Smokey and the Bandit at 35: A Case for the Genius of Hal Needham

As part of their 100th anniversary, Universal Studios has just released a commemorative Blu-Ray edition of Smokey and the Bandit. Today, the 35-year old Burt Reynolds vehicle is mostly remembered for Reynolds' good ol' boy schtick, Jackie Gleason's mugging and first-time director Hal Needham's stuntwork. Unfortunately, while Needham's contributions to Smokey are probably the most essential, he remains the least renowned of that bunch. But thanks to the behind the scenes featurette included on Universal's new release, laypeople and stuntwork junkies alike can get a good idea of why Smokey and the Bandit belongs to Hal Needham.
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