Smokey and the Bandit

Smokey and the Bandit
Smokey and the Bandit
	Theatrical release poster by John Solie
Directed by	Hal Needham
Screenplay by	James Lee Barrett; Charles Shyer; Alan Mandel;
Story by	Hal Needham; Robert L. Levy;
Produced by	Mort Engelberg; Robert L. Levy;
Starring	Burt Reynolds; Sally Field; Jerry Reed; Jackie Gleason;
Cinematography	Bobby Byrne
Edited by	Walter Hannemann; Angelo Ross;
Music by	Bill Justis; Jerry Reed;
Production; company	Rastar
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	May 19, 1977 (Radio City Music Hall); July 29, 1977 (Los Angeles);
Running time	96 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$4.3 million
Box office	$127 million

Smokey and the Bandit is a 1977 American action comedy road film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams, and Mike Henry. The film marks the directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham.

The film follows Bo "Bandit" Darville (Reynolds) and Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Reed), two truck-driving 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 blocker, in a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am, to distract law enforcement and keep the attention off the Snowman. During their run, they are pursued by Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason), of Portague County, Texas.

Smokey and the Bandit was a box office success, grossing $127 million against a $4.3 million budget, becoming the second-highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States.

The film became the first installment of the Smokey and the Bandit trilogy as the start in the Smokey and the Bandit franchise.