A plaque inside the drivers door proclaims the car as a '1977 Pontiac Trans. Find art you love and shop high-quality art prints, photographs, framed artworks. Still, theres 400-cubic-inch (6.55-liter) V8 under the hood with a 4-barrel carburetor and an automatic transmission.
"I read it and I said, 'Hal, if you can get somebody to give you the money, I'll star in it and you can direct it,'" the movie star wrote. Smokey and the Bandit, Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, 1977 Photo. The Bandit is hired on to run a tractor-trailer full of beer over state lines, in hot pursuit by a pesky sheriff. With Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Mike Henry. The idea of smuggling Coors beer across the country sparked Hal's imagination for Smokey and the Bandit, and Burt loved it. Smokey and the Bandit: Directed by Hal Needham. īack then, Coors was not available east of the Mississippi River and could only be sold in 11 western states because it didn't have preservatives in it and had to be kept cold, The New York Times reports.
Over time, he realized that the driver was "bootlegging" the beer and the maid was stealing it. Released on May 19 of 1977 in the USA, 'Smokey and the Bandit' (also known as 'Bandito e la madama, Il', 'Ausgekochtes Schlitzohr, Ein', 'Bandit, Bandit') is a Comedy/Action/Crime film directed by Hal Needham, and written by James Lee Barrett (screenplay). It had gratuitous chase scenes, witty lines, mustaches, and a honkin V-8 muscle car with a screaming. Hal wrote on Fortunethat he was inspired to pen the film after a driver captain on set of Burt's 1976 movie Gator brought some Coors beer with him from California and asked Hal to hold a few cases of it in his hotel room. The 1977 classic 'Smokey and the Bandit' reigns as one of the ultimate car movies ever made. The film was the directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham. The story goes that Hal approached him with the "script" for the flick, which was handwritten on yellow pads. Smokey and the Bandit is a 1977 American road action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry.