Coors beer was once illegal in some states because of a provision in the Liquor Control Act that states that only pasteurized malt beverages in brewery-sealed packages may be sold for consumption. Coors beer is cold filtered, not pasteurized. Oregon had a 50-year-old statute forbidding the sale of unpasteurized beer, which was officially considered unhealthy. In 1977, it was illegal to sell Coors east of the Mississippi River without a permit.
Moonshine was illegal because it could be used as an alternative fuel source for carbureted engines...had nothing to do with people drinking it, anything that threatens the value of oil get made illegal or patented and put down in the pentagon basement.
@@davidgallagher6096I always thought it had to do with the alcohol content..I know until recently in Oklahoma where I live... We could not sell 5pt beer cold or outside a liquor store. Cold beer was only low point abv 3.7 I think it was beer.. so it's nice to know the why.
@@TheNighthawke502beat me too it. I thought Gumball Ralley was the better movie. Although Burt Reynolds and Don Delouise is what made Canonball Run so funny
I'm more concerned about the people that she supposedly hit 😮 that is not cool if she's not much of a menace on the road!! That's dangerous as hell she shouldn't even have a license.
@@tomloft2000I'm interested in why she still has a freaking license. People like that normally lose it for 5 years after a certain number in a certain time span.
"Not letting her go" isn't an option if she wants to leave a controlling and emotionally abusing partner. She had history of being abused, so it's a good thing she left. She called him a "preformed rut in her road" in her book. Perfect match of flaws, so they fell into each other and it wasn't pretty.
@@esaedvik Another good book that exposes the controlling and toxic relationship in Hollywood is the Sondra Locke book about Clint Eastwood called, The Good The Bad and The Very Ugly.
Also, the ones with the Pontiac engines were some of the best muscle cars of the era. Very speedy. They essentially destroyed about three of them making the movie, and they weren't modified in any way.
"Is this song made for this movie?" Ohhhhh, Cassie. Jerry Reed is a musical legend. (Jerry Reed played Snowman) The story goes that the director shared with him that they needed to put together some music for this film. Jerry said, "Just give me a minute." And over the weekend -- the weekend, mind you -- he wrote Eastbound And Down, The Bandit, and The Legend. And they're all in this movie, unchanged from the way they were written. Jerry Reed is a legend.
"Smokey and the Bandit" is really just a live-action version of one of the old Road-Runner/Coyote cartoons. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and that's precisely why it's fun!
Jackie Gleason was a comic legend. He had a TV Sitcom called "The Honeymooners" with Art Carney, Audrey Meadows, and Joyce Randolph. It was hilarious. "To the MOON, Alice!", "Address the ball".
The Honeymooners were just one small part (But the best remembered due to reruns of the sitcom version) of his legacy. I'm old enough to remember the last years of his comedy/variety show. He was a comic genius.
As a trucker now…this movie was the movie that made me want to do it. I’m only 26, I saw this movie when I was like 15 and it’s been my favorite movie ever since. I still watch it all of the time. 😂
Bandit, Convoy & BJ and the Bear all had me enamored wirh being a semi driver at age 11. Ma talked me out of it. Given she was a cop for a few years, I guess she was worried about my respect for the law 😅
This isn't a comedy, this is a documentary about truck drivers! My Dad and my grandpa we're both semi drivers when this movie was released, my dad's sister invited us to her home when HBO aired it, it was a family get together and lots of fun, I became a truck driver in 1990 once I was old enough to get my CDL and it's a popular movie with everyone in the profession!
This movie was filmed in Georgia, and the director is the famous former stuntman turned director, Hal Needham. Hal went on to direct roommate Burt again in Cannonball Run, and some of his other films are Rad and Megaforce. Either way, the decision was shown to premiere the film in Atlanta. Someone said about Smokey and the Bandit.. "In the South, this film's a Damn Documentary!!"
