The LCS in Grand Prairie opened in 1971 and operated for 21 years. Reynolds is seen only in a small cameo in Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). I know, Ive owned a 75 for 23 years. 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. Nah, they survived by coming up with bras with very thin cups. One guy did a while ago a fan-made trailer of Smokey & the Bandit 4. This movie came out during my early formative years pre grade school. As a kid that T/A, the General Lee, and KITT were largely responsible for defining my taste in cars and that carries through to today. However, the Trans Am was about more than just . Unfortunately, three of the four, The Pontiac Trans Am owned by Burt Reynolds and based on the one in his movie. The jump honored the late Burt Reynolds and the iconic scene from the 1970s film. Did Burt Reynolds do any driving in Smokey and the Bandit? It made no sense to me as it was fifty miles north and fifty miles south. There are an abundance of cars in this movie. The cars were originally ordered by a car rental agency in Phoenix, who refused to accept the delivery when they discovered the cars were not equipped with air conditioning. One time a friend and I drove back to Kentucky on leave rather than flying; no particular reason, we had plenty of time and wanted to see some of the country. I agree, despite people saying you sound cute, it seems like they think Ellie Mae Clapett or Jethro Bodean. 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. 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. . My favorite would have been an ex-WSP 1970 Plymouth they were all Fury IIIs, white on blue with factory air and 440s under the hood; but none ever turned up when I was buying. Watching TV and Movies you would think that sales dropped to nil. You could get in and out of spaces. 46,000 in 1976, 68,000 in 1977, 93,000 in 1978, 117,000 in 1979. So, I kind of got semi-sidelined after all of that. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Burt Reynolds may be 79, but he shows no signs of slowing down. The 'Smokey and the Bandit' Trans Am was a 1976 model, and three were destroyed. Originally I was taken on as a stunt coordinator in addition to supplying all the cars, but while I was running around finding them, they found Rmy Julienne. It was complete madness. The LeMans police car did nothing for me because there was a colonnade LeMans sedan in the garage at home. Smokey and the Bandit II was filmed simultaneously with The Cannonball Run, in which Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise also starred. That came out in 1981. mascot) which Cledus names "Charlotte" after his aunt. Although 1977 models also featured 6.6-liter engines, they were rated at only 200 horses. Smokey and the Bandit Bridge Jump. Reynolds was the top box office draw from 1975 to 1982, then his movies really started to go downhill. It was the last day of shooting, but I think we shot that 50 or 60 times. RCMP constable Reginald Van Justice and the woman with whom he sings are supposed to lampoon Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 14% based on reviews from seven critics. The movie made everyone believe that the Trans Am was a 1977 model. The 'Smokey and the Bandit' Trans Am was a 1976 model, and three were destroyed. 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%. Although he's into just about any type of vehicle, Ciprian is not your typical car enthusiast. I had no idea that it was going to become a 70s classic. The Pontiac Trans-Am in the first movie had a 6.6 liter V-8 and the Trans-Am in this movie had a 4.9 litre Turbocharged V8. It was a powerful car, and I was glad to be issued it as my range car instead of one of the new but already disintegrating 1985 Oldsmobiles supplied by a local dealer that most people had. Jana, another oddity was that I could go to Carbondale and be asked where down south I was from. 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. 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. How many Trans Ams were wrecked during the filming of Smokey and the Bandit? How many cars were wrecked filming Smokey and the Bandit? Here, he drives a silver and blue 1980 GMC General. I have only seen pieces of the second and none of the third; I plan to keep it that way. Good silly fun. If you watched the second clip above, this truck should look familiar. Launched on the big screen in 1977, Smokey and the Bandit revolves around two bootleggers as they attempt to illegally transport 400 cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta. To give the 1976 model the look of the upcoming vehicle, the carmaker installed the bumper of the 1977 Pontiac. The dubbed version isnt as bad as the Remastered Blu-ray. Reportedly, when this movie was first released, Burt Reynolds was planning to star in Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). The three Mini drivers in the film myself, Barry Cox and Richard Essame drove three Minis back from Turin, all in a line, all racing along, all 20-year-old boys being stupid. I ended up buying a 1969 Cadillac ambulance a year later! By clicking subscribe, you agree to receive news, promotions and offers by email from Top Gear and BBC Studios. The man does get around. The side vents give it away. I started cruising through EBay and the next thing I knew I won the auction for a clean 400/4 speed/T-Top 78 Trans Am. Not a bad deal, but on the fourth year, no new car. Because sales were so high, Pontiac decided to delay the third-generation model. The 1977 Firebird Trans Am, once owned by Burt Reynolds, sold for $495,000 at Saturdays auction by Barrett-Jackson. 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. En route, they stop at a remote fuel station and notice something wrong with Charlotte. Low-Key Loves Gerard Butlers 'Has Fallen Movies, And The Actor Shared Sweet Email The Marvel Star Sent In Support, Mayor Of Kingstown Producer Opens Up About Season 3 Plan And Jeremy Renner's Accident As Actor Posts About Missing His Happy Place. I will confess, however, that it was a fun movie to watch and I have caught it on TV a time or two in recent years with my kids. I developed a pretty good bootheel accent during my time in New Madrid. Gleason was a genius, but this was not one of his better outings I prefer the Hustler and Gigot. The trip to Texarkana is uneventful; soon after leaving for the return trip to Georgia, The Bandit encounters Frog, played by Sally Field. Dom DeLuise, Doc, shows up in an ambulance. (first posted 2/28/2014) The fourth highest grossing film in the United States in 1977 was the Academy Award nominatedSmokey & The Bandit. Copyright 2011 - 2021 Curbside Classics. Jackie Gleason ad libbed a lot of his lines too. Toward the end of the movie, Sheriff Justice makes a remark about retiring. And the 400 Pontiac or 403 Olds versions could be made to run well. The popularity of the 'Smokey and the Bandit' movies, Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), created a mini-cycle of similarly titled ''Smokey'' pictures such as Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983), Smokey Bites the Dust (1981), Smokey and the Judge (1980), Smokey and the Hotwire Gang (1979), Smokey and the Good Time Outlaws (1978) and 'The Great Smokey Roadblock' [See: The Great Smokey Roadblock (1977)]. Carrie is overjoyed when she sees Charlotte's baby, and Bandit asks Charlotte's permission for him and Carrie to get hitched, to which Charlotte trumpets her approval; Doc, now riding in the cab with Cledus and Fred, also voices his approval, and they all drive away with Charlotte and her baby in tow in circus carts, with Buford still in pursuit, now driving a Greyhound bus. We could go round roundabouts and not let anyone on, just by going round and round. 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. To make this 2154-mile drive, round-trip, the, 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. So you sourced all of the cars for the film, then how did you get them down to Italy? 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. Oh, and a hooker girlfriend that looked like Annie Potts. complete answer on overdriveonline.com, View I didn't do the river crossing, which I was pleased about because I cant swim. Mrs Jason wont let me sell the sumbitch. East bound and down, loaded up and truckin These included Mel Tillis as a Fairground Owner, Brenda Lee as a Nice Lady, Don Williams as himself, and the Statler Brothers, Phil Balsley, Lew DeWitt, Harold Reid and Don Reid also as themselves. Its W.W. No money from the licence fee was used to create this website. How many Trans Ams were wrecked during the filming of Smokey and the Bandit? I went to police stations and got photos, all that nonsense. Carrie was called Kate while Big Enos and Little Enos were called Kyle and Dickey. Sales of the coupe exploded after the film hit the silver screen and set unprecedented records for both Pontiac and the Firebird nameplate. Im pretty sure that the car that barks second when he takes off with Frog had to be a stick. 6 The Police Pile-Up In The Blues Brothers. Cledus takes the Burdettes to Bandit to make the offer in person, but Bandit has become a heavy drinker since breaking up with Carrie ("Frog") and is drunk when the Burdettes arrive and double the payoff to $400,000. Cinemablend is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. Smokey & the Bandit Pontiac Trans-Am in the Reynolds portion of the 1977 Trans! Clip above, this truck should look familiar did nothing for me because was! People saying you sound cute, it has an approval rating of 14 % based on the one in movie! 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