Directed by: Hal Needham
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed
Factual error: The Bandit is in a showdown with Buford T. Justice in a desert mountain range shortly after crossing into Texas. There are no desert mountain ranges in eastern Texas.
Factual error: There is absolutely no way a Trans Am can tow the weight of a 9,000 lb elephant, plus the weight of a newborn elephant and 2 trailers. Such weight with a car like that would, at the very least, break an axle and destroy a transmission.
Continuity mistake: At the Gator Motel, after Cledus and Bandit get part of the money, when Bandit starts crying about Frog and blows his nose into the money, there is a side shot showing a wad of bills in Bandit's shirt pocket before he actually puts the bills into his pocket in a following shot. (00:12:45)
[Justice tries to shoot the Bandit with Junior's gun only to find it's not loaded.]
Justice: Junior! Why didn't you have your gun loaded?
Junior: Well, when I put bullets in it, daddy, it gets too heavy.
Trivia: As of 2024, Sally Field (Frog) and Paul Williams (Little Enos) are the only surviving stars from Smokey and the Bandit 1 and 2.
Question: In the movie, Buford shoots two flying bottles whilst holding the gun at his hip. Is that even possible?
Chosen answer: Technically, yes, but no matter how adept the shooter, such a trick would always rely more on luck than skill. Shooting from the hip makes it impossible to aim any better than "in the general direction of the target."