@@scottlyttle5586 don't forget, the inspiration for this movie came about because he was staying at a hotel in either Georgia or Alabama, don't remember which, and his Coors beer he brought to the hotel with him kept disappearing, come to find out his cleaning Lady kept swiping a beer from his cooler and that's how he learned that Coors beer couldn't be sold east of Texas so he thought "that would make a great storyline, some rich guy wants a truckload of beer for a shindig, so he hires Burt Reynolds to haul it to Atlanta, all while being chased by a Texas county sheriff" and from that inspiration one of the best movies of all time was born. If it hadn't been for some Flash Gordon rip off by George Lucas coming out the same year, it would have been the most popular movie of 1977, but don't worry, I know for a fact that every individual with a CDL has seen it, one of my best friends who drives semi has introduced his young son to the movie and last Christmas I gave his boy an authentic Bandit black diecast metal Trans-Am for Christmas last year. Dad was born almost a decade after the movie and was introduced to it by his step dad who is also a trucker
Jerry Reed is a Georgia music Hall of Famer. A terrific guitar player, and also known for his humorous songs. Check out "Amos Moses", "She Got The Goldmine, I Got the Shaft", "Lord Mr. Ford".
CB Radio is coming up this time ❤ so many CB Radio friends install the old Radios another in cars and houses 🎉 Nostalgic yes but its working. This is a cult Film for that ❤ Digital speak is out welcome back analog 😅
You're not kidding. From Frb. '77 to late '78, there were CBs and Trans Ams from coast to coast. My Pops took me when I was 12. Man, I could watch this every night.
Snowman is Jerry Reed. A legendary guitar picker & songwriter. He wrote the score for this movie Sally Field is my mother's doppelganger Pontiac Trans-Am Firebird. Trans-Am refers to Trans America Racing. Burt Reynolds' father used to say Sum Bitch. Jackie Gleeson thought it was hilarious & used it in the movie I waa 7 years old when this came out. My father drove trucks. I went with him every school holidays & weekend. Guess my proffession
My favorite part was when Cassie asked if the car was called a Pan Am. 😂 It may be long forgotten now, but back when this movie came out, it made every kid and guy on the face of the earth want a Trans Am.
I really wanted a Trans Am, and got caught up in the whole Firebird vs. Camaro debate. Even though I crusaded at the time for Pontiac, this many years later as my tastes have aged I gotta say I think the early pre-70's Camaro were the better looking vehicle with classic muscle car lines. Heck, Pontiac GTO (the Judge), Dodge Charger, Camaro, Firebird... I'd take any one of 'em nowadays!
Pontiac in 1977 sold a car called the Can Am it was a dolled up version on a Catalina with ground effects spoiler and typical 70's ralleye stripes. very few were ever built and are collector's items today
@Cassie: Yes, in the 70's it was illegal to transport Coors beer east of the Mississippi River. The reason was because Coors was not pasteurized and it was shipped from the brewery in Golden, Colorado cold and had to reach its destination within 12 hours by law to prevent it from potentially spoiling. There were refrigeration semi trucks back then, but for some reason the Federal government still didn't allow Coors to be shipped beyond the 12 hour limit. So there were some kinds of bootlegging laws still in effect in the late 70's and this was one of them.
I grew up in Kansas & Coors was fairly big there. When I was 16, I moved to Michigan, right when they’d been allowed to bring Coors East of the Mississippi. I was all excited to get Molson & Labatts & all the people I was hanging out with wanted to get Coors all the time😞
Also, I don’t know if this applies too, but some counties across America are still to this day, dry counties, meaning no alcohol. Fun fact, the county where Jack Daniel’s is made, is a dry county. Weird…
I rode Amtrak’s San Francisco Zephyr (now the California Zephyr) from Chicago to Reno and back in 1978. They had Coors beer in the lounge car, but couldn’t serve any until the train crossed the Mississippi on the way out west, and had to stop serving it when the train crossed the Mississippi headed back east.
