It had not been used for some time and was repainted for the film. Watching TV and Movies you would think that sales dropped to nil. Dodge pitchman Sheriff Joe Higgins. 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". I think thats another line theyve edited out for the television version. Great write up. 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. 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 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. Bill Justis is the first name on the credits for the soundtrack, as he composed and arranged original music throughout the film. 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. After the movie came out, Firebird sales increased even more, but the Trans Am was now the most popular one. I beg to differ Mr -Nate. The cars were originally ordered by a car rental agency in Phoenix, who refused to accept the . 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". 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!. That's because Pontiac almost canceled the Firebird in the early 1970s. A 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix with a Buick Electra behind it. The MASSIVE year over year sales gains came from somewhere. Starring Bob Hope, that comedic star of the screen, and the lovely Jane Russell boy what a pair! I never forgot that one. Thanks for this, Jason. In the U.K., the heavily dubbed version was shown for several years, particularly by the BBC. Soon as I get home, first thing Im gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth!. 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. All pictures from the movie were acquired from www.imcdb.org, Fred Lives!!! 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. Other sources in East Texas (from whence Sheriff Justice hails) are familiar with the popular regional delicacy known as the Diablo Sandwich. Wanting to promote the aesthetically modified 1977 model, but lacking cars owing to delays in production start-up, GM modified four 1976 Trans Ams with '77 spec bodywork and decals for the film. The Trans Am was already pretty popular in the mid-1970s, with sales hitting 68,745 units in 1977. I own all three films on a dvd called the Smokey and The Bandit Pursuit Pack. Cause theyre thirsty in Atlanta Id been driving for years by the time I was 15, so I just wanted to complete the course with as little static as possible. And theres beer in Texarkana.. From what I have read the artist did the poster rendering from some blown up stills that he was shown from the movie, and none of them for some mysterious reason included the Trans Am, the truck, Reynolds, Gleason, Sally Field, crashing police cars, but no T/A. The film's theme song, "East Bound and Down", was written virtually overnight by Reed. The trip to Texarkana is uneventful; soon after leaving for the return trip to Georgia, The Bandit encounters Frog, played by Sally Field. But 1978 returned sales of 93,351 examples, a jump of around 25,000 cars. [10], Principal photography of the film began on August 30, 1976. Ask him to choose between a BMW M4 and an Audi RS5, and hell gladly trade both for a beat-up Cuda. [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). It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. 46,000 in 1976, 68,000 in 1977, 93,000 in 1978, 117,000 in 1979. Remember that Smokey and the Bandit was the 2nd biggest movie of the year, right after Star Wars. 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. 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. 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. These two 1967 Ford Galaxies (CC here), soon to be redecorated by a Kenworth road tractor, do not. During a Q&A session on Saturday, filmed by ComicBook.com, a fan asked how many Trans Ams they burned through during production. Many nameplates lost their performance credentials, and some of them, like the Ford Mustang, were redesigned without a V-8 engine. Funny that T/A isnt on the movie poster, considering it was the obvious star of the show. Additionally, he can give you several reasons why theres still no replacement for displacement. [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. A guy we knew drove his half-ton pickup from western WA to his reserve 2-week stint in his home state in California. Just like the exaggeration sales went up 700%. Many people believed beforehand that the film was not right for . The muscle car market reached a peak in the late 1960s, as the car was becoming larger, more powerful, and more aggressive by looks. 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. Plus , I loved those late 1960s through mid 1970s Plymouths even though Im a Bowtie Guy by default . "Smokey and the Bandit Pursuit Pack" is formatted as a box set that in presented in full color in widescreen. . One guy did a while ago a fan-made trailer of Smokey & the Bandit 4. 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. 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 . Smokey and the Bandit was all realistic and non fictional, and it still was a big hit that brought a lot of money to Hal Needham and the actors, to pay Pontiac back. 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. The cashier never batted an eye as she sold us the mass quantities of suds. and used hard. J.J. & The Dixie Dance Kings was a milder one that had (I think) a 56 Buick Century . Learn how your comment data is processed. I know that Trans Am that . He's a proud member of the TopSpeed team since early 2014. Smokey & The Bandit Police Cars. I was in the Air Force during this era, stationed in California. Reynolds actively pushed for her casting after Universal initially resisted, claiming Field was not attractive enough. And the 400 Pontiac or 403 Olds versions could be made to run well. 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. The whereabouts of the remaining Smokey and the Bandit car, the one that was used to promote the movie, remained a mystery for years. Round and dumpy, just like the Colonnade LeMans! Smokey and the Bandit II is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, . The commercials were produced after Stewart mentioned that the movie was one of his favorites.[39]. 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. 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. I still regret selling mine almost 30 years ago. (it did taste a lot better than Bud as I recall). 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. 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. Great article! One of those things that will make my kids think Im crazy some day. And then they made the biggest mistake of their lives and went to national distribution. Arguably the most iconic Pontiac Firebird in history. Theres really nothing like an old cop car. 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. The area around Helen, Georgia, was used for some locations. They destroyed all those cars in the films he said. While I have read undocumented accounts of there being more than three Trans Ams, Needham stated three is all that were used. 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. No, the T/A was selling fine before the movie, and the black/gold package dates to 1976, a full year before the movie was out in summer 77. Much of the surrounding scene comes from that immediate vicinity. The owner restored it and sold it at the Scottsdale 2016 auction by Barrett-Jackson. The movie had an even bigger impact on the Trans Am. I've heard . 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. 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. [27] In his review in the Chicago Tribune, Gene Siskel gave the film two stars and complained that the film failed to tell the audience when the clock started on the beer run, thus reducing suspense. 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%. The movies are rated PG with a run time of 282 minutes and released to video by Universal Studios. Musicians such as Beegie Adair and George Tidwell[20] played on the soundtrack. Olds 88. The pair arrive in Texarkana one hour early and load up the truck, but just as they head back, Carrie, a runaway bride, intercepts Bandit and jumps in his car, unwittingly making him an indirect target of Sheriff Buford T. Justice, a career Texas lawman whose witless son Junior was to have married Carrie. Burt Reynolds may be 79, but he shows no signs of slowing down. Sales of the coupe exploded after the film hit the silver screen and set unprecedented records for both Pontiac and the Firebird nameplate. Not everything was Pontiac, as evidenced by this 1973 Plymouth Satellite coupe (CC here). At the time, Reynolds was the top box office star in the world. Chevy brought back the Z28, and cant say S&B was reason. The movie, in fact, caused sales of the . Was it a heathen? I prefer Buford T. Justices 1980 Pontiac Bonneville and his 1983 Pontiac Bonneville in Smokey and The Bandit III. Were they dummies? Im pretty sure that the car that barks second when he takes off with Frog had to be a stick. The soundtrack album was released in 1977 on vinyl, cassette, and 8-track through MCA Records. The truck at the shell station is actually a 75 or 76 Toyota Hilux. 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.

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