SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT

Burt Reynolds, Sally Field

Universal; Directed by Hal Needham

Rated R; 121 minutes; 1977

This big box office hit stars Burt Reynolds as a genuine king-of-the-road trucker hero known in C.B. radio circles as "the Bandit." He is challenged to pick up a truckload of Coors beer in Texarkana, the closest place it can be legally sold, and bring it back to Atlanta in 28 hours. Bandit and his pal Snowman (Jerry Reed) set out on the impossible mission -- Bandit leading in a fast Trans Am to divert the attention of "Smokeys" (law enforcement officers) away from the speeding 18-wheeler driven by Snowman. But on the return trip Bandit stops to pick up a hitch-hiking runaway bride (Sally Field), not knowing that the guy the young woman jilted is the son of the local sheriff, Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason). Buford thirsts for revenge and he and his nitwit son take off in hot pursuit of Bandit. The result is probably the wildest series of car chases and crashes ever filmed, which is not surprising when you consider that Hal Needham, who made his directorial debut with this film and followed it with Hooper, is himself one of Hollywood's finest stuntmen and stunt coordinators.