When Cleetus stopped in that bar/restaurant, he was getting the truck filled up. Since the truck holds like 300 gallons or so, it takes a while. Plenty of time to stop in for a bite. My old man was a trucker, and he absolutely loved this movie. This is the only movie he ever went to with us, and he laughed his ass off the entire time. Good times.
Shortly after I got my CDL I took my mom for a ride along. I'd never seen her eyes get as big as when she saw the fuel bill. 😂 I still like to do that at a smaller truck stop in our area where you still have to go inside to pay for diesel. Me: _"Fuel on 20."_ Cashier: _"Ok. That'll be $640."_ Entire line behind me: _"Oh my god!"_ 😂
@@NarwahlGaming Wow! I flip out seeing the diesel price on a tank for a truck just pulling a horse trailer for about a 3 hour trip one way. Your mom had a genuine response. 😅
I was selling cars at a Pontiac dealership when this movie came out. I had a couple come in and test drive a special edition Trans-Am like Bandit drove. We sat down to negotiate the price when the husband excused himself to visit the restroom. While he was gone his wife said to me "He hasn't been the same since we saw THAT movie". It was the easiest sale of my life.
@@keithralston1133 True, but she didn't even know who the legendary Jackie Gleason was, let alone get a "The Honeymooners" reference. That's WAY before her time. I was pretty pleased to see country singer, song writer, and actor Jerry Reed again. I always did like him for some reason.
"Som Bitch" came from Burt Reynolds dad. He was a sheriff in Florida and that's what he would always say. Burt told Jackie Gleason about it and thought it was perfect for the character.
Can't get better than Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason and Jerry Reed! Ok add in fast cars, trucker talk and great lines... "I'm gonna get that som bich"! 😁 Lastly the unforgettable song "Eastbound and Down!" Thanks for sharing Cassie... PiB 🍿
Miss Cassie, just so you know, Burt and Sally were a couple for about 4-6 yrs, Burt said afterwards “she was the one who got away”. There’s also a “ Bandit II” sequel. The car is a ‘77 Pontiac Firebird “Trans-Am”. Everybody wanted one after this movie….. SanJoséBob
Great reaction. I was 17 when this came out. This movie introduced the populous to CB radios. CB culture was everywhere. There was a really popular CB related song by C. W. McCall called "Convoy". The movie was a big hit. Burt Reynolds got his start as the blacksmith on the TV show Gunsmoke. When he went to work in the movies, both he and Clint Eastwood got fired on the same day. According to Burt, the studio told him he had no talent and Clint had a big Adam's Apple. They went to lunch and Burt laughed at him, telling him that he could take acting lessons, but Clint was stuck with his neck issue. Burt and Clint starred in a comedy movie called City Heat in 1984. Burt and Sally Field teamed up again in a movie called Hooper about a stunt man in the movie business who is passing his prime. He was just a likable character that made fun, feel good movies. Thanks for the memory.
Fun fact: All the Trans ams used were 1976 but pontiac installed the 77 TA front and hood to promote the new 77 car. It worked sales of 77 TAS were off the charts.
"Smokey and the Bandit" was the second highest grossing film in 1977 after "Star Wars." The film is filled with CB lingo, and gave Jackie Gleason a new lease on his comedic career. Billy Bob Thornton called "Smokey and the Bandit" a documentary where he came from.
Well known fact that Burt Reynolds and Sally Field lived together for many years, their chemistry is very apparent in this film. Also, Burt Reynolds was the literal definition of cool in 1977.
Burt & Sally would do the sequel 'Smokey & the Bandit II' together, as well as the movie 'Hooper' in 1978, the year after this movie came out. They also were in the movie 'The End', which also starred Dom Deluise.
I read they broke up soon after Burt wouldn't go with Sally to the Oscars the year she won Best Actress (Norma Rae). He was too jealous to be happy for her. No going back after that.
They where only together for 5 years and it was not a happy relationship, Burt Reynolds was a very jealous man & addicted to pain killers & alcohol due to injuries doing his own stunts which made it very hard for Sally to be with him. 🇦🇺🦘
Back in the late 70's, if you lived between Georgia & Texas, Smokey & The Bandit was mandatory viewing. If you bought a house or did your taxes early, you got a free copy of the movie. Also, Pan Am old 70's airline, Trans Am is the car Bandit drove😂😂.
