Justice, a foul-mouthed, old school career Texas lawman whose dimwitted son Junior was to have been Carrie's bridegroom. Despite the legal risks, and piqued by the fact that it has never been done before, Bandit takes the bet and recruits his partner Cledus "Snowman" Snow to drive the truck, while Bandit drives a black Pontiac Trans Am bought on advance from the Burdettes as a "blocker" to divert attention away from the truck and its illegal cargo.Įxcept for the occasional Highway Patrolman giving futile chase, they arrive in Texarkana an hour early and load up the truck with the cases of beer, but just as they begin their trek back to Atlanta, Bandit is stopped by Carrie, a runaway bride who hitches her own ride in the Trans Am, but in so doing unwittingly makes Bandit a target of Sheriff Buford T.
Big Enos offers him $80 thousand to haul 400 cases of Coors Beer from Texarkana to Atlanta for his refreshment Big Enos explains that he has sponsored a driver racing in the Southern Classic, and wants to "celebrate in style" when he wins. Wealthy Texan Big Enos Burdette and his son Little Enos (who dresses just like his "Daddy") arrive in Atlanta to seek out trucking legend Bo "Bandit" Darville, who is competing in a roadeo at Lakewood Fairgrounds. When Engles explains to the detective that "two ol' boys put me up to it", the detective rebukes Engles saying that "Big and Little Enos Burdette make that same bet with any gearjammer they can." The film opens with truck driver Tod Engles being arrested by a Georgia detective for "bootleging"- hauling alcohol without proper permits the trailer was loaded with cases of Coors Beer which, at that time, could not be legally sold east of Texas. Smokey was followed by two sequels: Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). Smokey and the Bandit is the second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977, second only to the first Star Wars film ("A New Hope"). Justice (Gleason), a blusterous Texas county sheriff. During their run, they are relentlessly pursued by Buford T. While Snowman drives the truck carrying the beer, Bandit drives a Pontiac Trans Am to distract law enforcement and keep the attention off Snow. The film follows two truckers, Bo "Bandit" Darville (Reynolds) and Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Reed), as they attempt to drive from Atlanta to Texarkana, pick up 400 cases of Coors beer, and illegally transport it back to Atlanta in 28 hours or less.
The film was the directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham. 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.