Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

Director:

Hal Needham

Writers:

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

Release Date:

27 May 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Action | Crime

Tagline:

Time to take to the road, for a quiet little drive in the country...or not.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Cross Country | Bet | Police | Road | Southern U.S.

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Burt Reynolds	...	'Bandit' / Bo Darville
Sally Field	...	Carrie / 'Frog'
Jerry Reed	...	Cledus Snow / 'Snowman'
Mike Henry	...	Junior Justice
Paul Williams	...	Little Enos Burdette
Pat McCormick	...	Big Enos Burdette
Jackie Gleason	...	Sheriff Buford T. Justice
George Reynolds	...	Sheriff George Branford
Macon McCalman	...	Mr. B, Tanker Truck Driver
Linda McClure	...	Waynette Snow
Susan McIver	...	Hot Pants Hilliard
Laura Lizer Sommers	...	Little Beaver, Lady Truck Driver (as Laura Lizer)
Michael Mann	...	Branford's Deputy
Lamar Jackson	...	Sugar Bear, Mechanic
Ronnie Gay	...	Georgia State Trooper

Also Known As:

Bandit, Bandit (Europe)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Canada:PA (Ontario) | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:11 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | USA:PG | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

According to MapQuest, Atlanta to Texarkana is 665.2 miles, with an estimated travel time of 10 hours, 43 minutes (21:30 round trip). Atlanta to Boston is 1089 miles with an estimated travel time of 17 hours, 31 minutes. If driven the whole way, it would require an average speed of 121 miles an hour to do it in the 18 hours mandated by the "double or nothing" but the terms of the bet didn't specify how they were to get to Boston and certainly not how to return so they could have driven to the airport and bought round-trip tickets.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Buford T Justice is behind the Bandit, the Bandit passes Snowman's truck on the shoulder. The Sheriff attempts to pass the truck, but clips it. He loses control and the back end of the car goes sideways. As it crosses back in front of the truck, it is clearly struck in the right rear quarter panel. The very next scene shows the quarter panel in perfect shape.

Quotes:

Bandit: Cledus, get the money.
Cledus Snow: Yeah, how 'bout the money?
Little Enos: How 'bout double or nothin'?
Cledus Snow: How 'bout forgettin' it?
Bandit: Wait a minute. What about double or nothin'?
Little Enos: You run up to Boston, and bring back some clam chowder for me and my daddy.
Carrie: You're on.
Bandit: Uh, you're on.
Big Enos: In 18 hours?
Bandit: You're still on.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Wielkie rzeczy: Gra (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Bandit

The First Thing I'm Gonna Do When I Get Home Is Punch Your Momma In The Mouth

As you can tell by my screen name, I love this movie. I do regard this movie as my favorite of all time. Oscar material? Certainly not. But who cares.

The basic premise of the movie is a simple one. The Bandit (Burt Reynolds) and The Snowman (Jerry Reed) are trying to deliver a truckload of bootlegged Coors beer in 38 hours or less for $80,000 (big money back in 1977). All this while trying to shake a bloodhound sheriff (Smokey played by Jackie Gleason) and his bonehead son, Junior. Oh, and during all of this Bandit falls in love with a hitchhiker named Carrie (Sally Field).

As much as this is the movie that Burt Reynolds is known for, it's Jackie Gleason that makes this movie for me. His are my favorite lines in the movie. Don't get me wrong, Burt and his ohhh so 70's mustache do a fabulous job of smiling and laughing, but it's Gleason who has me in stitches every time I watch this movie. I received my first copy of this movie somewhere around 1986 (Christmas present). At some point I tried to figure out how many times I have viewed this movie. A conservative guess would be somewhere around 300.

It's simple fun, but there is a little bit of magic in this movie that was absent in Smokey And The Bandit II. Both Burt Reynolds and Sally Field claim that the reason the movie worked so well is that you are watching two people fall in love, for real, on film.

Aside from the love story and Gleason's portrayal of Bufford T. Justice, the movie has some fantastic and real (not CGI) car chases and stunts. This is a must own for anyone who loves a good car chase.