I watched this being filmed when I was just a kid. Jerry Reeds house was my Mom's Aunt's house, and the girl that said "Hey Uncle Bandit" was my cousin. They had Three of the Trans Ams to film with...two for stunts, and one on a trailer with cameras mounted on it. The entire movie was shot in Georgia.
I was an extra in this movie, having recently moved from small-town New Jersey to Atlanta. Burt and I eyed each other 'cause we were dressed the same (blue shirt in the early part of the movie). Sorry I didn't get to see Sally Field or Jerry Reed, but it was a great experience.
@@ricknoe942 Yeah, didn't get to see Sally either, because her part hadn't come in yet. My mom's sister still has a pack of Bert's smokes she swiped. 😁
Movie legend: 10-4 means, understood Whats your 20? means where are you? Whats your handle? your CB nickname Honey-hush? This means wow! Pedal to the metal means push gas pedal to the floor Sum bitch means son of a bitch. Enjoy the film!
Evel Knievel = Cop on motorcycle Smokey Bear = Police cars Bear in the hardware = Police Military force Gear Jammers = Truckers 10-100 = loitering 10-200 = restroom Choke and puke = restaurant- truck stop F O = **** off
Also helped fuel the CB craze in the 70s in cars and people talking and listening to truckers on the road warning about "Smokies". Coors beer was only a fad at the time because it was illegal. There was nothing special about it but college students went crazy over it because it was hard to get in certain states and went for a premium price if you bought it off someone who made a trip and brought back a case or two.
I remember getting a toy cb radio for Christmas when I was just a toddler. This movie made real ones super popular and everyone wanted to have them in their cars and trucks.
Jackie Gleason was born and raised in New York. He played various urbanites (Hustler, Honeymooners) until he was cast in this iconic role. Also, Sally Field's career was on the skids until she was cast in this hugely popular movie and its sequels.
Fun fact: the motorcycle cop who pulled Jerry Reed over was played by Sonny Shroyer, who would later play Deputy Enos Strate in the TV series 'Dukes of Hazzard'.
And Ben Jones aka Cooter is at at the start where Big & Little Enos are looking for the Bandit. Also John Schneider aka Bo Duke is in the crowd at the end when the sheriff takes off to pursue the Bandit on his mission to get clam chowder.
CB radios were very popular in the '70s. Many people had at least one in their car. My parents also had a base unit in the house. If someone went somewhere they could keep in touch with home. It was sort of the '70s version of social media. I used to chat with people for hours on the CB as a kid. Part of the reason they became popular was the '73 oil crisis, and the resulting national 55 mph speed limit, which led to CBs being used to find stations with gas and the best prices, and to avoid speed traps on the highway. Pop culture stuff like Smokey and the Bandit just made them even more popular. They were also good for avoiding bad traffic, and in case of emergency in the days before cell phones. The truckers always gave you a better weather ,traffic and police report than any app today. God bless the truckers.
Pretty sure the reason we have had the bad truck pile-ups in Texas and Colorado that we didn't have before is because everyone having CB's because they are faster than Google maps at updating truckers about wrecks up ahead.
yeah, Reynolds was quite the thing! we all wanted to be like him. he was a "Playgirl Magazine" centerfold. in real life he treated all women like..... aaah..... actually.....#2, or as they said In this movie, "10-200". near the end of his life, he said Sally Field was the one true love of his life.
For those who don’t know, CB has had a very significant revival starting with the pandemic lockdowns, people grabbed their old radios out of the loft/attic so they could stay in touch with people. No sign of abating, and there are fantastic new modern radios available. Not quite the anarchy and as well populated as the 70s and 80s but still a lot of fun. Loads and loads of videos on YT.
