| Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Dick Lowry |
| Written by | Stuart Birnbaum David Dashey |
| Starring | Jackie Gleason Jerry Reed Colleen Camp |
| Music by | Larry Cansler |
| Cinematography | James Pergola |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | August 12, 1983 |
| Running time | 85 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million |
| Box office | $5,678,950 |
Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 is the (1983) sequel to Smokey and the Bandit and Smokey and the Bandit II starring Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Paul Williams, Pat McCormick, Mike Henry and Colleen Camp. The film also includes a very brief cameo near the film's end by the original Bandit, Burt Reynolds.
Contents |
As is the case with the two preceding Smokey and the Bandit films, Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 begins with Big Enos (McCormick) and Little Enos (Williams) offering a sizeable wager on one's ability to transport a shipment a large distance in a short period of time. Offering a slight twist, however, the offer is this time made to a retiring Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason), betting $250,000 against his badge on his ability to transport a large stuffed fish from an eatery in Florida from Texas.
Unlike the two earlier films, Big and Little Enos this time seem to be quite active in their desire to see Buford fail in his goal. After Buford dodges their many traps (especially after he destroyed their milk truck, which drenched them and disabled their engine), they then go so far as to actually attempt to hire the Bandit (as a distraction) to stop him. Deciding that the Bandit is too egotistical and hard to manage, they hire Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Reed) as his replacement. Accepting the offer, Cledus parks his Peterbilt 359 and climbs behind the wheel of a black and gold 1983 Pontiac Trans Am.
He later picks up Dusty, who quits her job as a "bookkeeper" for a used car dealership, but not before attempting to wreck her boss' business (a seedy used car dealership) by badmouthing him in the middle of broadcasting a live TV commercial.
The scene of Cledus picking up Dusty in the middle of the road is almost an exact repeat of how Bo picked up Frog in the 1977 film. Cledus manages to catch up with Buford on an interstate, where he then lassoes Buford's fish off of the Justices' police cruiser; Buford needs the fish to retrieve his $250,000. Buford then begins a hot pursuit of Cledus, with another local officer who attempts to take charge of the situation. Not long after the local officer is disabled, Buford becomes disabled as well when sand is dumped on his squad car.
The pursuit quickly resumes as Buford catches up to the duo after Cledus and Dusty stop at a redneck bar to pick up some food. The chase resumes as they enter a local town, where mass chaos comes with their entry. Cledus escapes when an 18 wheeler blocks the alleyway where Cletus run through. While trying to get the truck out, Buford's car is hitched to a tow-truck. After unsuccessfully pleading with the traffic officer to release his car, he sends Junior out to unhook it. Unable to wait, he angrily reverses the car and escapes. The tow truck operator chases him in pursuit, with Junior dangling on the hook, spinning freely. Eventually, Buford manages to make the truck flip over, sending the truck and Junior flying. A number of cars continue to crash into the pile-up. The next scene comes sudden as the Bandit and Justice are in the Mississippi fairgrounds. Buford continues to pursue on two wheels after driving on an incline with Cledus letting the fame get to his head.
Cledus and Dusty decide to stop at a hotel for the night, which contains people who are involved in "sexual" acts, several of which are quite deviant. Buford finds the Bandit's Trans Am and decides to make a search of the building to find the fish, which he eventually does. While searching in the steamroom, Buford handcuffs himself to a muscular nymphomaniac female who will not take no for an answer.
The next final scenes show Buford getting his tires blown by the "Enos Devil Darts." Cledus quickly arrives and retakes the fish. Cledus and Justice then start a final pursuit with Buford on two tires, first through a bunch of cattle, then to boats, then finally through a field where the Enoses set off a series of explosives, one of which destroys all of the bodywork, leaving the engine, seats, and police light bar (being held by Junior above his head). Cledus decides to surrender the fish to let Buford win. Just after cashing in on the $250,000, Buford finds Cledus and begins to apprehend him, but Buford then imagines Cledus to be the "Real" Bandit (in a cameo appearance by Burt Reynolds) who sweet talks him to letting him go and starting a new pursuit. Similar to the ending of the 1977 movie, Buford is again chasing the Bandit in the hulk of his police cruiser (the muscular female has taken Junior's place riding shotgun this time), while Junior chases after "Daddy" for miles on end, dropping the reward money as he goes.
