The Bandit is hired on to run a tractor-trailer full of beer over state lines, in hot pursuit by a pesky sheriff.The Bandit is hired on to run a tractor-trailer full of beer over state lines, in hot pursuit by a pesky sheriff.The Bandit is hired on to run a tractor-trailer full of beer over state lines, in hot pursuit by a pesky sheriff.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 3 nominations total
Susie Ewing
- Hot Pants
- (as Susan McIver)
Laura Lizer Sommers
- Little Beaver
- (as Laura Lizer)
Bruce Atkins
- Man Little Enos Pays Off
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaHal Needham asked Jerry Reed to write a theme song for the film. A couple of hours later, Reed presented "East Bound and Down" to Needham. With an acoustic guitar, Reed started to play it and Needham immediately stopped him. Thinking Needham didn't like it, Reed offered to re-write the song. To which Needham replied: "If you change one note, I'll kill you!" The song went on to become one of Reed's biggest hits.
- GoofsWhen the police car at the road block is knocked off the embankment, the car seen rolling down towards the river is a late-'60s Ford Galaxy, but when it comes to rest at the bottom, it is a Plymouth Fury.
- Quotes
Buford T. Justice: [to his son] There's no way, *no* way, that you came from *my* loins. Soon as I get home, first thing I'm gonna do is punch yo' momma in da mouth!
- Alternate versionsThe TV print needed extensive overdubbing to reduce the amount of profanity. In particular, Jackie Gleason's expression "Sum-bitch!" was replaced with "Scum-bum." This new word became a popular catch phrase with kids after the film made its TV debut.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter (1982)
Featured review
I grew up in the south as a teen in the 70's and this movie was the South at that time. It was all about CB radios. I remember when my dad got one in his 1972 cherry red Chevy Impala. He had this big ol' whip antennae on the back and his CB handle(name) was Midnight(because he worked the night shift at Pan Am airlines). I think part of the reason Smokey was such a huge hit was threefold. First off, we were going thru an energy crisis and the age of muscle cars was over and most of us were driving around in small pieces of crap like the Chevette or the VW Rabbit! The thrill of seeing a muscle car like the Pontiac Trans Am tearing across the land was a huge thrill! Secondly, the country as a whole was in a malaise of the "Me Generation"..and all the self-help crap! People were listening to soft-rock like Helen Reddy and John Denver and taking self-help courses like est! People wore earth-tone colors and sandals. So when we saw these 'real-men" like Burt and Jerry Reed in thier plaid shirts and tight jeans, taking on the establishment by disregarding the rules of the road and all that, we got excited! Finally, the sheer delight in seeing people enjoying life was a thrill we all wanted to partake in! I can see why so many people, who were bored with life in the pre-disco late 70's, really enjoyed the escapism of this simple but extremely fun flick! We wanted to be a part of it! It was late-night chocolate we never admitted to eating. It was a movie you partly felt dumb to admitting you liked! But the movie itself inspired the hugely popular TV series Dukes of Hazzard, right down to the cast. Burt and Jerry became Bo and Luke Duke..Sally turned into a Daisy(with better legs!) and Sheriff Buford T. Justice became Boss Hogg with his bumbling sidekick Sheriff Roscoe B. Coltrane! And of course the Trans Am was replaced by a true muscle car, the 1969 Dodge Charger (was thier ever a better muscle car than the 69 Charger?) What followed in the aftermath of this movie was the explosion of disco and letting oneself enjoy life again! The whole world got back into living life and having fun! Maybe Smokey had something
- trickrider
- Jan 4, 2003
- Permalink
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $4,300,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $126,737,428
- Gross worldwide
- $126,750,426
- Runtime1 hour 36 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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