If the Bandit is going to commit Federal Bootlegging for money, violate speed and safety laws, and commit breaking and entering for the beer distributer he might as well just commit theft and keep the money for the beer. It wouldn't make any difference in his jail sentence if he got caught. Coors Beer brand did not have a nation-wide distribution license. Most eastern states had older beverage laws against transporting non-pasteurized fermented refrigerated beverages. Because Coors beer spends most of its brewing, fermentation, and filtering cycle below pasteurization temperatures it violated those laws. Also for a long time because it was not made in traditional beer brewing method it didn't meet a lot of states standards as a 'beer'. So it was kind of a low alcohol malt beverage of sorts (basically it fell between all the cracks in older laws). Due to Lobbies, Celebrity Endorsements, and partially this movie a lot of states started to change the laws. By 1981 Coors had distribution licenses east of the Mississippi River, and by 1986 they had full national distribution licenses. In the late 70's and early 1980's a lot of famous celebrities used to consider it a great status symbol to force any shows you had on the east coast to have bootleg coors, or to horde it at for private parties
Fun fact Smokey and the Bandit was one of the last movies Elvis ever saw. I love this movie, used to watch it with my dad. I also got to see Jerry Reed in concert. Cassie I would like to see you react to Jerry Reed’s song “ The bird “
6:20 you have no idea how much every truck driver I know loves it when they see kids pumping their arm to honk at them. It's a rare occasion anymore, but it still puts a smile on their faces.
Context is important: In 1974 the US federal government imposed a National Maximum Speed Limit of 55 MPH, supposedly to decrease fuel usage. This law was near universally hated by the driving public and it quickly created an anti law enforcement sentiment among otherwise law-abiding citizens. It was in that environment that this movie about a charismatic speedy driver making a fool out of a dim-witted self-important traffic cop became instantly popular.
In case no one has mentioned it, look up Jackie Gleason. He’s one of the greats. He was on TV when TV was broadcast live on a show called The Honeymooners.
Jerry Reed, the Driver of the Truck, was a country singer, that Eastbound and Down song at the beginning, was written and sang by him. Also, Burt and Sally dated for 5 years, and he called her" The love of His Life" in his book.
Little Enos is legendary songwriter Paul Williams. American composer, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for writing and co-writing popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s, including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song" and "Out in the Country", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World", Biff Rose's "Fill Your Heart", and the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" and "Rainy Days and Mondays". He also wrote "Cried Like a Baby" for teen idol Bobby Sherman. Williams is also known for writing the score and lyrics for Bugsy Malone (1976) and his musical contributions to other films, including the Oscar-nominated song "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie, and writing the lyrics to the #1 chart-topping song "Evergreen", the love theme from the Barbra Streisand film A Star Is Born, for which he won a Grammy for Song of the Year and an Academy Award for Best Original Song. He wrote the lyrics to the opening theme for the television show The Love Boat, with music previously composed by Charles Fox, which was originally sung by Jack Jones and, later, by Dionne Warwick. Williams had a variety of high-profile acting roles, such as Little Enos Burdette in the action-comedy Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and the villainous Swan in Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (1974), which Williams also co-scored, receiving an Oscar nomination in the process. Since 2009, Williams has been the president and chairman of the American songwriting society ASCAP.
I keep hoping for the same thing, but I guess if you don't join the Patreon, We don't get an consideration on Suggestions! And while I love this Channel, I'm not going to pay someone to take my suggestions! No offense !
Directed by former stuntman Hal Needham. And he believed in FUN above all else. The whole vibe is just... (Shotguns a beer) "Watch this, fellas"! And it's perfect for that reason.
I didn't go through all the comments , but the car is a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am. Not a bad ride for '77. Also you might like to see Sally Field speak about Burt after his passing.
You should watch "Jackie Gleeson crashes Burt Reynolds' party" - at a party for Reynolds on account of his acting career, Gleeson appeared in-character as Bufford T. Justice, made a speech about catching The Bandit, and left without acknowledging Burt, who damn near pissed himself laughing. It's absolutely hilarious...
