Smokey And The Bandit (franchise)
''Smokey and the Bandit'' is an action comedy franchise following the exploits of bootleggers Bo "Bandit" Darville (Burt Reynolds), Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Jerry Reed), and Texas county sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason). The series consists of three theatrical films and a television miniseries. Created by stuntman and director Hal Needham, the first film of the trilogy, ''Smokey and the Bandit'', was the second-highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States and had significant cultural impact including adding to the 1970s CB radio fad and igniting the popularity of the Pontiac Trans Am car driven by the Bandit. Films ''Smokey and the Bandit'' (1977) ''Smokey and the Bandit'' (1977) is an American action comedy film and stars Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry and was the directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham. The film follows Bo "Bandit" Darville (Reynolds) and Cledus "Snowman" Sno ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Hal Needham
Hal Brett Needham (March 6, 1931 – October 25, 2013) was an American Stunt performer, stuntman, film director, actor, writer, and NASCAR team owner. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with actor Burt Reynolds, usually in films involving fast cars, such as ''Smokey and the Bandit'' (1977), ''Hooper (film), Hooper'' (1978), ''The Cannonball Run'' (1981) and ''Stroker Ace'' (1983). In his later years, Needham moved out of stunt work, and focused his energy on the world land speed record project. In 2001, Needham received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Taurus World Stunt Awards, and in 2012, he was awarded a Governors Awards, Governors Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Early years Needham was born in Memphis, Tennessee, a son of Edith May (née Robinson) and Howard Needham. He was the youngest of three children. Raised in Arkansas and Missouri, Needham served in the United States Army as a paratrooper during the Korean War, worke ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Pontiac Firebird
The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile built and produced by Pontiac (automobile), Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after General Motors, GM's Chevrolet division's automobile platform, platform-sharing Chevrolet Camaro, Camaro. This also coincided with the release of the 1967 Mercury Cougar, Ford's upscale, platform-sharing version of the Mustang. The name "Firebird" was also previously used by GM for the General Motors Firebird series of concept cars in the 1950s. First generation (1967–1969) The first generation Firebird had characteristic Coke bottle styling shared with its cousin, the Chevrolet Camaro. Announcing a Pontiac styling trend, the Firebird's bumpers were integrated into the design of the front end, giving it a more streamlined look than the Camaro. The Firebird's rear "slit" taillights were inspired by the 1966–1967 Pontiac GTO ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
1980 In Film
The following is an overview of events in 1980 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths. Highest-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1980 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Worldwide gross revenue The following table lists known worldwide gross revenue figures for several high-grossing films that originally released in 1980. Note that this list is incomplete and is therefore not representative of the highest-grossing films worldwide in 1980. Events * April 29 – Sir Alfred Hitchcock, known as "The Master of Suspense", dies at his home in Bel Air, California, at the age of 80. * May 21 – '' The Empire Strikes Back'' is released and is the highest-grossing film of the year (just as its predecessor, '' Star Wars'', was three years prior). * June 9 – Richard Pryor sets himself on fire while free-basing cocaine and drinking 151-proof rum. Pryor ran down his ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Buford T
Buford may refer to: Places United States *Buford, Arkansas * Buford, Colorado, an unincorporated community *Buford, Georgia *Buford Dam, infrastructure in Georgia *Buford Highway community, in Fulton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett Counties in Georgia * Buford, North Dakota *Buford, Ohio * Buford, South Carolina * Buford, Mitchell County, Texas * Buford, Virginia *Buford, Wyoming *Fort Buford * Buford Tower in Austin, Texas Canada * Buford, Alberta People * Buford (surname) * Buford Abner, American songwriter * Buford Allison, professional football player *Buford Ellington, 42nd governor of Tennessee * Buford F. Gordon, African American civil rights activist, clergyman and social scientist * Buford A. Johnson, member of the Tuskegee Airmen * Buford Jordan, professional football player * Buford Long, professional football player * Buford McGee, professional football player * Buford Meredith, American baseball player for the Negro leagues * Buford Nunley, American baseball player for the Ne ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Republican National Convention is to officially nominate and confirm a candidate for president and vice president, adopt a comprehensive party platform and unify the party, as well as publicize and launch the fall campaign. Delegates from all fifty U.S. states and from American dependencies and territories, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, attend the convention and cast their votes. Like the Democratic National Convention, the Republican National Convention marks the formal end of the primary election period and the start of the general election season. In 2020, all parties replaced the usual conventions with short online programs. History The Republican Party was formally organized on a national basis at a meeti ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
1977 In Film
