ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

1977 was a remarkable year.

Two movies from that year are especially memorable. One, of course, is Star Wars. And the other one is Smokey and the Bandit.

Like everybody else in the world, I went to see Star Wars several times during the months it played in Atlanta — after waiting a few weeks for it to finally get to that city. It first opened in selected cities on May 25th, but my young wife and I got tired of waiting for it to get to us, so I used my Eastern Air Lines employee passes, and we flew to New York to see it for the first time.

But before we did that, we went to the Northeast Expressway Drive-in to see Smokey and the Bandit, which had opened on May 27th.

The NE Expressway Drive-In was a great theater, with the owner's home actually built right into the screen! It was a twin drive-in in 1977, and you could look over your shoulder and see the movie on the other screen if you got bored with the one you were watching — or if your date didn't mind you kissing her with your eyes open.


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As I mentioned, my companion for that memorable evening was my lovely bride of just ten months. She was my favorite model to practice my budding artistic skills on. She's the subject of this watercolor portrait, which makes her look a little like Sally Field —





— and also this rather bizarre graphite portrait, which makes her look a little scary.


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So, there we were on a warm summer evening in May, watching Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed make the Texarkana run in less than twelve parsecs.

And just for the record, this is the kind of car I had back in 1977 — right down to the dark green color with the green vinyl top.





The Dukes of Hazzard was inspired by the success of Smokey and the Bandit, and the 1969 Charger became even more famous than Burt's black Trans Am!

And yes, my Charger had a CB radio in it.


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My handle was the Lucky Dog — ("This is the Lucky Dog — breaker breaker, bark bark!") — and I could make the Atlanta-to-Panama City run in less than twelve parsecs, too.

My lovely wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our evening at the NE Expressway Drive-in, and when the next weekend rolled around we scratched our heads while we pondered the problem of what to do for an encore. Smokey and the Bandit was a tough act to follow.

In fact, it was too tough.

So . . . we went back to the NE Expressway Drive-In and watched Smokey and the Bandit again!

Thomas Wolfe was right when he said "You can't go back home." But with movies like Star Wars and Smokey and the Bandit, you can rerun a happy occasion and enjoy it almost as much as you did the first time.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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Hot Damn, I love this movie! And this trailer ain't too bad either.

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___Smokey And The Bandit - Official Trailer (1977)


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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Yesterday I came up with the perfect sequel to Smokey and the Bandit.

My sequel involves pairing up the two adversaries from the first film — Bo "Bandit" Darville and Sheriff Buford T. Justice.

The movie starts just minutes after the first one ends, when the Georgia State Patrol closes in on both Bandit and Bufford as they're driving away from the Fair Grounds (Bandit in the red Cadillac and Bufford in his barely-running police car).

They're both told by the state troopers that the Governor of Georgia wants them brought to the state capitol right away! Both men are cuffed and put into the patrol cars (along with Sally Field, Jerry Reed, and Mike Henry).

So, a huge convoy of State Patrol cars, sirens blasting, race to the state capitol in Atlanta. When they arrive there, the steps of the building are crowded with reporters, cameras flashing as the cops rush their prisoners into the building and straight to the governors office.

That's the exciting opening. Here's the premise.

The Georgia governor's re-election bid is in jeopardy because his unscrupulous opponent has arranged for the theft of a truckload of school textbooks worth several hundred thousand dollars, along with all the official paperwork that would prove that the governor had NOT embezzled the money and spent it on a bogus mistress his opponent has arranged for him to have.

But the textbooks are actually in a warehouse in Texas, and the stolen paperwork is in the office safe of the lawyer who works for the crooked politician. He plans to discredit the governor in two days, just before the election. Unfortunately, if the governor tries to deal with the situation through legal means, it will take so long that the scandal will tank his pole numbers and cause him to loose the election.

Luckily for him, the Bandit's chase from Texas to Georgia, which the Governor had been made aware of over the last few hours, gave him a wild idea.

When our heroes meet the Governor in his office, he immediately has the cuffs removed and explains that their "arrest" was just for the benefit of all the reporters outside. He actually has a deal for the group that will get them out of the massive legal trouble they're in.

The Governor of Georgia offers full pardons for the Bandit and the Texas county sheriff for all the reckless driving they did . . . IF they'll agree to help him expose the horrible hoax his opponent is about to announce.

Their part of the bargain is to drive to Texas, retrieve the hidden school textbooks, and get the documents from the lawyer's safe which will prove that he did in fact purchased the books for the Fulton County school system.

The governor also promises to give Sheriff Justice full credit for exposing the lawyer (who lives in Buford's own county) for his part in the scheme, and for arresting him for participating in the conspiracy!

In spite of the fact that Sheriff Justice is (at first) livid at the prospect of having to team up with the Bandit, he knows that his own prospects for re-election as county sheriff are in jeopardy because of his embarrassing behavior during his pursuit across several states to catch the Bandit!

