

However, the Trans Am never arrived, and when Reynolds called GM, he was told that was the previous GM President that had made that promise had passed away, and the current GM President would not uphold the agreement. That's quite a long time, that.Īfter the debut of the movie Burt Reynolds was promised a Trans Am for the rest of his life by the General Motors President. He actually, at one time, lived in Burt Reynolds' guesthouse for the better part of 12 years.

Needham (pictured) was integral in designing and introducing air bags and other innovative equipment to the film stunt industry. Needham's stunts can be seen in How the West Was Won, The Bridge at Remagen and Little Big Man. Director Hal Needham, who was a paratrooper during the Korean War and a trained as a stuntman under John Wayne's double Chuck Roberson, stood in for Burt reynolds as the driver. The Trans Am for the bridge jump was equipped with a booster rocket, the same type which was used by Evel Knievel during his failed Snake River Canyon jump. Needham says that one of the Trans Ams was completely destroyed during the famous bridge jump scene. KITT from Knight Rider, was a modified third generation Trans Am.Īccording to director Hal Needham, Pontiac gave them three Trans Ams and two Bonnevilles (the Sheriff's patrol car) with which to shoot the film. A year later they were shifting 117,108 cars. The movie made the Pontiac Trans Am a superstar. In fact Burt's old man was the inspiration for the word "sumbitch", a phrase Burt told Gleason he uttered often.

Justice" was the name of a real Florida Highway Patrolman known to Burt Reynolds' dad, who himself was once a Chief of Police. In fact, The Flintstones in its entirety was an homage of The Honeymooners. It's fitting, as Fred Flintstone was homage of Gleason's The Honeymooners' character Ralph Kramden. Actor Henry Corden, one time voice of Fred Flintstone, was used to replace a considerable amount of Sheriff Justice's dialogue.
TRANS AM IN SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT 3 TV
The original actors mostly redubbed their own lines for the TV version except for Jackie Gleason. This phrase achieved a level of popularity with children, and the 2007 Hot Wheels release of the 1970s Firebird Trans Am has "scum bum" emblazoned on its tail.
TRANS AM IN SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT 3 MOVIE
When the movie first aired on US TV in the early 80s, censors overdubbed dialogue deemed offensive, with the most noted change being the replacement of Buford's often-spoken phrase "sumbitch" with the nonsense phrase "scum bum". Bankrolled with $4.3 million it grossed $126,737,428 in North America, making it the 3rd highest grossing movie of 1977 after Star Wars Episode IV and Close Encounters, according to IMDb. The movie was a smash hit at the box office. The last one he screened before he died was one of his all time favourite films. Breaker-breaker.Įvery Wednesday Alfred Hitchcock would screen films on the lot in his office. Here are 20 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know about Smokey & The Bandit. We refer, of course, to Burt Reynold's Bro-merang. And if you’re a Pontiac fanatic, you’ll also want to check out the company’s other offerings, including a couple of modern takes on the legendary GTO “Judge.Fitting, is it not, that in the month of Movember, a month dedicated to the fineries of the 'stache and the good things it can do, that we doff out collective cap to a movie that showcased arguably the greatest soup strainer in silverscreen history. You can get more details on the Bandit Edition Trans Am here. Each will bear Burt Reynolds’ signature.Īccording to the company, Reynolds played an integral role in the design and development of the car, and he even helped Trans Am Depot introduce the “new Bandit” in the video below. Trans Am Depot chose to build 77 of the special Trans Ams to represent Smokey and the Bandit‘s 1977 release. Trans Am Depot designed the black and gold Trans Am, known as the Trans Am SE Bandit Edition, with help from Burt Reynolds himself and will build 77 examples of the special-edition car. In addition to the iconic bird on the hood, the Trans Am SE Bandit Edition will feature a genuine T-top roof and a 7.4L GM LSX V8 engine tuned to deliver 840 horsepower. That means you still have a chance to own a brand new Trans Am - a very special one at that! In fact, the folks at Trans Am Depot have built the modern day version of the legendary Bandit Trans Am based on the fifth-generation Camaro’s Zeta platform. That’s especially true for the most iconic Trans Am of all time: the Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am. Pontiac may be gone, but the Trans Am will never be forgotten.
