At the time, Needham was Burt’s stunt double in the movie. Hal Needham, the creator and director of Smokey and the Bandit got the idea for the movie while filming Gator with Burt Reynolds in Georgia.

In fact, Jonesboro, Georgia was used to recreate the city of Texarkana.

The movie was filmed mostly in and around the Atlanta, Georgia area. The Bandit and the Snowman actually didn’t drive to Texarkana, Texas to pick the load of Coors beer. Reynolds was told by GM that the president that made that promise passed away and that the current president would not maintain the agreement.īen Jones (Cooter), Sonny Shroyer (Enos), and John Schneider (Bo) from The Dukes of Hazzard were used as uncredited extras in the movie. When he did not receive one, he inquired with General Motors to find out what happened. He was known to watch it again and again.ĭue to the success of the movie, Burt Reynolds was promised a new Trans Am every year by the president of General Motors. Smokey and the Bandit was Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite movie. This is the same style rocket Evel Knievel used during his attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon. The truck was loaded on a low-boy flatbed trailer and towed around by another 18-wheeler.įred, the Snowman’s Basset Hound, was picked by Burt Reynolds because he did not obey commands very well.Ī booster rocket was placed on the Trans Am to help it make the jump over the bridge. The 1955 Chevrolet Custom that was used in Two Lane Blacktop and American Graffiti was actually used for the Trans Am’s sound effects in the movie.įor many of his driving scenes, Jerry Reed wasn’t actually driving the big rig. If you think the Bandit’s Pontiac Trans Am doesn’t sound like…well…a Trans Am, you’re not mistaken. While on the set, when he wanted a drink, he would tell his assistant to get him a “hamburger”. Jackie Gleason was known for his love of scotch.

Smokey and the bandit movies list