This was filmed all around where I lived at the time. Of course you can't pick out any of the places now because it doesn't look even remotely like it used to but I still know them all. This was south of Atlanta but Burt Reynolds also filmed Sharky's Machine in Atlanta. Good movie, you should absolutely watch it. Sally Field and Burt Reynolds were in a relationship for 5 years after meeting on the set of this movie.
I saw this when it originally released at our local drive through theater, as a kid, and sadly as a adult, at a theater, a week after Burt Reynolds died. Great movie.
@@sblagg527In case you’re not just pointing out a typo : “Drive-in theatres” were places where you’d park your car in front of a large screen and a movie would be showing. There was a speaker you could hook up to your car to hear the soundtrack. The movie Twister has one showing The Shining before a tornado destroys the screen.
I saw it right after he passes at a drive in too. They had several bandits and trans ams The song is a staple of the road trip playlist. Burt wanted make movies about the south. He did that well.
yup, I lived just 2 miles from Snowmans house in Jonesboro the summer of '76 & seen a lot of the filming! Moved to Covington in '77 & got to be in the 1st episode of Dukes of Hazzard 1978 & an extra in Cannonball Run 1981
They even mentioned my hometown of Conyers. Selling any alcohol was illegal in a lot of Georgia counties. Mail order and online sales of wine was also prohibited in Georgia.
I was in high school when this movie came out and almost every car in our parking lot were black Trans Ams. You have no idea how huge this was. Everyone was talking in CB Talk and quoting this movie. The director was Hal Needham, a stuntman. Burt Reynolds was really into stunts and actually made a movie a year later called Hooper. It was also directed by Needham and about an old washed-up stuntman still trying to stay relevant. It's a fun one! Sally Field was also in it, since they were an item for a while, they had great chemistry.
I saw this movie in the theatres when it came out, I went with my 2 brothers and cousin. When the movie ended we slouched down in our seats as people filed out. As new people entered we sat up and moved to different seats and watched it again.
There is no way to describe when movies like this came out. We had 3 television channels. Not much on except for Saturday mornings or late night VHF stuff for teens. None of this bombardment of media. I'm afraid cultural events that unified everyone are long gone. Sad, really. I hope you enjoy the movie!
Yes, we ALL had a handle, CB owner or not, and we all cheered for the rebel truckers. It was one of those times when you could start to feel the restrictions bearing down on you. Since 9/11 it's off the chain and feels like a prison system to those of us who grew up in the 70's.
The kids now a days don't have a clue as to what 'TRUE' imagination is. You had to think and do things with your siblings or your close neighbor kids to have a lot of fun. Because there wasn't much on tv to really watch until later in the evening, and you still had to have your homework done and you still had to be ready for bed by a certain time. I don't know about you, but I lived around the Detroit area, so we only had like 6 channels to watch, and 3 of them were the same as the other 3.
We had 4 VHF channels including PBS and 2 UHF which were independent stations. Later we got one more UHF, and years later those UHF became FOX, UPN, and The WB (now CW).
@@kd5you1 I'm trying to remember... we had (of course) channels 4, 5, and 9 along with the VHF channels 41 and 19 (when we had a good reception day). It's slightly depressing to realize that most of the folks in this channel have NO idea what we are talking about.
Another fun fact: the actor who played Big Enos Burdette was Pat McCormick, who was also one of the lead writers on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and who also appeared on the show as a member of the Mighty Carson Arts Players,often showing up in costume (two of his appearances that I recall were as Cupid & as an disgruntled bunny who missed out on winning a Patsy Award (the award equivalent to the Oscar that is given to animal performers every year).
Jackie Gleason reminds me of two for Cassie: The Hustler (Jackie Gleason and Paul Newman) and the sequel, The Color of Money (Paul Newman and Tom Cruise). A perfect Combo.
