Smokey and The Bandit (1977)

Smokey and The Bandit Quote: “For the good old American life: For the money, for the glory, and for the fun… mostly for the money” – Bo Bandit

Shat The Movies has brought us so many dynamic pairings: Riggs and Murtaugh, Goose and Maverick, Dick Ebert, and Gene Lyons. It’s only fair that we reach back to 1977 for the quickest duo to deliver Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta: Snowman and The Bandit.

“Smokey and The Bandit” triggered an explosion in trucker romanticism, CB radio fetishism, and Pontiac Firebird Trans Am sales. Stuntman Hal Needham’s directorial debut also gave audiences a fresh look at Jackie Gleason and convinced America (but not Gene) that Sally Field could be hot.

It had everything you could ask for in a bootlegger movie: Jerry Reed songs that literally tell you what’s happening on screen, ’70s style, sexy cars, Burt Reynolds and inexplicable pit stops. But does “Smokey and The Bandit” hold up as a comedy with a pinch of romance? You might be surprised.

Plot Summary: “Smokey and The Bandit” Big Enos (Pat McCormick) wants to drink Coors at a truck show, but in 1977 it was illegal to sell Coors east of the Mississippi River without a permit. Truck driver Bo “Bandit” Darville (Burt Reynolds) agrees to pick up the beer in Texas and drive it to Georgia within 28 hours. When Bo picks up hitchhiker Carrie (Sally Field), he attracts the attention of Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason). Angry that Carrie will not marry his son, Justice embarks on a high-speed chase after Bandit.

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