Smokey and the Bandit
Promotional poster by John Solie
Directed by	Hal Needham
Produced by	Mort Engelberg Robert L. Levy
Screenplay by	James Lee Barrett Charles Shyer Alan Mandel
Story by	Hal Needham Robert L. Levy
Starring	Burt Reynolds Sally Field Jerry Reed Jackie Gleason
Music by	Bill Justis Jerry Reed
Cinematography	Bobby Byrne
Edited by	Walter Hannemann Angelo Ross
Production company	Rastar
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	May 27, 1977 [1]
Running time	96 minutes[2]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$4.3 million[3]
Box office	$126 million[3]

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. The directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham, the film follows Bo "Bandit" Darville (Reynolds) and Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Reed), two bootleggers attempting to illegally transport 400 cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta. While the Snowman drives the truck carrying the beer, the Bandit drives a Pontiac Trans Am to distract law enforcement (called blocking) and keep the attention off the Snowman. During their run, they are pursued by Texas county sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason). Smokey and the Bandit was the second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977, with $126 million against a budget of $4.3 million (only Star Wars made a higher gross that year, earning $775.5 million). Sally Field and Burt Reynolds began a relationship after meeting on set.

Wealthy Texan Big Enos Burdette and his son Little Enos have sponsored a racer in Atlanta's Southern Classic and want to celebrate in style when he wins, so they are seeking a trucker willing to bootleg Coors Beer to Atlanta for their refreshment. They find local legend Bo "Bandit" Darville at a roadeo at Lakewood Fairgrounds and offer him $80,000 to haul 400 cases of Coors from Texarkana (the closest place it could be legally sold at that time) to Atlanta in 28 hours. Despite the risks, and that it's never been done, 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.

They arrive in Texarkana an hour early and load up the truck, but just as they head back, Bandit is stopped by Carrie, a runaway bride who jumps in Bandit's car and unwittingly makes him an indirect target of Sheriff Buford T. Justice, a career Texas lawman whose witless son Junior was to have been Carrie's bridegroom. Buford, with Junior along, ignores his own jurisdiction and doggedly chases Bandit all the way to Georgia to get Carrie back while various mishaps cause his cruiser to disintegrate on the way.

Bandit attracts more police attention across Dixie as Snowman barrels on toward Atlanta with the contraband beer, but they are helped en route by many colorful characters via CB radio. Neither Buford nor any other lawmen know of Snowman's illegal manifest, while Bandit is likewise unaware that Buford is chasing him because of Carrie, whose jumpiness inspires Bandit to give her the CB handle "Frog".

Just after re-entering Georgia, Snowman is rescued by Bandit after being stopped by a Georgia State Patrol motorcycle trooper, and state and local police intensify their pursuit of Bandit with roadblocks and a helicopter to track his movement. With four miles left, Bandit, discouraged by the unexpected mounting attention, is ready to give up, but Snowman, who initially thought they would fail, takes the lead and smashes through the roadblock at the fairgrounds' main entrance. They make it back one minute after their time limit, but instead of taking the payoff, Carrie and Bandit accept a 'double-or-nothing' offer from Little Enos: a challenge to run up to Boston and bring back clam chowder in 18 hours. They quickly escape in one of Big Enos' 13 Cadillacs as police flood the racetrack.

After passing Buford's badly damaged cruiser by the side of the road, Bandit gets on the CB and initially directs him to Big and Little Enos, but then out of respect gives his real location—right behind Buford, who continues his chase leaving Junior behind, and with more parts falling off his cruiser as he limps off after Bandit.

Cast[edit]