"Little Enos" is played by actor/singer/song writer Paul Williams. He wrote some of the biggest hit songs in the 70's including the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" and "Rainy Days and Mondays". He also wrote "Evergreen" sung by Barbra Streisand in the film A Star Is Born, for which he won a Grammy for Song of the Year and an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
@@Windupchronic Oh so he admitted it. That's interesting. In the interview I saw of hers she made him sound really clueless and ignorant about how relationships should work.
@@ct6852I seems like he was pretty clueless and ignorant about how just about everything worked. Spend way too much money and apparently didn’t think that the money wouldn’t stop flowing in.
You can actually get a Diablo Sandwich at the Old Hickory House in Tucker, GA. I believe the restaurant from the movie moved to a new location some years ago, but the same family owns it.
Another Fun Fact! The Guy Singing The Songs East Bound And Down And They Call You The Bandit Is Snowman Because Jerry Reed Is Actually A Country Singer And This Is His Acting Debut! MIND BLOWN!!!
Hi, Cass! The car in the film is a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am, which was a very popular muscle care in the 70's. If you remember the movie "Rocky II", which you also reacted to, Rocky drove that same kind of car in the film.
OMGosh...." What kind of car is Bandit driving a " Pan Am" did they say "....I fell out of my chair ...LOL...LOL...This is why I love watching to relive these movies with you ....Your Genuine reactions are priceless.... : )
There is an annual (and illegal) Bandit Run road race. The team that drives from Atlanta to Texarkana, buys Coors beer, and drives back to Atlanta in the fastest time wins. And yes, some of them drive black Tran Ams.
Here are some interesting tidbits about Burt Reynolds: He shares the record with Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood, and Bing Crosby for being the Top Box Office draw for five years. Only Tom Cruise surpasses them with a record of seven years. Burt was also a proud alumnus of Florida State University, where he not only designed but also purchased new home and away football uniforms for the team. He played football at FSU during the 1950s, and in the 1970s and 1980s, he often attended games, even suggesting plays to the then-head coach, Bobby Bowden. Reynolds frequently stated in interviews that had he not pursued acting, he would have opted for a career in football coaching.
This movie and the Dukes of Hazzard is what made me get my first CB and I still have one I still talk on it every now and then and my handle is enterprise
Trivia: (1) Burt Reynolds and Sally Field met and fell in love on this movie and were together for many years, Burt's ego got huge when his career took off and he left her for another, and he regretted it until he died; (2) the black car was a Trans Am, and it became the hottest selling car in America for a couple years after this movie came out. I saw this in the theater as a kid, LOVED it, and was probably the most popular movie that year behind Star Wars. Also, the director asked Jerry Reed (a country artist and the guy who was cast to play the Snowman) if he could write a song for the movie while they were filming because he had no music at that point. Jerry asked him to show him the whole script so he knew the story, wrote the song that night, played it for the director the next day, and "East Bound and Down" became the theme song.
Buford (shouting out the door): "You want somethin!?" Junior (from the car): "Hush puppies Daddy!" Buford: "WE GOT NO TIME FOR THAT CRAP! Damn sumbitch!"
I believe the name "Sheriff Buford T. Justice" was a spoof on Buford Pusser, a sheriff in Tennessee who waged a one-man war against local mobsters; there was a very popular film, "Walking Tall", based on his life.
The Rock( Dwyane Johnson) kinda played Buford in the remake of Walking Tall. (I wonder if thats why he says Sumbitch in fast and Furious movies).It just kinda stepped around Bufords life. My grandfather was first chief of police in 40s and 50s for city of Selmer. he died in 1968 around the time Buford became sheriff of McNairy county
The sheriff in the Bond films Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun was JW Pepper. Pepper was played by Clifton James. He is good in Cool Hand Luke,
I was living overseas in 1977... we came back stateside that summer and I went and saw StarWars and Smokey And The Bandit back to back one afternoon!!! Pretty righteous day for a 13 year old!!!
Smokey and the Bandit was an unexpected hit when it came out. I think it cost less than 5 million to make and ended up grossing 300 million worldwide. In North America it was second only to Star Wars as the highest grossing film in 1977.