The year 1977 in film involved some significant events. Highest-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1977 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events * February 23 – During a press conference at Sardi's, Sardi's in Manhattan, it is officially announced that Christopher Reeve will be playing the role of Superman. * March 28 – At the 49th Academy Awards, ''Rocky'' picks up the Academy Award for Best Picture. Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, and Beatrice Straight all win Oscars for their performances in ''Network (1976 film), Network'' for Academy Award for Best Actor, Best Actor, Academy Award for Best Actress, Best Actress, and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actress, while Jason Robards wins for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ''All the President's Men (film), All the President's Men.'' He will win again the following year, becoming the only person to win two consecutiv ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Pontiac Trans Am
The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's Chevrolet division's platform-sharing Camaro. This also coincided with the release of the 1967 Mercury Cougar, Ford's upscale, platform-sharing version of the Mustang. The name "Firebird" was also previously used by GM for the General Motors Firebird series of concept cars in the 1950s. First generation (1967–1969) The first generation Firebird had characteristic Coke bottle styling shared with its cousin, the Chevrolet Camaro. Announcing a Pontiac styling trend, the Firebird's bumpers were integrated into the design of the front end, giving it a more streamlined look than the Camaro. The Firebird's rear "slit" taillights were inspired by the 1966–1967 Pontiac GTO and Pontiac Grand Prix. Both a two-door hardtop and a convertible wer ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County and extends into neighboring DeKalb County, Georgia, DeKalb County. With a population of 520,070 (2024 estimate) living within the city limits, Atlanta is the eighth most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast and List of United States cities by population, 36th most populous city in the United States according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census. Atlanta is classified as a Globalization and World Cities Research Network#Beta +, Beta + global city and is the principal city of the much larger Atlanta metropolitan area, the core of which includes Cobb County, Georgia, Cobb, Clayton County, Georgia, Clayton and Gwinnett County, Georgia, Gwinnett counties, in addition to Fulton and DeKalb. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Texarkana, Texas
Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, in the Ark-La-Tex region. Located approximately from Dallas, Texarkana is a twin cities, twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas. The Texas city's population was 36,193 at the 2020 census. The city and its Texarkana, Arkansas, Arkansas counterpart form the core of the Texarkana metropolitan area, Texarkana metropolitan statistical area, encompassing all of Bowie County, Texas, and Miller County, Arkansas. The two cities had a combined population of 65,580 in the 2020 decennial census, and the metropolitan area had a population of 149,482. History Railroads were quick to see the possibilities of connecting markets in this vast area. In the late 1850s, the builders of the Cairo and Fulton Railroad were pushing their line steadily south across Arkansas. By 1874, they crossed the Red River of the South, Red River and reached the Texas state line. Between February 16 and March 19, 1874, trains ran between the Texas ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Coors Brewing Company
The Coors Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company based in Golden, Colorado, that was founded in 1873. In 2005, Adolph Coors Company, the holding company that owned Coors Brewing, merged with Molson, Inc. to become Molson Coors. The first Coors brewery location in Golden, Colorado is the largest single brewing facility operating in the world. History Founding In 1873, German immigrants Adolph Coors and Jacob Schueler from Prussia immigrated to the United States and established a brewery in what was then Golden City, Colorado Territory (now Golden, Colorado), after buying a recipe for a Pilsner-style beer from a Czech immigrant William Silhan. Coors invested $2,000 in the operation, and Schueler invested $18,000. In 1880, Coors bought out his partner and became the sole owner of the brewery. Prohibition The Coors Brewing Company managed to survive Prohibition relatively intact. Years before the Volstead Act went into effect nationwide, Adolph Co ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Rum-running
Rum-running, or bootlegging, is the illegal business of smuggling alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law. The term ''rum-running'' is more commonly applied to smuggling over water; ''bootlegging'' is applied to smuggling over land. Smuggling circumvents alcohol taxes and outright prohibition of alcohol sales. Alcohol smuggling today In the United States, the smuggling of alcohol did not end with the repeal of prohibition. In the Appalachian United States, for example, the demand for moonshine was at an all-time high in the 1920s, but an era of rampant bootlegging in dry areas continued into the 1970s. Although the well-known bootleggers of the day may no longer be in business, bootlegging still exists, even if on a smaller scale. The state of Virginia has reported that it loses up to $20 million a year from illegal whiskey smuggling. The Government of the United Kingdom fails to collect an estimated £900 million in taxes due to alcohol smuggling ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Action Comedy Film
The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the American action film genre in the 1980s when actors who had backgrounds in comedy such as Eddie Murphy began taking roles in action films. The genre approaches various narratives and styles such as buddy films, superhero films, and Hong Kong action cinema featuring various actors such as Jackie Chan. Action comedy has also been a recurring theme in television, with series such as '' The Dukes of Hazzard'' (1979–1985) and '' Peacemaker'' (2022). Film Academic Yvonne Tasker that most post-classical Hollywood action films are "more or less hybrids." Action films are set across multiple settings and spaces with no single defining landscape and can become complicated in categorization which is sometimes acknowledged through hybridized designator ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |