Burt Reynolds was at the height of superstardom when he took on the now-iconic role of Bandit, a free-wheeling, fast-driving charmer, in this raucous hit, the directorial debut of stunt expert Hal Needham. The great Jackie Gleason co-stars as Sheriff Buford T. Justice, a letter-of-the-law good old boy who chases Bandit and his buddy Cledus (Jerry Reed) as they attempt to haul beer across state lines illegally.
Co-starring Sally Field, Smokey and the Bandit solidified Reynolds’s box office power (grossing nearly $60 million in 1977) and led to two 1980s sequels and almost certainly inspired TV series The Dukes of Hazzard.
The enormous box office success of the movie was surpassed that year by only three movies–and all three have become huge classics: Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Saturday Night Fever.
production details
USA | MCA – Universal Pictures | 96 minutes | 1977
Director: Hal Needham
Script: James Lee Barrett, Charles Shyer, Alan Mandell,
cast
Sally Field as Carrie ‘Frog’
Mike Henry as Junior Justice
Burt Reynolds as Bo ‘Bandit’ Darville
Jerry Reed as Cledus ‘Snowman’ Snow
Jackie Gleason as Sheriff Buford T. Justice
Paul Williams as Little Enos
Pat McCormick as Big Enos
Linda McClure as Waynette
Susie Ewing as Hot Pants
Laura Lizer Sommers as Little Beaver
Michael Mann as Branford’s Deputy
Lamar Jackson as Sugar Bear
Ronnie Gay as Georgia Trooper
Quinnon Sheffield as Alabama Trooper