Smokey and the Bandit

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 Jackie Gleason Jerry Reed Mike Henry
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 (1977-05-27)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$4.3 million
Box office	$300 million

Smokey and the Bandit is a 1977 American action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry. The film was the directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham. It inspired several other trucking films, including two sequels, Smokey and the Bandit II and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3.

There was also a series of 1994 television films (Bandit Goes Country, Bandit Bandit, Beauty and the Bandit, and Bandit's Silver Angel) from original director/writer Hal Needham that were loosely based on the earlier version, with actor Brian Bloom playing Bandit. The three original films introduced two generations of the Pontiac Trans Am, and the Dodge Stealth in the television movie. Smokey and the Bandit was the second-highest-grossing film of 1977, second only to Star Wars.

Wealthy Texan Big Enos Burdette (Pat McCormick) and his son Little Enos (Paul Williams) seek a truck driver willing to bootleg Coors beer to Georgia for their refreshment. At the time, Coors was regarded as one of the finest beers in the United States, but it could not be legally sold east of the Mississippi River. Truck drivers who had taken the bet previously had been caught and arrested by "Smokey" (CB slang for highway patrol officers, referring to the Smokey Bear–type hats worn in some states).