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Everyone can name the 1977-highest Gross Grave-George Lucas “Star Wars: Episode IV-Uusi Hope”-when it started a high profile Sci-Fi-Franchise, which continues to this day. Other big hits of that year were Steven Spielberg’s foreign kidnapping thriller “Third Type close encounters” (A movie that inspired Spielberg’s real life fascination with a foreign life) and John Badham’s downbeat disco drama “Saturday night fever” (The film to which John Travolta trained “Rocky” style to prepare). However, one of the most important success stories in 1977 was “Smokey and The Bandit”, maintained by Hal Needham’s relaxed beer, a film that raised about $ 127 million in a budget of about $ 127 million. It’s like a $ 23 million movie that earns $ 677 million in 2025.
“Smokey and the Bandit” is a playfully rebellious movie about the owner of the southern sports car, Burt Reynolds (Burt Reynolds), who is responsible for a couple (Pat McCormick and Paul Williams), which has a truck full of beer. However, the bands live in a dry county, so driving beer is risky. In fact, he eventually attracts the local sheriff Bord T. “Smokey” Jackie Gleason. Bandit is also part of Carrie (Sally Field) and two have immediate chemistry. Bandit is in a hurry, but not so much that he cannot stop and discuss a playful/romantic conversation with Carrie.
Given how relaxed and relaxed “Smokey and The Bandit” is, it was surprising that it was such a hit. But the charm of Reynolds, his fast car and his devil’s care philosophy who pulled people in. It helped that Reynolds and the field had such a great chemistry (they were in real life at the time) and that Gleason had created such a permanent character.
And like “Star Wars”, it also gave birth to a long -term franchise.
Smokey and Bandite Movies There are several
“Smokey and The Bandit”, such as “Star Wars”, got a straight sequel in 1980, although “Smokey and The Bandit II” were not nearly as big a hit as “Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back” (The first Harrison Ford movie The Star was pleased). Needham returned with Direct with the field again at the same time, even though he and Reynolds broke shortly after production was wrapped, so this time romantic chemistry is not quite as much. The plot is also stylish. In the film, Bandit has turned half after breaking the bottle with Carrie, so some of the driving time is dedicated to get him sober again. He and his partner Cledus (Jerry Reed) are then to carry an elephant to a nearby Republican National Assembly. Smokey in their tail, Bandit, Cledus and Carrie all get to Dallas. The film is a bit nonsense as its predecessor, so one can see why it was less successful. At least Gleason got a ham by playing three different characters.
After that, “Smokey” films turned from the rails to the 1983 sequel “Smokey and The Bandit Part 3” (simply “Smokey and The Bandit III”). Hardly anyone liked a movie where Reynolds is hardly. The film follows Smokeya because he has been offered a large amount to drive the Hipsea across the state lines. Hoping to lose, his assistants hire Cleced to disguise himself as a bandit (!) And try to trigger him. Reynolds himself only appears in one scene near the end, when Smokey has hallucination. Critics hated it at the time, and the film is still angry to this day. Everyone already knew “Smokey and the Bandit” was a thin starting point anyway, so making several sequels was never a good idea.
“Smokey and The Bandit Part 3” continued a painful $ 7 million from a $ 9 million budget. But if you thought it would be the end of the franchise line, you are wrong.
Smokey and The Bandit lived as a series of TV films in the 1990s
In 1994, the “Smokey and the Bandit” feature resurrected in the form of four TV movies, all starring in Brian Bloom. The events of these TV movies seem to be only half-coconut because there is no smoky character over the procedures. Instead, the films play like a “Renegade” style series, where Bandit runs in American South -type TV shows that hope to help people in trouble. Hal Needham returned to direct all four films, and they are panel from the 1990s actors to be identified.
The first movie, “Bandit Goes Country”, Stars Country Star Mel Tinis himself. When Bandit helps him after an airplane accident, the couple will become friends, just to see their new relationship in danger when Bandit’s cousin (Christopher Atkins) Bootlegs Mel’s music. Confusingly in another movie, amusingly called “Bandit Bands”, is then a bandit played by Gerard Christopher. (Because these films were sold under the title “Bandit”, the film is called “Bandit: Bandit Bandit.”) After that comes the third flashes “Beauty and the Bandit”, who played a supermat Kathy Ireland as a woman from Gangster, played by Tony Curtis. Finally, the fourth movie “Bandit’s Silver Angel” played Traci Lords as the same name as Angel as Donald O’Connor played Bandit’s elderly uncle.
Like the films inspiring them, “Bandit” movies are strangely relaxed. At the same time, the 1990s TV writing dictated, they are certainly better than “Smokey and The Bandit Part 3”.
Today, “Smokey and the Bandit”, unlike “Star Wars”, has no annual celebrations, merchants’ cults, or whole online specimens that pick it up in its plot. But it was another major hit since 1977, which lived for a long time. Give it a respect.
