11] The movie was primarily filmed in Georgia, in the cities of McDonough, Jonesboro, and Lithonia. These two 1967 Ford Galaxies (CC here), soon to be redecorated by a Kenworth road tractor, do not. The rub? But the true standout of Smokey and the Bandit is the car driven by The Bandit, the iconic black and gold 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Reynolds was the top box office draw from 1975 to 1982, then his movies really started to go downhill. Justice. Always a favorite. 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. You will receive a verification email shortly. This reminds me of the classic introduction (actually written by Dick Cavett) said by Jack Paar on The Tonight Show: I was 3 years old when the original came out, and do not remember any of these details but, supposedly this was the first movie my parents ever took me to. how many cars were destroyed in smokey and the bandit 2. This is obvious, because there is no fuel tank on the underside of the trailer to power the refrigeration unit, and the unit is never heard running. About two seconds after this picture was taken, these motorcycles were doing their best imitation of a stack of pancakes. ARRGH! [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. It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. 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. The worldwide gross is estimated at over $300 million. Both sequels used another Trans Am, not a Cadillac Eldorado, as seen below. But 1978 returned sales of 93,351 examples, a jump of around 25,000 cars. I was to be paid a salary plus own 7% of the profits. It wasnt distributed in Washington in those days either. 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. I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean. Burt Reynolds recently revealed the ridiculous number of Pontiac Trans Ams they went through filming 1977s Smokey and the Bandit. Im still trying to get clarification on what a diablo sandwich is though. That is why there are not any left. This movie just showed how much an urban legend the supposed unobtainability had become. Comments Soon as I get home, first thing Im gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth!. Now, having only three Trans Ams to wreck for a movie is minimalist, to say the least. (Still). Nah, they survived by coming up with bras with very thin cups. [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. 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. The Trans Am used for said jump was equipped with a booster rocket, the same type that was used by Evel Knievel during his failed Snake River Canyon jump. Every idiot with more money than brains wanted a Trans Am. Her groom? The third-generation Firebird was introduced in 1982, a full two years later than planned. [10], Principal photography of the film began on August 30, 1976. Somehow this store had a regular supply. Smokey and the Bandit is a 1977 American road action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry. Additionally, he can give you several reasons why theres still no replacement for displacement. Gotta love that guy! With four miles left, Bandit, discouraged by the unexpected mounting attention, is ready to give up, but Snowman, who initially thought they would fail, takes the lead and smashes through the roadblock at the fairgrounds' main entrance. [5], Universal Studios bankrolled Smokey and the Bandit for $5.3 million, figuring it was a good risk. One guy did a while ago a fan-made trailer of Smokey & the Bandit 4. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_301466-Ford-LTD-II-1977.html. Smokey and the Bandit was one of the most iconic movies of the 1970s. I was 10 when this movie came out and I loved it then and I still do. Ive since read on the internet that it wasnt illegal so much as a practical thing with it being shipped in refrigerated trucks. A dastardly scoundrel? The film was a sleeper hit, and following a poor initial performance, it went on to gross $126.7 million in North America, versus a budget of only $4.3 million. The Trans Am was a high-performance package for the Firebird, Pontiac's take on the Chevrolet Camaro. He gave Needham a preview of the song and, getting no reaction, offered to rewrite it. The change was somewhat strange as most automakers were using cubic-inch numerals to advertise engines. A guy we knew drove his half-ton pickup from western WA to his reserve 2-week stint in his home state in California. I always think scumbum because when I watched it as a kid in the early 90s, it was usually on TBS. Alan Reed was the original voice of Fred Flintstone; Henry Corden only took over after Reeds death in 1977. 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! Wouldnt the accent give you away? Did I mention how much I enjoy reading all the back stories and niggly details I can only get here ? Just after re-entering Georgia, Snowman is rescued by Bandit after being stopped by a Georgia State Patrol motorcycle trooper, and state and local police intensely pursue Bandit with roadblocks and a helicopter to track his movement. 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. By the film's ending, the final surviving Trans Am and LeMans were both barely running and the other cars had become parts donors to keep them running. The $%&#* Germans got nuthin to do with it!, Such a great movie I grew up in the 80s, so it was comforting to watch this, Blues Brothers, or Animal House once a week on TBS/TNT. Of the many cars saved from the fire was the only surviving Knight Rider KITT Super Pursuit Mode car created by Jay Orberg. [24] With an original budget of $5.3 million (cut to $4.3 million two days before initial production),[4] the film eventually grossed $126,737,428 in North America,[25] making it the second-highest-grossing movie of 1977 (only Star Wars earned more, with $221.3 million). Get ready to tear up the highway with the Bandit (Burt Reynolds), a fun-loving, fast-talking trucker who takes on his craziest haul yet - delivering 400 case. Mr. Reynolds elevated the dreck that he appeared in to a higher level, that is, enjoyable. During this time, the Firebird also surpassed sales figures of the Chevrolet Camaro. 12 A Total Of 3 Trans Ams Were Destroyed During Filming. Id be surprised. According to director Hal Needham in the DVD documentary, Pontiac gave them three Trans-Ams and two LeMans (Sheriff Justice's patrol car) for the film. As a former Club Wagon pilot, I happen to like his Econoline. And theres this nugget from the director of the coming new Shazam movie; I first watched Smokey on quiet swing shifts from the drivers seat of a 1977 Pontiac Le Mans patrol car, parked by thr back fence of the drive-in theater at the far end of town.
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