And so, off they go! Cletus Snow is in the truck which will bring back the load of textbooks, Bandit and Carrie are in the black Trans Am, and Sheriff Justus and his idiot son ride in the back seat . . . until they reach the Alabama state line, where a Texas county police car is waiting for him, thanks to a phone call from the Georgia governor he made the moment he conceived of this desperate plan before the beer was even delivered to Big and Little Enos Burdette!

The trip from Georgia to Texas is structured much the same as in the first film: a montage of scenes in which the 18 wheeler speeds along through the night and into the morning while its "spotters" (in this case both the Bandit and Sheriff Justice) clear the way.

The difference here is that Sheriff Justice has several scenes in which he placates the local police by spouting different stories to explain why he and the Trans Am behind him are exceeding the speed limit.

First he says he's escorting the infamous "Bandit" back to Texas to stand trial for bootlegging. In the next state he says the Bandit has been offered a chance to reduce his sentence for reckless driving by exposing an interstate car theft ring!

His wild stories get increasingly crazy as they go along, until he finally claims that NASA has asked him to track a UFO which is headed for the Houston Space Center! When Buford looks over at this dumb son after spilling this yarn, Mike Henry is hanging out the window, gazing up and claiming that he thinks he sees the UFO!

Once the guys arrive in Texas, the Bandit and Buford stride boldly into the lawyer's office and con him into believing they were sent by the crooked politician to pick up the stolen documents. They manage to steal the documents when he opens the safe!

After escaping from the lawyer's office, they learn (from the documents) the location of the stolen textbooks (which are in a local warehouse), and they radio the info to the governor of Georgia. He promptly alerts a team of truckers in the area he's recruited, men who are eager to help the legendary Bandit load the textbooks into the Snowman's truck!

In record time the truck is loaded, and our heroes are racing back to Georgia with everything they need to clear the Georgia Governor of the bogus charges his crooked opponent hopes to use to discredit him, just days before the election!

The trip back to Georgia is basically the same as the one we see in the original movie, with both Sheriff Justice and the Bandit distracting the various state police while the truck driven by the Snowman attempts to get his precious cargo to Atlanta in time to prevent a corrupt man from becoming the governor of Georgia!

When they arrive in Atlanta, the scene which shows our heroes pulling up in front of the capitol building is similar to the earlier one, in which the steps of the capitol are crowded by reporters — but this time the 18 wheeler, the Trans Am, and the Texas state patrol car are escorted by a convoy of Georgia State Troopers!

And on the steps of the capitol building we see the governor meet with our heroes and announce the nefarious plot his opponent planned to use to win the election!

After the official announcement has secured the governor's re-election, he quietly asks our heroes what else he can do to thank them for what they've done. The Bandit thinks for a moment and then says, "Well, how 'bout buying us a beer?"

The closing credits show a montage of scenes in which our heroes are given police escorts from Georgia to Texas, surrounded by police cars (alternating by the states they travel through) as they head for Texas to pick up a truckload of Coors!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[MetroPolly]

Well, it's certainly a novel idea, I guess. I do have 2 comments though.

1) I'm sure you already know, there is a sequel to Smokey and the Bandit called, amazingly, Smokey and the Bandit II (involving transporting a pregnant elephant, which makes your idea downright brilliant) there was even a third, but it's dreadful, so I'll avoid that.

2) You left out the most lovable character in the first film, who was, actually in the sequel. Fred! Honestly, the only reason I watched this movie (and the reason my mom introduced me to it) was for Fred the Basset. It's the only way I'll consider watching a Burt Reynolds movie.

[Gord Green]

Now, That's a rightious yarn!

Of course Fred the hound will be in it! Perhaps he'll go from car to car during the run as well as being the lookout for the document heist from the lawyer....Maybe distracting him so the guys can grab the goods!

Couldn't make it today though. Burts too old and Jackie is gone. Sally still looks pretty good though!

Your treatment puts the "reel" sequels to shame!

Good job!

[Bud Brewster]

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Thanks, Gord. I left out a ton of details I came up with that would make this "fantasy movie" a joy to watch.
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Note to MetroPolly:

Good Lord, Polly, of course I'm aware of the two horrible, worthless, brainless, despicable sequels!

All the prints of those cinematic embarrassments should burned!

Gord Green understands that my suggestion for a sequel is an exercise in fantasy film-making, a description for what should have been done — not what could be done today.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[MetroPolly]

And I for one, am all for it! I do the same thing. Believe me, I know a bunch of films that could do with a little judicious fiddling.

I think your treatment is great. It sounds like a plot that would fit right into the late 70s-early 80s period.

In other words, right when the film was popular.

[Bud Brewster]

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IMDB has 52 trivia items for this movie. Here's a few of the ones I found the most interesting.
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On the DVD Documentary, Burt Reynolds says that a senior executive at Pontiac promised him a free Trans-Am if the movie became a hit. It did and the 1977 T-Top Trans-Am became one of the hottest selling cars of the year. When the movie became a hit, Reynolds expected the executive to come through with his promise. But the Trans-Am never came.

After a few months, Reynolds, (who was afraid of looking like one of those pretentious stars looking for freebies), finally called Pontiac. As it turned out, the executive that made the promise had retired and the new executive refused to keep the promise that was made by the previous Pontiac Trans Am executive.

