Smokey and the Bandit | |
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Release date | 1977–1983 |
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Language | English |
Smokey and the Bandit is an action comedy franchise following the exploits of bootleggers Bo "Bandit" Darville (Burt Reynolds), Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Jerry Reed), and Texas county sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason). The series consists of three theatrical films and a television miniseries.
Created by stuntman and director Hal Needham, the first film of the trilogy, Smokey and the Bandit, was the second-highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States [1] and had significant cultural impact including adding to the 1970s CB radio fad and igniting the popularity of the Pontiac Trans Am car driven by the Bandit.
Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Producer(s) |
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Smokey and the Bandit | May 27, 1977 | Hal Needham | Mort Engelberg and Robert L. Levy |
Smokey and the Bandit II | August 15, 1980 | Hank Moonjean | |
Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 | August 12, 1983 | Dick Lowry | Mort Engelberg |
Smokey and the Bandit (1977) is an American action comedy film and stars Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry and was the directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham. [2]
The film follows Bo "Bandit" Darville (Reynolds) and Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Reed), two bootleggers attempting to illegally transport 400 cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta. While the Snowman drives the truck carrying the beer, the Bandit drives a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am to distract law enforcement (called blocking) and keep the attention off the Snowman. During their run, they are pursued by Texas county sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason).
Smokey and the Bandit was the second-highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States. [1]
Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) is an American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason and Dom DeLuise. The film is the sequel to the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit .
The plot centers on Bo "Bandit" Darville (Burt Reynolds) and Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Jerry Reed), transporting an elephant to the GOP National Convention, with Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason) once again in hot pursuit.
Smokey and the Bandit II was the eighth-highest-grossing domestic film of 1980 in the United States. [3]
Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983) is an American action comedy film starring Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Paul Williams, Pat McCormick, Mike Henry and Colleen Camp. The plot of the film revolves around Sheriff Buford T. Justice ("Smokey"), with the presence of the Bandit merely being suggested through him being impersonated by Cledus ("Snowman"). [4]
The third film – which had no involvement from either Hal Needham or Sally Field and contained only a short cameo appearance by Burt Reynolds – revolved entirely around Jackie Gleason's character, was panned by critics, and was a box office bomb, earning only $7 million against a $9 million budget.
A television miniseries with four episodes (Bandit Goes Country, Bandit Bandit, Beauty and the Bandit, and Bandit's Silver Angel) were produced in 1994 for Universal Television's Action Pack with actor Brian Bloom playing a younger version of the Bandit. The three original films introduced two generations of the Pontiac Trans Am and the Dodge Stealth in the television miniseries. [5]
The Bandit is a documentary film about the making of "Smokey and the Bandit" and working with director and stuntman Hal Needham. Featuring interviews with Burt Reynolds and the crew, the film explores the unique relationship between Reynolds and Needham. The film was directed by Jesse Moss. [6]
In October 2020, a Smokey and the Bandit TV series was revealed to be in development, with a pilot written by David Gordon Green and Brian Sides and also executive produced with his Rough House confederates Jody Hill, Danny McBride and Brandon James, as well as Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins of Fuzzy Door. [7]
John Herbert Gleason, known as Jackie Gleason, was an American actor, comedian, writer, and composer also known as "The Great One". He developed a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, and was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy, exemplified by his city bus driver character Ralph Kramden in the television series The Honeymooners. He also developed The Jackie Gleason Show, which maintained high ratings from the mid-1950s through 1970. The series originated in New York City, but filming moved to Miami Beach, Florida, in 1964 after Gleason took up permanent residence there.
Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. was an American actor and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series, such as Gunsmoke (1962–1965), Hawk (1966), and Dan August (1970–1971). He had leading roles in films, such as Navajo Joe (1966) and 100 Rifles (1969), and his breakthrough role was as Lewis Medlock in Deliverance (1972).
Sally Margaret Field is an American actress. Known for her extensive work on screen and stage, she has received many accolades throughout her career spanning six decades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and three Primetime Emmy Awards, in addition to nominations for a Tony Award and two British Academy Film Awards. She was presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014, the National Medal of Arts in 2014, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2019, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2023.
