"Smokey & The Bandit" Burning Question

For nearly four decades now, "Smokey & The Bandit" scholars have pondered and debated many deep questions related to the holy grandfather of all car chase/smash-up movies. But surely the greatest unanswered question of all is - when did the clock start on the 28 hours that Bandit & Snowman had to get the beer?

Could it have started right there are that truck ro-day-o thing? If so, Bandit used a good chunk of his 28 hours buying the Trans Am (including registering it, and getting vanity plates), and having a couple of relatively casual conversation with the Snowman. Did the clock start when the Trans Am and the 18 wheeler got on the road together? If it did, how did Big and Little Enis (or Enos, depending on which school of Bandit wisdom you subscribe to) know that the clock was now officially ticking?

Why am I searching for an answer to the unanswerable? Well, because they said it couldn't be done. That's the reason, son.

 

I love that movie ind33d

 

On IMDB it is speculated that he already had the plates and just stuck them on the Trans Am.

What I wonder about is the CB channel hopping scheme. A CB has a range of about 5 miles so people wouldn't be in range of there signal for much time at all but everybody seemed to know what channel they were on.

Chad

 

Yes, I've also pondered the great CB channel mystery. Apart from all the people following along, Buford T. and Mr. Bandit communicated with each other on three separate occasions, luckily both being tuned to the same channel at the same time. I attribute it to Buford being part coon dog, a great pursuer, and his thirty years seniority. No channel hopping scheme could ever make him look like a possum's pecker (or a possum's pouch on broadcast TV).

 

On the directors commentary for 28 Days Later after Alex learns about the plague and how to protect yourself from it from Selena and Mark, Danny Boyle says something about the all important rules that you state in the beginning of the movie and then proceed to ignore.

I guess the CB channel skipping is the same thing.

I suppose this and the 28 hours is the kind of plot holes you get when you let a stunt man write a movie.

Chad

 

I don't know. I'll try it and get back to you. I need to make a beer run.

 

The original script has been available online. There was no Junior and Carrie was Justice's daughter. The burning questions are unanswered, though, sadly.

 

See what happened when they DIDN'T have a stunt man write the second one?

 

All I know is Sally Fields sure was looking mighty fine back then.

 

Been a while since I saw the movie.

Sally looked great. Love that movie..

 

Back then CBs only had 23 channels. Would not have been hard for Buford to just scan around and find them.

 

Even if they stayed on the odd channels, started at the basement, and switched every time?

 

To answer this question, Ray, you gotta have a sixth sense.

However, something tells me you'd rather have a dime.

 

There's nothing wrong with me that 400 cases of Coors couldn't cure.

 

But, sadly, it appears that The Frog might have had an eating disorder. We never see her eat a thing for the whole 14 hour trip back to Atlanta. Not even a hush puppy or a diablo sandwich.

 

When you find the answer to this, let me know if you can figure out why everyone is sprinting at the end of "The Cannonball Run", as if the first person to cross the finish line is the winner. We watched them clock-in when the race started, so clearly everyone needs to clock-out and then look at the time differences.

Who's in charge of the logic in these Burt Reynolds car movies?

 

Internal Logic Consultant:

 

...um, I'm afraid none of this is germane to the situation at hand...

 

Hmmm they could have had modified radios that went above 23 and below 1...

 

The clock clearly started when they hit the road and Buford T. Justice was just clocking traffic and refused to be out run. I don't think he was ever aware or concerned with the beer challenge.

The real unanswered question is if Mamma ever received the punch to her mouth. I hope not, I think it is clear that Sheriff Justice is very accountable for Jr's incompetence, perhaps completely responsible.

 

So Big & Little Enis/Enos just took their word for the time they left Atlanta, G-A? Did they call the time in to them when they stopped at a choke and puke on the way west?

Buford T. was in hot pursuit because The Frog had insulted his son, his town, and his 'thority. And that's nothing but poor and simple old-fashioned communism.

 

The only reason BTJ was after the Bandit was because he was carrying the women who left his son at the altar.

Chad

 

Smoking cigarettes curbs your appetite!

 

'Hello.......you Big lollipop'.