how many cars destroyed in smokey and the bandit

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. The three movie cars were destroyed during various stunts, so the promo car is the only surviving Trans Am connected to this film. January 24, 2019 100 comments. The secrets behind the cars and stunts in 'The Italian Job' - Top Gear Many hardcore fans of Burt Reynolds' most iconic movie, 1977's "Smokey and The Bandit," know that none of those cool black Pontiac Trans Ams with gold trim survived the stunts in the film. 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. A Pontiac wagon from earlier in the decade. 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. If you somehow managed to miss Smokey and the Bandit in the years between the films 1977 release and now, you should rectify that situation immediately (to be fair, it was released two days after Star Wars, so its understandable if it slipped through the cracks). That's because the Trans Am in Smokey and the Bandit didn't sound like a Trans Am. I did help a friend rebuild a late 60s 400 to replace the anemic 301 in his 79, Trans Am. It was destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit II and in a flashback scene in Part 3. As I am finishing this article while Big Truck Week is winding down, here is a Kenworth with a 1973 Dodge Polara patrol car. How Many Police Cars Were Destroyed In Blues Brothers The second film was a modest box office success, earning $66.1 million against a $17 million budget. Im pretty sure that the car that barks second when he takes off with Frog had to be a stick. So these kind of represented a rebellion attitude to the government mandated diesel econo hatches everyone thought we were going to be forced to drive in the 80sinterestingly 1979 was also the best year for the Corvette too. As such, it took a lot of sweet talking by former stuntman Needham for Pontiac to cough up three Trans Ams and three LeManses. I have at least 4 really good car buddies that will from time to time love popping this movie in to watch. In a rare public appearance, Burt Reynolds revealed how many cars they wrecked making Smokey and 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. Coors is still brewed just outside Denver, Colorado. Another one is, Theres no way youre from my loins.. I loved the fact that Jackie Gleasons brown Lemans had a blue vinyl interior and it even had the luxury cushion steering wheel! 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. [31] Smokey and the Bandit was released in the United Kingdom on August 28 and was a success there, garnering positive reviews. Burt Reynolds as the Bandit can always count on the truckers on the other end of his C.B. 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. [32], After the debut of the film, the Pontiac Trans Am became wildly popular, with sales almost doubling within two years of the film's release. A black Trans Am is parked in my garage because of this movie. The original Blues Brothers movie from 1980 is a classic, and fans were excited when a sequel was announced in 1998. . The cop cars with the hood scoops were ex-DeKalb County (Georgia) cruisers. 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! He contacted Pontiac and an agreement was made that four 1977 Trans Ams and two Pontiac LeMans four-door sedans would be provided for the movie. 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.. Jesus, did you just call Carmine a car novice? Anyone with insight is encouraged to share their knowledge on this. In its place was the nonsensical "scum bum." . 12 A Total Of 3 Trans Ams Were Destroyed During Filming. A 1975 Pontiac Grand Ville, seen toward the end of the movie. The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit is one of the most famous movie cars of all time. [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. Out of four Trans Ams used for the filming of Smokey And The Bandit, three were completely totaled in the process. Two units were 1974 models, as evidenced by standard silver Kenworth emblems on the truck grille, and one unit was a 1973 model, as evidenced by the gold-painted Kenworth emblem on the truck's grille, signifying Kenworth's 50 years in business. How did any bra manufacturers survive the 70s? Anyone who enjoys Colonnade sedans will love Smokey & the Bandit. The original uncut sumbitch version. The MASSIVE year over year sales gains came from somewhere. Did Jerry Reed really drive the truck in Smokey and the Bandit 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. When it was over, I cried and cried and cried because I didnt want it to end. ", "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. 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. Movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Furious 7 may ruin a lot of cars, but they were far from the first. Gotta love that guy! thebandit77transam 2009-04-14 14:04. andre1969 wrote Pontiac supplied 5 brand-new cars for "Smokey and the Bandit". 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. On top of Burt Reynold's top-notch acting, Smokey and the Bandit is also famous for the Pontiac Trans Am that the actor drove throughout the film. 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. Her groom? Henry Corden, the voice of cartoon character Fred Flintstone. Likely this isnt any rare engine venting package, but I could be wrong. (first posted 2/28/2014) The fourth highest grossing film in the United States in 1977 was the Academy Award nominatedSmokey & The Bandit. Gator , Stroker Ace , lots of them . The little packy there had Coors and even though it was horribly expensive, we thought it was the elixer of the Gods. [5] Sally Field only accepted the part after her agent advised her that she needed a big movie role on her rsum. The 1977 Firebird Trans Am once owned by Burt Reynolds was sold at auction Saturday for $495,000 at a sale held by Barrett-Jackson. [12] The area around Helen, Georgia, was used for some locations. The Trans Am was already pretty popular in the mid-1970s, with sales hitting 68,745 units in 1977. 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. Smokey and the Bandit II is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, . 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. As if GM owes them something. The story replaced the Coors beer with Mobil 1 products. Most of the dialogue was improvised on set. 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. We gonna do what they say cant be done How many cop cars were destroyed in Smokey and the Bandit? 1979 was equally successful for the brand, joining 1978 to create Pontiac's best sales years ever. The LeMans police car did nothing for me because there was a colonnade LeMans sedan in the garage at home. 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 . 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 Bandit's car was a second-generation Trans Am and the prize for completing the run was a new truck rather than $80,000. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_301466-Ford-LTD-II-1977.html. Reynolds and Needham owned the Skoal Bandit team at the time, so getting these other drivers to appear probably would not taken much more than a six pack of beer and a hug from co-star Loni Anderson . Since mentioning the Kenworth, it must be noted it was a redecorator of the highest fashion. And Coors itself limited its distribution to west of the Mississippi. The soundtrack album was released in 1977 on vinyl, cassette, and 8-track through MCA Records. 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. Needham saw an advertisement for the soon-to-be-released 1977 Pontiac Trans Am and knew right away that would be the Bandit's car, or, as Needham referred to it, a character in the movie. These questions all need to be answered. ARRGH! I was in West Plains the other day and there is yet another variation of it there. Several other groups, such as the U.S. rock band Tonic and U.K.-based country cover band We Be Ploughin' have also covered it. [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 rub? . The theme music "East Bound and Down" was sung and co-written by Reed (credited under his birth name, Jerry Hubbard) and Dick Feller. I guess the Trans Am proved to have more staying power than the hot 71 Ford in the earlier movie. 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. 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. You can see in some shots in the movie that the Bandit Trans Am has 1976 style gold honeycomb wheels instead of the gold snowflake wheels from the 1977, I think at least one of the cars used in filming was a 1976 converted with a 1977 front clip. It had not been used for some time and was repainted for the film. Before Gleason was cast in the film, Richard Boone was originally considered for the role of Buford T. I think you may be confusing the movie Honky-Tonk Freeway with the filming done during I-75 construction near Sarasota. A blackguard? Mrs Jason wont let me sell the sumbitch. Reynolds replied: We went through 12. 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. Except that shes not sagging. A segment of the CMT program Reel Eats used a sloppy joe-style recipe consisting of seasoned ground beef, corn, and sour cream. A dastardly scoundrel? 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. Round and dumpy, just like the Colonnade LeMans! Not everything was Pontiac, as evidenced by this 1973 Plymouth Satellite coupe (CC here). 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. During their run, they are pursued by Texas county sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason). While made to take advantage of the ongoing 1970s CB radio fad, the film added to the craze. 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. It took four evenings to see almost all of the movie in bits and pieces. 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. 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. The film was followed by two sequels: Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). When Im driving the Bandit Trans Am while playing one of my many Forza Motorsport games I always put that song on. Gleason probably wanted too much money to provide the dubbing, which is a shame because it ruins the TV version. The scene featuring the racetrack was filmed at Lakewood Speedway at the old Lakewood Fairgrounds on Atlanta's south side. The side vents give it away. Seven: (Three with Burt Reynolds and Crew, and Four without) Smokey and the Bandit - 1977 Smokey and the Bandit II - 1980 Smokey and the Bandit III . The original film had correct sounds that were usually recorded live as the action took place. 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". 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. 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. I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean. About two seconds after this picture was taken, these motorcycles were doing their best imitation of a stack of pancakes. I remember that it had a bunch of trim badges on the center of the dashboard. Its amazing, you should watch it. [9] Though the film Moonrunners (1975) is the precursor to the television series The Dukes of Hazzard (19791985), from the same creator and with many identical settings and concepts, the popularity of Smokey and the Bandit and similar films helped get the Dukes series on the air. 1980 ERTL SMOKEY & THE BANDIT PONTIAC FIREBIRD DIECAST CAR police car [21], Smokey and the Bandit was a sleeper hit. 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. Field enjoyed making the film, but remembers that virtually the entire project was improvised. [22] It premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where it performed badly. Chevy brought back the Z28, and cant say S&B was reason. Mr. Reynolds elevated the dreck that he appeared in to a higher level, that is, enjoyable. 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. Im probably in the minority as usual, but I prefer the Black and Gold 50th Anne. And Burt may be from GA originally, but he calls Florida home, which is another reason I heard the movie was filmed here. The film's editors, Walter Hannemann and Angelo Ross, were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. The Trans Am used in the movie was a 1976 model with the front end of a 1977 car. The tow truck driver was a local garage owner, Berlin Wike. 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 Kenworth even achieves a trifecta of sorts, as it gave the first dent to Sheriff Justices LeMans. They return one minute after their time limit, but instead of taking the payoff, Carrie and Bandit accept a double-or-nothing offer from Little Enos: a challenge to run up to Boston and bring back clam chowder in 18 hours. He gave Needham a preview of the song and, getting no reaction, offered to rewrite it. S&TB was filmed primarily off Route 400 in Georgia. The checker, not batting an eye, Do you want that chilled?. For Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), Needham asked for and received 10 Trans Ams and 55 Bonnevilles with no trouble. 1975 Plymouth Fury Police Pursuit Arkansas State Police "Smokey and The And he succeeded as far as the Pontiac Trans Am is concerned. Neither Buford nor any other lawmen know of Snowman's illegal manifest, while Bandit is likewise unaware that Buford is chasing him because of Carrie, whose jumpiness inspires Bandit to give her the CB handle "Frog". Cause theyre thirsty in Atlanta 46,000 in 1976, 68,000 in 1977, 93,000 in 1978, 117,000 in 1979. Earlier DVD releases and the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray of the film have the original soundtrack intact. It was his idea to have Junior alongside him throughout the film. Supposedly there was a stick car for the burnouts and an automatic car for other shots. A 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix with a Buick Electra behind it. This movie came out during my early formative years pre grade school. I have only seen pieces of the second and none of the third; I plan to keep it that way.

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