Buford may refer to:
The Cannonball Run is a 1981 American action-comedy film directed by Hal Needham, produced by Hong Kong firm Golden Harvest, and distributed by 20th Century-Fox. Filmed in Panavision, it features an all-star ensemble cast, including Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Jackie Chan, and Dean Martin. The film is based on the 1979 running of the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an actual cross-country outlaw road race beginning in Connecticut and ending in California.
Hooper is a 1978 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jan-Michael Vincent, Brian Keith, Robert Klein, James Best and Adam West. The film serves as a tribute to stuntmen and stuntwomen in what was at one time an underrecognized profession. At the time of filming, Field and Reynolds were in a relationship, having met on the set of Smokey and the Bandit the previous year.
Smokey and the Bandit is a 1977 American action comedy road film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams, and Mike Henry. The film marks the directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham.
Hal Brett Needham was an American stuntman, film director, actor, writer, and NASCAR team owner. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with actor Burt Reynolds, usually in films involving fast cars, such as Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Hooper (1978), The Cannonball Run (1981) and Stroker Ace (1983).
An outtake is a portion of a work that is removed in the editing process and not included in the work's final, publicly released version. In the digital era, significant outtakes have been appended to CD and DVD reissues of many albums and films as bonus tracks or features, in film often, but not always, for the sake of humor. In terms of photos, an outtake may also mean the ones which are not released in the original set of photos.
Smokey and the Bandit II is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Dom DeLuise, Sally Field, Mike Henry, Paul Williams and Pat McCormick. The film is the second installment of the Smokey and the Bandit trilogy in the Smokey and the Bandit franchise and a sequel to Smokey and the Bandit (1977).
Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 is a 1983 American action comedy film and a spinoff/legacy sequel to Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and Smokey and the Bandit II (1980). The film is the third and final installment of the Smokey and the Bandit trilogy in the Smokey and the Bandit franchise, starring Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Paul Williams, Pat McCormick, Mike Henry and Colleen Camp. The film also includes a cameo near the end by the original Bandit, Burt Reynolds.
Michael Dennis Henry was an American football linebacker and actor. He was best known for his role as Tarzan in the 1960s film trilogy and as Junior in the Smokey and the Bandit trilogy.
The Villain is a 1979 American metrocolor Western comedy film directed by Hal Needham and starring Kirk Douglas, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ann-Margret, Paul Lynde, Foster Brooks, Strother Martin, Ruth Buzzi, Jack Elam, and Mel Tillis. It is a parody of Western films, blended with an homage to the Warner Bros. cartoon Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.
Stroker Ace is a 1983 American action comedy sport film directed by Hal Needham and starring Burt Reynolds as the eponymous Stroker Ace, a NASCAR driver.
A snowman is a temporary sculpture made of snow. Snowman or snowmen may also refer to:
Walking Tall Part 2 is the 1975 sequel to the crime/action film, Walking Tall. Walking Tall Part 2 was directed by Earl Bellamy, and produced by Charles A. Pratt. The film stars Bo Svenson as Buford Pusser, replacing Joe Don Baker, who played Pusser in the first Walking Tall film. The on-screen title of the film is Part 2 Walking Tall: The Legend of Buford Pusser. The film was followed in 1977 by Walking Tall: Final Chapter, also starring Svenson.
The Bandit Run is a re-enactment of the journey portrayed in the 1977 film, Smokey and the Bandit, Texarkana, Texas to Atlanta, over 600 miles. Unlike the much longer eastcoast to westcoast Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash of the 1970s, run tongue in cheek for real in the 1970s and then turned into movies, the Bandit run was movie first, and first re-enactment decades later, on May 15, 2007. It has become an annual event.
Willis Macon McCalman was an American television, stage and big screen movie actor.
Bobby Byrne was an American cinematographer.
Bandit is a 1994 American television miniseries based on the Smokey and the Bandit franchise. All four episodes – Bandit Goes Country, Bandit Bandit, Beauty and the Bandit and Bandit's Silver Angel – were produced for Universal Television's Action Pack programming block from original Smokey and the Bandit director/writer Hal Needham.