The film was originally entitled Smokey IS the Bandit, with Jackie Gleason playing both Sheriff Buford T. Justice and the Bandit. According to the legend, test audiences reacted poorly, and so the Bandit scenes were re-shot with Jerry Reed playing the role. A trailer featuring the original title has surfaced along with one publicity still of Gleason in his Bandit costume. Jackie Gleason dressed as the Bandit [1] Research has verified that during the film's first sneak previews Gleason did play both roles.[2]
A teaser trailer for "Smokey Is The Bandit Part 3", which appears to confirm the existence of the original two-Gleason version of the film, surfaced on Youtube in 2010.
After the success of Knight Rider featuring the new 1982 Trans Am the producers thought they could jump on the bandwagon and add another part to Smokey and the Bandit, so they used an '83 Trans Am with very little options, other than 15 inch turbo cast wheels and cross fire injection (notice the plain standard interior with crank windows and black seat belts).
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Jackie Gleason | Sheriff Buford T. Justice |
| Jerry Reed | Cledus "Snowman" Snow/ Bandit |
| Paul Williams | Little Enos Burdette |
| Pat McCormick | Big Enos Burdette |
| Mike Henry | Junior Justice |
| Colleen Camp | Dusty Trails |
| Faith Minton | Tina |
| Burt Reynolds | The Real Bandit (Bo "Bandit" Darville) |
| Sharon Anderson | Police Woman |
| Silvia Arana | Latin Woman |
| Alan Berger | Hippie |
| Raymond Bouchard | Purvis R. Beethoven |
| Connie Brighton | Girl #1 |
| Earl Houston Bullock | Flagman |
| Ava Cadell | Blonde |
| Cathy Cahill | Mother Trucker |
| Dave Cass | Local Tough Guy |
| Leon Cheatom | Guide |
| Candace Collins | French Maid |
| Peter Conrad | Midget |
| Janis Cummins | Nudist Female |
| Jackie Davis | Blackman #1 |
| Dee Dee Deering | Mrs. Fernbush |
| Al De Luca | Flower Vendor |
| Raymond Forchion | Tar Worker |
| Veronica Gamba | Girl at Picnic |
| Jorge Gil | Gas Station Attendant |
| Marilyn Gleason | Lady Getting Ticket |
| Charles P. Harris | Hot Dog Vendor |
| Timothy Hawkins | Man in Truck |
| Craig Horwich | Crash Guy |
| Pirty Lee Jackson | Blackman #2 |
| Austin Kelly | Painter - Road |
| William L. Kingsley | Announcer |
| Will Knickerbocker | Hotel Clerk |
| Kim Kondziola | Baby Enos Burdette |
| Dick Lowry | Sand Dumper |
| Sandy Mielke | Driving Instructor |
| Toni Moon | Girl #2 |
| Alejandro Moreno | Street Latin |
| Gloria Nichols | Latin Woman |
| Mel Pape | Police Officer |
| Dan Rambo | TV Director |
| Richard Walsh | Nudist Male |
| Curry Worsham | Skip Town |
| John Freda | Guest (Uncredited) |
| Niki Fritz | S&M Hooker (Uncredited) |
Buford T. Justice (Main title song)
Performed by: Ed Bruce
Courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.
The Legend of the Bandit
Performed by: Lee Greenwood
Courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.
Suzi Plastic
Performed by: Bill Summers
Courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.
The Bandit Express
Performed by: Lee Greenwood
Courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.
Ticket for the Wind
Performed by: John Stewart
It Ain't the Gold
Performed by John Stewart
Original Soundtrack and tapes available on MCA Records and Tapes.
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