Burt Reynolds is at the top of his game in “Smokey and the Bandit,” the story of two truckers attempting to smuggle a truck load of Coors beer from Texarkana, Texas, to Atlanta, Georgia. First time director Hal Needham made sure the film is filled with laughs and fun and games. Needham and screenwriters James Lee Barrett, Charles Shyer, and Alan Mandel also gave the project accuracy, as Coors beer was not allowed to be sold east of the Mississippi River in those days because it was not pasteurized and had a limited shelf life.
Burt Reynolds as Bo “The Bandit” Darville also employed several sidekicks, especially Sally Field as his girlfriend Carrie, nicknamed “Frog,” and Jackie Gleason as Sheriff Buford T. Justice, aka “Smokey Bear.” Others include Jerry Reed as “The Snowman,” Mike Henry as Buford T. “Junior” Justice Jr., Pat McCormick as “Big Enos”, Paul Williams as “Little Enos,” Macon McCalman, Michael McManus, Joe Klecko, and Hank Worden. Ben Jones and Sonny Shroyer, future stars of TV’s “The Dukes of Hazzard,” also appeared. Jones was later elected as a member of the U. S. House of Representatives, representing Georgia’s fourth district (1989-1993).
The watchable “Smokey and the Bandit” was a huge smash hit at the box office for Rastar and Universal Pictures. It was the second highest grossing motion picture of the year, after the renowned “Star Wars.” Sequels were released in 1980 and 1983.
Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
cinema
My Review
Burt Reynolds is at the top of his game in “Smokey and the Bandit,” the story of two truckers attempting to smuggle a truck load of Coors beer from Texarkana, Texas, to Atlanta, Georgia. First time director Hal Needham made sure the film is filled with laughs and fun and games. Needham and screenwriters James Lee Barrett, Charles Shyer, and Alan Mandel also gave the project accuracy, as Coors beer was not allowed to be sold east of the Mississippi River in those days because it was not pasteurized and had a limited shelf life.
Burt Reynolds as Bo “The Bandit” Darville also employed several sidekicks, especially Sally Field as his girlfriend Carrie, nicknamed “Frog,” and Jackie Gleason as Sheriff Buford T. Justice, aka “Smokey Bear.” Others include Jerry Reed as “The Snowman,” Mike Henry as Buford T. “Junior” Justice Jr., Pat McCormick as “Big Enos”, Paul Williams as “Little Enos,” Macon McCalman, Michael McManus, Joe Klecko, and Hank Worden. Ben Jones and Sonny Shroyer, future stars of TV’s “The Dukes of Hazzard,” also appeared. Jones was later elected as a member of the U. S. House of Representatives, representing Georgia’s fourth district (1989-1993).
The watchable “Smokey and the Bandit” was a huge smash hit at the box office for Rastar and Universal Pictures. It was the second highest grossing motion picture of the year, after the renowned “Star Wars.” Sequels were released in 1980 and 1983.