Note from me: Several aspects of this story differs greatly, depending on the source.

According to Burt's comments on the BD extras ("Loaded Up and Trunkin': The Making of Smokey and the Bandit"), what Mr. Reynolds actually says is that the president of General Motors promised him a new Pontiac every year for life because Trans Am sales went up 700%.

Burt said he did get free Trans Ams for several years, but eventually he didn't receive the Trans Am he expected, so he called the office of the president to find out why.

He was told the president had died (rather than just retired) and the new president wasn't going to continue the annual gift.

However, the statements by various sources concerning the boost in Trans Am sales goes up and down quite a bit! Wikipedia's article about the movie says that sales of the Trans Am only doubled, and the article makes no mention of any free Trans Am's in the subsequent years.

And yet the April 2016 interview with Burt in Car&Driver quotes Burt this way.

"Trans Am sales went up 70% after Smokey and the Bandit, and I was promised a free car every year for life by the Pontiac president. A few years later, the new Trans Am didn't show up, and I was wondering what happened.

I made a call and it turned out Pontiac had a new president. He got on the phone and told me, "That was the old president. He liked your movies. I'm the new one. I don't like your movies!"

So, which statement reflects the truth concerning the sales of Trans Ams?

I did find this statement at theChive.com.

"How effective was this movie in generating sales of the second generation Trans-Am? In 1978 Pontiac sold 93,341 Trans Ams, which was an increase of around 25 thousand new buyers. The numbers didn't stop there. In 1979, Pontiac would sell over 117,000 new Trans Ams."

According those numbers, in 1978 the sales went up 37%, and in 1979 they went up 71%. If those numbers are accurate, then Burt's 700% was incorrect.





When scenes were filmed in the Trans Am, it was not possible to use a slate to mark the beginning and end of scenes. The actors had to clap their hands instead to mark when a scene started and ended. Several outtakes show this being done.

Note from me: Every time I watch this movie I'm impressed by the fact that so many close-ups of Burt and Sally show them in the car, racing along at high speed. And I'm sure they had to postdub all their lines, because of the inevitable road noise.

And yet, the dialog doesn't sound dubbed!

Three The Dukes of Hazzard (1979) stars had cameos, in this movie. They were Sonny Shroyer, aka Enos Strait, John Schneider aka "Bo Duke" & mechanic, Cooter Davenport, acted by Ben Jones. Nearly two decades later, John Schneider played the sheriff in one of the four television adaptation versions of Bandit. Burt Reynolds played Jefferson Davis Hogg in The Dukes of Hazzard (2005).

Note from me: Once I learned that the state trooper on the motorcycle who stopped Jerry Reed was Enos from The Dukes of Hazzard, I wondered why I'd never recognized his voice.


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In Jonesboro, GA where a lot of the film was shot, Snowman's house and the warehouse where the Coors beer is picked up (in Texarkana, TX) are actually only about a half a mile away from each other.

Note from me: Well, heck fire! No wonder they made the whole run in only an hour and thirty-six minutes! (That's the running time of the movie.)

And finally, I love this item from the IMDB Goofs section.

The Bandit agrees to the bet's time limit of 28 hours so that after "tomorrow's race" they can celebrate with Coors. Within a couple of hours, Bandit buys the car, installs the CB radio, orders and receives personalized plates. Being the race is the next day, which is probably on a Sunday, he does all of this on a Saturday.

Note from me: Ah, the magic of Hollywood. This whole movie is filled with plot elements which range from the improbable to the impossible. But it's so dang much fun we just smile and let it all slide by.


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

Mike Henry, who played junior in SATB, also played an impressive looking Tarzan in 3 films.

I read a book on the history of the Tarzan films & the author wrote that Mike "looked the role like no one else."

I agree.

[Krel]

Before the Fox "Batman" TV show, DC was trying to do a "Batman" show. They did a pitch reel, with Mike Henry as Batman/Bruce Wayne.

David.

[Pow]

Actually that's one of those Hollywood legends.

In an interview several years ago in the wonderful magazine, Filmfax, Mike said he never auditioned for the role of Bruce Wayne for the '66 Batman show, or any other version of Batman.

[scotpens]

[Krel]

[Bud Brewster]

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Here's a thought!

Lyle Waggoner as Batman! Tim Conway as Robin. Carol Burnett as Cat Woman. Vickie Lawrence as Batgirl.

The mental image of that version of Batman cracks me up!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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Enjoy these three "truck drivin'" songs that might just put you in the mood to watch Smokey and the Bandit.
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____________ Roll On, Big Mama - Joe Stampley


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__________ Alan Jackson - Where I Come From



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___________East Bound and Down - Jerry Reed


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And I guess I'll throw in these three great "bar songs" as well.


__________ Toby Keith - As Good As I Once Was


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_______________ Toby Keith - I Love This Bar


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__ Beer For My Horses - Toby Keith & Willie Nelson


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Gentlemen . . . the Heineken's are on the house.



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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)