Smokey and the Bandit

Factual error: When The Silver Tongued Devil contacts Bandit for a smokey report, he asks if the Bandit is "coming up on Fayetteville, on Interstate 82." Aside from the fact that Fayetteville, Arkansas is far off the direct route from Texarkana to Atlanta, Interstate 82 is about 1900 miles away from Fayetteville, in Washington state. In fact, at the time, there was no interstate highway at all near Fayetteville, Arkansas.

DavidCBohn

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Suggested correction: There is a US Hwy 82 that connects these states and runs all the way through TX. They did, in fact, confuse the verbiage between interstate and US Hwy.

Character mistake: In the scene where the Bandit convinces Snowman to go with him to Texarkana, Texas, to get the beer, he says, "It's only 900 miles there and 900 miles back." In fact, it is only 557 miles between Texarkana and Atlanta, meaning they could cover the 1114-mile round trip in the pre-determined 28 hours in an average speed of 40 mph.

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Suggested correction: Actually, it's a 684.3 mile trip between Jonesboro, Georgia and Texarkana, Texas, then 673.5 miles back to the Lakewood Fairgrounds in Atlanta, for a total of 1,357.8 miles, and a total time of 22 hours, 10 minutes, figuring fueling and food.

Movie Nut

Other mistake: Bandit and Snowman are traveling to Texarkana, TX to pick up the beer. Texarkana is in the extreme East border of TX. When you see Sheriff Justice pull up to the guys trying to steal parts off Frog's broken down car, you see "Montague County Sheriff" on his police car door. Montague county is in Northern TX, about four hours away from Texarkana. Bandit and Snowman didn't travel that far into TX to pick up the beer, why would Sheriff Justice be so far away from his jurisdiction?

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Suggested correction: Sheriff Justice and his son were chasing after Carrie when she let his son at the altar, which is why he would be out of his jurisdiction. She fled from where ever they were getting married at until her car broke down and the Justices were following her the whole time.

Bishop73

Factual error: After the Bandit starts negotiating the challenge, he says that hauling beer east of the Texas state line is bootlegging. Actually, Texarkana is a city on the state line border of NE Texas and SW Arkansas. The city is divided in half on the main north/south street called State Line Blvd. The double yellow lines in the center separate Texarkana, Texas on the west side from Texarkana, Arkansas on the east side. Texarkana, Texas is located in Bowie County, Texas which is a dry county (meaning no alcohol sales or consumption except through/inside private membership in organized, officially recognized organizations, i.e. VFW, Rotary, Elks, etc. - transportation, or distribution of alcohol are allowed). Therefore, there would be no Coors distribution center in Texarkana, Texas. With that in mind, hauling beer east of the Texas state line from Texarkana, Texas to Texarkana, Arkansas is not bootlegging. Hauling beer west of the state line of Texarkana, Texas from Texarkana, Arkansas is not considered bootlegging if it is performed by a licensed driver working for a licensed brewery or distributor of a licensed brewery during that person's normal working responsibilities and duties of said employment (federal interstate trade). Other than that, it is bootlegging if a private individual buys alcohol in Texarkana, Arkansas and then transports said alcohol into Texarkana, Texas (which happens 1000's of times a day).

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Suggested correction: At the time of the movie, Coors was only available in the states west of Texas because of the alcohol content of Coors at the time, Coors was 6.0 not 3.2 so hauling Coors east of Texas licensed, commercial or not WOULD be bootlegging.

Suggested correction: The road the OP is referring to is State Line Ave, not State Line Blvd. I've crossed the road in question several times on Interstate 30.

Continuity mistake: When the Bandit first pulls over and picks up Sally Field, then he screeches off, if you look at the road you can see all the skid marks from all of the other takes of this scene, even down to the bit where the van pulls out of the junction and the bandit does his thing and then suddenly speeds off.

More mistakes in Smokey and the Bandit

Buford T. Justice: What we're dealing with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.

More quotes from Smokey and the Bandit

Trivia: Whenever you hear a County Mounty or Smokey without seeing him (i.e. on the radio), it is always the same person (director Hal Needham) doing the voice over.

More trivia for Smokey and the Bandit

Question: Does anyone know if the Trans AM and the truck used in the film are still around?

Answer: The trailer appeared in a recent episode of "The Walking Dead"

The trailer on the walking dead episode is a replica it's not the original one used in the movie as the one in TWD is a standard low slung with air baffles the original one doesn't have those and is also refrigerated.

Answer: The original "Bandit" Trans am no longer exists, but one from the second movie is kept at The Performance Car Museum, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The original "Bandit" Trans Am still exists. Burt Reynolds owned it right up to the time of his passing. It was then auctioned at the Barrett-Jackson auction house in Florida and sold for more then half a million dollars. That Trans AM is now in the hands of a private collector and no doubt very well cared for.

More questions & answers from Smokey and the Bandit

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