It was ultimately closed down in 1992 due to constant flooding from its proximity to the Trinity River. 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. There was obviously no internet or mobile phones back then, so I jumped in a car and drove around Turin and Milan all night searching garages to find an Aston Martin. I am pretty sure it was filmed in Florida, when I-75 was under construction so they could use the highways while empty. These questions all need to be answered. Anyone with insight is encouraged to share their knowledge on this. Thats all true. Just do a search for Crown Victorias on your local CL. Not a bad deal, but on the fourth year, no new car. I had no idea that it was going to become a 70s classic. The 'Smokey and the Bandit' Trans Am was a 1976 model, and three were destroyed. Nice article Jason I was a fan of this movie when it came out I look back now and think, wow, did I really think this was entertainment?????? The muscle car market reached a peak in the late 1960s, as the car was becoming larger, more powerful, and more aggressive by looks. Although he's into just about any type of vehicle, Ciprian is not your typical car enthusiast. They were great to drive, as a teenager you dreamed of having a Mini Cooper S. They were like a go-kart. He had quite a few orders for Coors beer, and when he stopped in Weed, CA, on the way home, he went into the Safeway and asked for twenty-four cases of Coors. I dont know if I ever saw one in real life at the time, although I was pretty young then. 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. I did help a friend rebuild a late 60s 400 to replace the anemic 301 in his 79, Trans Am. The film was followed by another sequel three years later, Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983), in which Reynolds only made a brief cameo appearance, and Sally Field did not appear. That's because the Trans Am in Smokey and the Bandit didn't sound like a Trans Am. How do you find the average value of a wave? The uncut version is the best. The film was written and produced before it was announced that the 1980 Republican National Convention would be held in Detroit rather than Dallas. The LeMans police car did nothing for me because there was a colonnade LeMans sedan in the garage at home. Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. Dom DeLuise and Burt Reynolds teamed together numerous times in movies but this was their only 'Smokey and the Bandit' movie that they made together. Soon after the trio start off for Dallas, they are accosted for the first of several times by Sheriff Justice, but Bandit outwits him and they escape. We could go round roundabouts and not let anyone on, just by going round and round. Jana, another oddity was that I could go to Carbondale and be asked where down south I was from. 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. (it did taste a lot better than Bud as I recall). I enjoyed the hell out of my 1976 Dart Pursuit. How Many Electrons Does Phosphorus Have to Gain in Order to Achieve an Octet? Weve got a long way to go and a short time to get there Charlotte, the Asian elephant in Smokey and the Bandit II, was portrayed by an elephant named Cora. After the movie came out, Firebird sales increased even more, but the Trans Am was now the most popular one. Mrs Jason wont let me sell the sumbitch. Yet when I think of a 70s T/A, thats the one I and Im sure millions of other folks think of. Conversely, I could go to Paducah and be asked where up north I was from. 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. 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%. Further, as Pontiac has deliciously obvious product placement, anyone who delights in 70s era Pontiac iron will experience visual ecstasy. 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). Big Enos Burdette is in a literal mudslinging campaign against John Conn for Governor of Texas. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, I am indeed a fan. Movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Furious 7 may ruin a lot of cars, but they were far from the first. Then I had these huge magnesium sump guards made and we had roll bars inside the car. The cashier never batted an eye as she sold us the mass quantities of suds. Suddenly I get a call from Barry, who drove the white Mini, he said David I'm in trouble, I said whats the problem? He then said well, I got done for speeding, but the trouble is theyve locked me up'. 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.. 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. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. I always think scumbum because when I watched it as a kid in the early 90s, it was usually on TBS. 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. Unfortunately, the special effects went off before it was thrown over the cliff and it blew up in front of us. Burt Reynolds plays Bandit, who drives this powerhouse while dodging the cops, while Snowman, played by Jerry Reed, is not only an actor but also a country music star, a Kenworth W- 900 A a really powerful semitrailer. The little packy there had Coors and even though it was horribly expensive, we thought it was the elixer of the Gods. Cause theyre thirsty in Atlanta 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. 