That's because the Trans Am in Smokey and the Bandit didn't sound like a Trans Am. (first posted 2/28/2014) The fourth highest grossing film in the United States in 1977 was the Academy Award nominatedSmokey & The Bandit. She is a runaway bride, sitting on the side of the road in her 1973 Chevrolet Impala coupe. Needing a fast set of wheels to distract law enforcement, Reynolds character purchases this 1977 Pontiac Trans-Am. 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%. Im pretty sure that the car that barks second when he takes off with Frog had to be a stick. On the DVD, there is a brief interview with both Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham, who directed this film. With Reynolds' salary at $1 million, Needham was left with only $3.3 million to make the film. As if GM owes them something. In a rare public appearance, Burt Reynolds revealed how many cars they wrecked making Smokey and 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]. Here's everything you should know about one of the most iconic movie cars ever. But that doesnt make for an interesting movie premise. That came out in 1981. With the Smokey and the Bandit actor gone, and the impact the actor had on the Trans Am community, having one of the few connections to him destroyed is too much. Of course, it wasnt hard to wake them up. 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. [38], In 2014, petroleum company Mobil 1 produced television commercials, featuring then-NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, closely based on the film. Except that shes not sagging. S&TB was filmed primarily off Route 400 in Georgia. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. Chevy brought back the Z28, and cant say S&B was reason. Of the many cars saved from the fire was the only surviving Knight Rider KITT Super Pursuit Mode car created by Jay Orberg. However, the scene where they drive through the Shell gas station was filmed in Ojai, California, on the corner of Ojai Avenue and El Paseo Road. The redesign was originally planned for 1980, but 1978 and 1979 became record years for GM's division, so the new model was pushed back. Your email address will not be published. Great article! And Burt may be from GA originally, but he calls Florida home, which is another reason I heard the movie was filmed here. 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. [40] Major portions of the audio background have been modified with different engine sounds or tire squeals from the original film. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, We just watched this with the kids the other week, along with Cannonball Run. 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. 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 . Put one on and the lady looks like shes not wearing a bra. and used hard. I always think scumbum because when I watched it as a kid in the early 90s, it was usually on TBS. [21], Smokey and the Bandit was a sleeper hit. The area around Helen, Georgia, was used for some locations. As a former Club Wagon pilot, I happen to like his Econoline. Revisit this scene featuring "East Bound and. Although 1977 models also featured 6.6-liter engines, they were rated at only 200 horses. His expletive is obscured when a passing big rig sounds its horn. During this time, the Firebird also surpassed sales figures of the Chevrolet Camaro. S/E T/A with the round headlights. The unrestored car reportedly showed up on eBay back in 2015, but no one wanted to buy it. They quickly escape in one of Big Enos's 13 Cadillacs as police flood the racetrack. 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. 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 Trans Am was a high-performance package for the Firebird, Pontiac's take on the Chevrolet Camaro. 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. Below is probably another DeKalb County cop car. [4] Reynolds said in 2015 that he most enjoyed this film, and had the most fun making it, of his career.[26]. The cars were wrecked on purpose to create the illusion of a high-speed chase. Sure Smokey helped, but was not the sole reason T/A and F body sales went up. There was a problem. Called Smoke is the Bandit and playing on Stewart's nickname, the commercials featured him as the Bandit opposite commentators Darrell Waltrip as the Snowman and Jeff Hammond as Buford T. Justice. $30.00 + $11.45 shipping. [22] It premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where it performed badly. 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. 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. Because of the popularity of the film and the sales success of the Trans Am, the president of Pontiac Alex Mair promised to supply Reynolds with a Trans Am each year. As deals were made for the actors and producers, the studio wanted to renegotiate my deal. 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. Set with his . Smokey and the Bandit was the second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States. That said, an uncomplimentary accent does exist. "Smokey and the Bandit Pursuit Pack" is formatted as a box set that in presented in full color in widescreen. A blackguard? It was his idea to have Junior alongside him throughout the film. The commercials were produced after Stewart mentioned that the movie was one of his favorites.[39]. Additionally, he can give you several reasons why theres still no replacement for displacement. Except for Gleason, the original actors mostly redubbed their lines for the television version. The remaining Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am is currently owned by Florida car collector John Staluppi. Tragically, every Trans Am used in filming was destroyed. HotCars covers all things automotive: the latest auto news and informative reviews on the car, pickup truck and motorcycle industries. The gag with the overpass being blown up was actually a bridge built for the movie on the unfinished highway, and AFAIK, the truck driver who jumps the void ended up breaking his back in the stunt. The roundup sequence in the desert shows many new Pontiac Le Mans sedans decorated as police cars being destroyed. Burt Reynolds recently revealed the ridiculous number of Pontiac Trans Ams they went through filming 1977s Smokey and the Bandit. I am still drawn to the shape of these cars, and others that have that long and low look about them. Remember that Smokey and the Bandit was the 2nd biggest movie of the year, right after Star Wars. That is an excellent question. Im still trying to get clarification on what a diablo sandwich is though. I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean. [36] Another proposal, based more closely on images from the film and the shooting location of the scene (at an Old Hickory House restaurant in Georgia), is pulled pork and hot sauce on a hamburger bun. The updated version of the film features sound inaccurate for what would be produced by the Trans Am or the numerous other Pontiac vehicles in the film. 