Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

The Bandit is hired on to run a tractor trailer full of beer over state lines, in hot pursuit by a pesky sheriff.

Director:

Hal Needham

Writers:

Hal Needham (story), Robert L. Levy (story)

Stars:

Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Burt Reynolds	...	Bandit
Sally Field	...	Carrie
Jerry Reed	...	Cledus
Mike Henry	...	Junior
Paul Williams	...	Little Enos
Pat McCormick	...	Big Enos
Alfie Wise	...	Patrolman at Traffic Jam
George Reynolds	...	Branford
Macon McCalman	...	Mr. B
Linda McClure	...	Waynette
Susie Ewing	...	Hot Pants (as Susan McIver)
Laura Lizer Sommers	...	Little Beaver (as Laura Lizer)
Michael Mann	...	Branford's Deputy
Lamar Jackson	...	Sugar Bear
Ronnie Gay	...	Georgia Trooper

Storyline

Bandit and Cledus are two truck-driving southerners who accept a dare from big-shots Big and Little Enos to pick up a truckload of beer from Texas and return it to them within a specified amount of time. Picking it up is simple enough, but as they are leaving Texas, Bandit unwittingly picks up Carrie, a hitchhiking bride-to-be who just left her groom, Junior, at the altar. Junior, however, is the son of Sheriff Buford T. Justice. And when Buford and Junior discover what has happened, they go on a "high-speed pursuit" across the Southeast to catch the bandit.

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Plot Keywords:

sheriff | coors beer | trucker | road movie | police chase | 

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Taglines:

It's a Slap-Bang 1,800 Mile Road Chase That Jams All 40 Channels With Laughs!

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Genres:

Action | Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 May 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bandit

Filming Locations:

Phillips Rd and S. Stone Mountain Lithonia Rd, Lithonia, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,728,060, 30 May 1977, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$126,737,428

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$300,000,000, 31 December 1977

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Rastar Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fred, the Bassett Hound dog for Snowman's pet, was personally picked by Burt Reynolds, chiefly because it refused to obey commands. Perhaps it was a reminder of Elvis Presley singing Hound Dog to a Bassett Hound on Steve Allen's show for new talents.

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Goofs

Just before Cledus breaks through the police car barricade, the 2 cops who had been standing there have disappeared.

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Quotes

Bandit: You must be in a hell of a hurry, huh, Sheriff?
Buford T. Justice: You bet your ass on that, boy.

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Alternate Versions

The TV print needed extensive overdubbing to reduce the amount of profanity. In particular, Jackie Gleason's expression "Sum-bitch!" was replaced with "Scum-bum." This new word became a popular catch phrase with kids after the film made its TV debut.

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Connections

Referenced in The Larry Sanders Show: The Grand Opening (1993)

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Soundtracks

Bandit
By Dick Feller
Sung by Jerry Reed

User Reviews

The Boys are thirsty in Atlanta and there's beer down in Texarkana!

I've never been much of a fan of Burt Reynolds fan, but he happens to star in many 70's and early 80's movies that are right up my alley. We're talking about movies with charismatic macho man protagonists, fast cars, trucks so large they seem to be overcompensating for something else, infantile comedy and flamboyant action stunts. Movies like "White Lightning", "Hooper", The Cannonball Run", "Sharky's Machine", "Gator" and of course the "Smokey and the Bandit" trilogy and I can't help the fact they all star Burt Reynolds. "Smokey and the Bandit" is basically a very simplistic story and approximately three quarters of the film seems improvised at the spot, but a premise like this just can't fail. Two Texan big shots hire the notorious trucker Bandit to illegally transport a lorry of Coors Beer from Texarkana to Georgia in barely 28 hours. Bandit develops a nifty plan where his buddy Snowman drives the beer truck and he drives a Trans-Am in front to divert the attention of the coppers. During the wild and time-pressured ride, Bandit picks up the hyperactive runaway bride Carrie and becomes involved in a testosterone showdown with the fearsome Texan Sheriff Buford T. Justice. You easily forgive "Smokey and the Bandit" for its lack of originality and ideas, simply because everyone involved in the film seems to be so very enthusiast and cheerful. Former stuntman Hal Needham delivers a fast- paced script and taut direction (his other film "MegaForce", on the other hand is a terribly boring turkey) whilst all his cast members are having the time of their lives. Jerry Reed is excellent as the lesser cool sidekick Snowman and he also provides the film with a sublimely irresistible hillbilly soundtrack, including the fantastically catchy songs "East Bound and Down" and "The Legend". Sally Field and Burt Reynolds definitely have on-screen chemistry, but the show is undeniably stolen by Jackie Gleason as the persistent and downright obsessive Sheriff Buford T. Justice. Heck, even his character's name alone is awesome to write and pronounce repeatedly! He has the best lines, allegedly a large part of them were ad-libbed, like when he says to his slow and unintelligent son: "the first thing I'm going to do when we get home, is punch your mother in the face" (referring that the son can't possibly have inherited his stupidity from him).