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. The checker, not batting an eye, Do you want that chilled?. So, it seems apt to end on this one, how was that final cliffhanger scene filmed? I remember I'd obviously done a load of handbrake turns in my time, but suddenly Rmy was telling me to get it in reverse halfway through and to roar out of them. A world-record automobile jump was captured on film during the "roundup sequence", when stuntman Gary Davis jumped a 1974 Dodge Monaco over 150 feet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cODPt3T0cHE, We got a cage strong enough to hold you Always loved this movie growing up. 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. 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 was the last day of shooting, but I think we shot that 50 or 60 times. The car was not used in the making of Smokey and the Bandit but was given to the actor as a thank you for his role in the film, the company said. He and Cora literally grew up together. HotCars covers all things automotive: the latest auto news and informative reviews on the car, pickup truck and motorcycle industries. And lets not forget the Trans Am rental car Steve McQueen drove in his very last movie, The Hunter from 1980. Id be surprised. But while the cars shown in the movie look like 1977-model-year Trans Ams, they were actually 1976 models. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_301466-Ford-LTD-II-1977.html. Jackie Gleason plays three characters in this movie: Sheriff Buford T. Justice, Gaylord Justice and Reginald Van Justice. I developed a pretty good bootheel accent during my time in New Madrid. When Bandit removes a splinter from Charlotte's foot, she takes a liking to him. Needing a fast set of wheels to distract law enforcement, Reynolds character purchases this 1977 Pontiac Trans-Am. Yet, the set used a 1976 model, as the 1977 vehicle was not ready. Let us dissect this flick to better examine it. Stroker Ace is after S&B, 1983, and features the then new for 83 aero Fox Body Thunderbird. Car movies are notorious for being tough on the very vehicles that give them their allure. 4 Max Takes On The Raiders In Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. It was all learning on the job, it was fantastic. A Phoenix car agency declined to deliver the vehicles when it was made aware that they did not include air conditioning. Filmmakers destroyed 230 cars in the filming of 'Furious 7.' Smokey And The Bandit: A Car-chase Classic. 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. The Real King Richard Breaks Silence On Will Smiths Oscars Slap Nearly A Year Later, Stranger Things Finn Wolfhard Responds To Millie Bobby Browns Claim That Hes A Lousy Kisser, After Slamming Trolls, Baywatchs Donna DErrico Goes Full Fifty Shades Of Grey In New Bondage Post, Robert Downey Jr. A diablo sammich from my understanding is a like a Sloppy Joe but with taco seasoning added in for spice. Tragically, every Trans Am used in filming was, seven: (three with burt reynolds and crew, and four without), A purely escapist movie dropped perfectly into that time and place, delivered with a black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am muscle, The movie remains so popular that each year, Restore a Muscle, Il bandito e la madama (Italy) Mistrz kierownicy ucieka (Poland) 1971 AMC Ambassador Avco 1972 Buick Electra 225 1968 Buick Riviera 1973 Cadillac Coupe DeVille 1972 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 1971 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado 1974 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado 1975 Cadillac Funeral Coach Chevrolet Advance - Design 1977 Chevrolet Bison 1971 Chevrolet Blazer. The Trans Am used in the movie was a 1976 model with the front end of a 1977 car. 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. Even today when I stumble across this cinematic masterpiece being rerun on cable tv, Ill watch the entire thing. During this time, the Firebird also surpassed sales figures of the Chevrolet Camaro. The production team wrecked three for the four cars it received from Pontiac. Funny that T/A isnt on the movie poster, considering it was the obvious star of the show. I also own a 1:18 scale version of the Bandit Trans Am. How Do Frodo and Sam Leave Mount Doom After the One Ring Is Destroyed? 24,672 votes and 335 comments so far on Reddit. Bandit later finds Carrie and tells her that he likes himself now, and that he does not want to be without her. Gleason has a treasure trove of hilarious lines and it was this movie that started my love affair of cars back in the early 1980s. Good silly fun. It is the first film to feature director Hal Needham's "Blooper Reel Credit Crawl" at the end, in that a collection of bloopers and outtakes from the film showed on one side of the screen while the closing credits slowly scrolled up the other side. It was something regarding distribution limits. The man does get around. 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. I was a junior high school age kid when this film came out. A Pontiac wagon from earlier in the decade. There's an odd bit, it doesn't seem like much, but when we go up on top of the Aircraft Museum we had to drive right to the very edge and it was a good hundred feet off the ground. I think Stroker Ace is after Smokey and the Bandit, though there was Hooper, which was about a stuntman, it also had Sally Field, it was from 1978 or so. 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