tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post3907208770362462611..comments2023-09-15T04:27:57.129-04:00Comments on Commentarama: Film Friday: Smokey And The Bandit (1977)AndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-21766104512750884542013-06-22T22:22:15.258-04:002013-06-22T22:22:15.258-04:00When she asked if bandit knew the names of the the...When she asked if bandit knew the names of the theatre culture, she was not trying to make a point of " the South is not as sophisticated as the<br />North." As u say. It was her trying to find things they have in common.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-33071666139777993402009-08-10T17:33:36.168-04:002009-08-10T17:33:36.168-04:00I enjoyed your take on this movie. I never though...I enjoyed your take on this movie. I never thought about it in those terms, but having read this I now see it. I remember watching this movie in the theater and just loving it. I was 14 at the time and wanted a Trans Am really bad. I ended up getting a 1981 Camaro instead (what a sweet car).<br /><br />Anyway, I'm from coastal NC and there are a few movies with the South as a centerpiece that I really enjoy: My Cousin Vinny ("What's a grit?") and Doc Hollywood to name a couple.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-24904584789062757672009-08-07T23:42:16.761-04:002009-08-07T23:42:16.761-04:00Thanks Stan, I always like hearing that people enj...Thanks Stan, I always like hearing that people enjoy what we're doing!<br /><br />I wasn't driving yet at the time of the Trans Am, but it was huge! Everybody that I knew wanted one -- or a Corvette.<br /><br />Speaking of being an exhibit, when I went to college, in the Northeast, and people would find out that I came from Colorado, they would actually ask me either "do you live on a farm" or "do you live on a fort." And they were serious! LOL!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-17183763932592408692009-08-07T23:27:42.160-04:002009-08-07T23:27:42.160-04:00Andrew: I would go North in the ‘70s and ‘80s NYC...Andrew: I would go North in the ‘70s and ‘80s NYC, Philly, etc. …now I understand why I felt like an exhibit. LOL! I did notice however the change in demographic, Atlanta in the ‘60s was a city of less than half million we’re now a 5.5 Million. I would guess that half or more are not Southern. My older brother had that exact car in 1975 black Trans AM, the car was fast, and the chicks liked it. Always good work at Commentarama and thought provoking.StanHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07395708786509590321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-77720958832745487382009-08-07T22:56:13.643-04:002009-08-07T22:56:13.643-04:00CrisD, LOL! I've been through the Carolinas a...CrisD, LOL! I've been through the Carolinas and I think that many Northerns would be amazed to see how modern they are. And talk about beautiful country! Not to mention, that's where all our furniture comes from these days. :-)<br /><br />Wasn't Reynolds voted the sexist man alive in the 1970s?AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-64341230814127999532009-08-07T22:38:23.462-04:002009-08-07T22:38:23.462-04:00Dude,
I am living in the South now, well, North &q...Dude,<br />I am living in the South now, well, North "by God" Carolina, and you are sooo right!!!<br /><br />Except when I saw the movie I was in jr. high and all I thought was Burt Reynolds was hot (and get rid of Sally Fields stealing my man!!!)CrisDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-27788539480984107372009-08-07T22:24:24.080-04:002009-08-07T22:24:24.080-04:00Joel, At the time, I don't think the regions w...Joel, At the time, I don't think the regions were as similiar in mindset as they are today. You had very distinct cultures in the North East, in the rust bowl, in the South, in Texas, in the West, in the Northwest and in California. Even southern Florida wasn't anything like the rest of the South.<br /><br />But like American always does, we tend to take the best parts of what we find and toss out the worst and then move on. And in this case, I think that much of what the new South represented was very attractive to people all over the country, and it formed a new culture that his been adopted all over the country, outside of the big coastal cities.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-55002397477094985742009-08-07T22:20:29.746-04:002009-08-07T22:20:29.746-04:00Stan, You probably didn't notice because you g...Stan, You probably didn't notice because you grew up in the South. If you lived in other parts of the country, I assure you that the South was a foreign land -- still is if you ask people in places like the North East.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-51565317767473427402009-08-07T19:53:22.237-04:002009-08-07T19:53:22.237-04:00AndrewPrice, your arguements are compelling. But.....AndrewPrice, your arguements are compelling. But.......I think that it was a little more of both. <br /><br />Yes, it did re-introduce the South to rest of the country, but the rest of the country is already like the South. It was more a meeting of friends, who didn't know they were friends until they met. Maybe I said it wrong?Joel Farnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15856960977033430002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-18338849225465633372009-08-07T16:58:30.510-04:002009-08-07T16:58:30.510-04:00Andrew: As a Southerner I’ve never thought about “...Andrew: As a Southerner I’ve never thought about “Smokey and the Bandit” as a seminal moment in Southern evolution : ) When I saw the movie at the theater in ’77 I didn’t like it much, but it did grow on me as I watched reruns on HBO. As you stated in your post the movie we in Atlanta were getting into that year was “Star Wars.” Great effort and a completely different way for me to look at “Smokey and the Bandit.”StanHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07395708786509590321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-67562467189582346542009-08-07T16:40:59.050-04:002009-08-07T16:40:59.050-04:00CrispyRice, I'm glad to hear that you're e...CrispyRice, I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the analyses. Maybe it just takes an unbalanced mind to see these things? :-)<br /><br /><br />Jed, I'm sorry, I thought it, but I forgot to write it. Yes, I don't know Dan August.<br /><br />My first recollection of Reynolds probably was The Longest Yard, or maybe Smokey and the Bandit. In either event, I really liked him at the time and I think he's turned into quite a decent actor.<br /><br />The Loni Anderson thing struck me as sad as well. And I've seen in interviews that he had some sort of illness at that time too, but I've never been able to find out what it was.<br /><br />On The Longest Yard, don't get me wrong -- I really like that movie. It's well done and it's super fun (the remake stinks though). But it did fit right in with the older view of the South as hopelessly backwards and racist.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-72853688156001467092009-08-07T16:30:43.292-04:002009-08-07T16:30:43.292-04:00Andrew - so no remembrance of Dan August, I take i...Andrew - so no remembrance of Dan August, I take it. That show maybe lasted only the first season, and may well have been his first role of any significance. I kind of remember him as playing a deputy sheriff or something like that<br /><br />I mostly liked Burt. While hardly the most versatile actor ever, he was good as a macho action guy (my favorite was Sharkey's machine) and particularly as he got older, he could deliver dead pan comedic lines pretty well. The first few scenes from the longest yard were a classic. although as you pointed out, it was another stereotype, it was a pretty good movie.<br /><br />I always felt badly that he had that very public and painful break-up with Lonnie Anderson. I'm not excusing him, but it was sad nonetheless.<br /><br /> I also agree with you completely on the culture of the "new" south pretty much being the culture of all rural America today.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-43288441886080480392009-08-07T16:25:05.484-04:002009-08-07T16:25:05.484-04:00Oh, I'm not saying it's not all there, And...Oh, I'm not saying it's not all there, Andrew! I just don't see it until it's pointed out. I guess I'm a bit superficial when it comes to movies. :D Your analyses are always very interesting to me.CrispyRicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07302075204880024936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-36670921305294929312009-08-07T15:57:39.594-04:002009-08-07T15:57:39.594-04:00Jed,
I would add that I think that the New South ...Jed,<br /><br />I would add that I think that the New South culture that is on display in <i>Bandit</i> was so successful that it essentially became the culture of all of middle-American, and that this is the culture that you will find throughout America today once you get outside of the big cities.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-50148595928692663412009-08-07T15:38:28.052-04:002009-08-07T15:38:28.052-04:00CrispyRice, You just have to look a little closer....CrispyRice, You just have to look a little closer. It's all there to be seen. Just connect the dots.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-41650078130163766362009-08-07T15:37:04.578-04:002009-08-07T15:37:04.578-04:00Jed,
Reynolds was supposed to have been an all st...Jed,<br /><br />Reynolds was supposed to have been an all star halfback until he injured his knee, ending his college career.<br /><br />He was a huge star in the 1970s, but his star faded in the 1980s. His career had a resurrgence of sorts in the 1990s, with Evening Shade and Boogie Nights, but I think he's only done supporting roles since. I never watched Ed, so I'm not sure if he was in that or not.<br /><br />On the comparison to today, I think that the current divide is driven by the divide between the "NASCAR set" and the "elites" (although that is a bit of an oversimplification).AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-33126190213176950452009-08-07T15:22:56.832-04:002009-08-07T15:22:56.832-04:00Couple or three of thoughts, here:
1) your descri...Couple or three of thoughts, here:<br /><br />1) your description of this film and the audience reaction pretty much typifies the cultural/political divide in the country today.<br /><br />2) exempting Scott who is virtually still a baby, who remembers Dan August? Probably the only reason I do was I was working as a summer intern at the Philadelphia local ABC affiliate. I was writing a handout promotional sheet touting the new fall ABC lineup in either 1969 or 1970. That was my first impression of Burt, who, as I recall had a minor career as a bench warming defensive back at Florida State.<br /><br />3) My most recent remembrance of Burt was as a kind of unsung recurring guest shot in the television show "Ed." (the bowling alley owner/lawyer.) He played the father of Ed's best friend. Burt managed to burn down his son's house trying to deep fry a Thanksgiving turkey.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-67006642515313624412009-08-07T15:16:01.817-04:002009-08-07T15:16:01.817-04:00I sometimes can't help but wonder, Andrew, are...I sometimes can't help but wonder, Andrew, are you watching the same movies I am? Because I don't see half of what you do in them. ;)<br /><br />Interesting analysis. I took a detour singing a bit at <i>Convoy</i> (We got a big old convoy, rockin' through the night!) but isn't that the point of a roadtrip?<br /><br />Did they really think the interstate system was going to flop? Wow.<br /><br />One more note - I drove a few years ago in Montana, when, for awhile, they had their daytime speed limit set as "reasonable and prudent." Lemme tell ya, I was a much better driver when I could pay full attention to the road and not constantly wonder if there was a cop over every hill. Speed limits have their place, but there's also plenty of places where they could be done away with. (I'm looking at you, western Kansas...)CrispyRicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07302075204880024936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-24495435897023314192009-08-07T14:45:47.468-04:002009-08-07T14:45:47.468-04:00Scott, I look forward to reading about it. The ne...Scott, I look forward to reading about it. The next open thread should be Monday.<br /><br />So you're following in Burt's footsteps? Cool. Maybe someday you will have your own museum! :-)AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-31989404869265460062009-08-07T14:40:12.342-04:002009-08-07T14:40:12.342-04:00Andrew - thanks. :-) I'm saving the NASA busin...Andrew - thanks. :-) I'm saving the NASA business for the next open thread but to sum up: so far, so good.<br /><br />I'm from south Florida, born and raised. I believe Burt Reynolds went to FSU (as did I for a crappy year), home of the Seminoles. And according to Wikipedia, he also attended Palm Beach Junior College, since renamed Palm Beach Community College (as did I for a much better year). We also have the Burt Reynolds & Friends Museum but I've never been there.ScottDSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-19388383264973893992009-08-07T14:36:16.344-04:002009-08-07T14:36:16.344-04:00Lawhawk, that's exactly what gave NASCAR it...Lawhawk, that's exactly what gave NASCAR it's start -- moonshining. Today, NASCAR is the most watched sport in the country and has spread to most parts of the country. I'm not a big fan of NASCAR, but I understand the appeal. <i>Bandit</i> doesn't show NASCAR, but it does show truck racing, and the beginning and the ending center around the Southern Classic.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-70226916925741633642009-08-07T14:25:56.178-04:002009-08-07T14:25:56.178-04:00Andrew: Another part of Southern culture which I ...Andrew: Another part of Southern culture which I used to abhor and now admire is why so many great NASCAR racers come from the rural areas of the South. It pretty much started with the moonshiners running from the revenooers. Anybody who can build an engine and drive a car fast enough to escape the federal taxing authorities is a hero in my book.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-32865830631168240792009-08-07T14:17:13.049-04:002009-08-07T14:17:13.049-04:00Scott, You're young, so we can forgive you not...Scott, You're young, so we can forgive you not having seen it. But then you do live in Florida and that is Burt Reynolds country... hmm. Maybe you're in Gator country -- he was Seminole I think.<br /><br /><i>Bandit</i> has been parodied a lot and copied even more. But it's never really been duplicated.<br /><br />Let me know what you think after you see it. You should enjoy it, it's a fun movie.<br /><br />P.S. How was your NASA adventure?AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-6058188833149556622009-08-07T14:04:33.992-04:002009-08-07T14:04:33.992-04:00Guilty as charged: I've never seen this film. ...Guilty as charged: I've never seen this film. I plan to rectify that soon. I've seen it parodied before (a non sequitur gag in an episode of Jon Lovitz' animated series The Critic comes to mind) but that doesn't exactly count! Great analysis as always. off to Netflix...ScottDSnoreply@blogger.com