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. Mr. Reynolds elevated the dreck that he appeared in to a higher level, that is, enjoyable. His father was also the inspiration for the word "sumbitch" used in the film, a variation of the phrase "son-of-a-bitch" that, according to Reynolds, he uttered quite often. There was still a market for bras in the 1970s. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. While made to take advantage of the ongoing 1970s CB radio fad, the film added to the craze. a custom mandrel bent dual exhaust, and the Mondello bottom end plate to stabilize the windowed mains. You want to questions bra sales, check out the youtube video of Hang on Sloopy by the Mccoys, the color version.wowza! And the 400 Pontiac or 403 Olds versions could be made to run well. There was a true concern (for some minuscule reason) about it going east of the Mississippi River. you can find it on amazon.com . 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. I will confess that by the time this movie was out, I was a Mopar guy. Hes fodder enough for his own article at some point. When it was over, I cried and cried and cried because I didnt want it to end. At the drive-in of all places. 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. Great fun! 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 remember that it had a bunch of trim badges on the center of the dashboard. Will Walker: Independence Return For Season 2 Amid CW Shakeups? East bound and down, loaded up and truckin Cause theyre thirsty in Atlanta 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. [34] In 2015 a Florida-based automobile customization company built 77 Trans Ams modeled after the car that Reynolds drove in the film. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). With this, the Sheriff begins his pursuit of the Mann Act-violating Banditall the way to Georgia. S&B is one of my all-time favorite movies and Im not apologizing. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 78% rating based on 32 reviews. My drivers ed driving range car was an ex-patrol colonnade Pontiac LeMans Enforcer. The movie had an even bigger impact on the Trans Am. I have always loved this movie, watched it dozens and dozens of times on TV, video, DVD, laserdisc, almost any form of media. Many people believed beforehand that the film was not right for . 12 A Total Of 3 Trans Ams Were Destroyed During Filming. Filmmakers destroyed 230 cars in the filming of 'Furious 7.' Smokey And The Bandit: A Car-chase Classic. 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. Heres how it works. Needham stated that by the end of production, there really wasnt much left of any of the three. [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. Now then you mentionned Sheriff JW Pepper, I decided to post some Youtube clips of him. Now, having only three Trans Ams to wreck for a movie is minimalist, to say the least. 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.. 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. And all of us easterners suddenly discovered it was nothing more than another Budweiser/Miller/etc. Due to his financial difficulties in 2014, Reynolds put his vast collection of artwork and memorabilia up for auction, including the Trans Am. The cashier never batted an eye as she sold us the mass quantities of suds. Regular film-goers might not pay much attention to the car's engine sound, but gearheads will quickly notice that something is off. The cop cars with the hood scoops were ex-DeKalb County (Georgia) cruisers. In fact, after Smokey and the Bandit became a box office hit, Pontiac saw a marked increase in their stock prices. During a Q&A session on Saturday, filmed by ComicBook.com, a fan asked how many Trans Ams they burned through during production. [31] Smokey and the Bandit was released in the United Kingdom on August 28 and was a success there, garnering positive reviews. Smokey and the Bandit was one of the most iconic movies of the 1970s. MN12 Thunderbirds had the same appeal to me, for similar reasons. Alan Reed was the original voice of Fred Flintstone; Henry Corden only took over after Reeds death in 1977. In 1991, it was arranged for orchestra by Crafton Beck and recorded by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra for their album Down on the Farm. 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. If you watched any of these clips, you heard a goodly number of phrases that still cannot be used on television in the United States. Even today when I stumble across this cinematic masterpiece being rerun on cable tv, Ill watch the entire thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cODPt3T0cHE, We got a cage strong enough to hold you I remember reading somewhere that one of the cars was equipped with a 455 for some of the higher speed scenes. The differences between the two are major. This movie trailer gives you an taste of this provocative film, but fails to effectively capture all the subtleties and nuances it contains. We also learn that every launched satellite will eventually fall back to Earth, such as this 1972 Plymouth Satellite (CC here). ARRGH! 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. The second film was a modest box office success, earning $66.1 million against a $17 million budget. 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. I beg to differ Mr -Nate. How did any bra manufacturers survive the 70s? And back then what I wanted most of all was a highly customized Vette with exposed headlights. Some weren't that lucky and were discontinued altogether. Ive always wanted some sort of de-commission/ex unmarked cop car, something from the 70s preferably. Naturally, it fetched the highest price with a . 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. That girl from the McCoys video probably looks like Paula Deen now. The theatrical release has a few lines deleted, including an edit in which Sheriff Justice tells a state trooper to "fuck off" after the sheriff called his vehicle "a piece of crap". Sonny Shroyer (Enos) was the motorcycle cop who was given the 1-finger salute by Sally Field. The most noted change made for network broadcast was the replacing of Buford's often-spoken phrase "sumbitch" (a contraction of "son of a bitch"; usually in reference to the Bandit) with the phrase "scum bum". Back then if Ida wanted an ex Police Car its be a CHP salvage Dodge or Plymouth ~ BIG roomy and _comfy_ , handled well and went like stink . I was to be paid a salary plus own 7% of the profits. Lets take a look at some more cars found in the movie. 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.
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