Smokey and the Bandit [SEP] distributor
than $80,000.
Burt Reynolds revealed in his autobiography that Needham had written the first draft script on legal pads. Upon showing it to his friend, Reynolds told Needham that it was the worst script he had ever read but that he would still make the movie. Most of the dialogue was improvised on set.
Universal Studios bankrolled "Smokey and the Bandit" for $5.3 million, figuring it was a good risk. Just two days before production was to begin, Universal sent a "hatchet man" to
October 12, 2010, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released all four television films on DVD along with the "Smokey and the Bandit" trilogy as part of Smokey and the Bandit: The 7-Movie Outlaw Collection.
See also.
- "Smokey and the Bandit"
- "Smokey and the Bandit II"
- "Smokey and the Bandit Part 3"