who played bandit in smokey and the bandit movies

He's perhaps best remembered for playing ' California Charlie,' the used car salesman who sells Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) a new vehicle in Alfred Hitchcock's ' Psycho.' His lanky figure made him a favorite of TV westerns like 'Gunsmoke,' 'Bonanza,' and 'The Rifleman,' but he also made appearances on 'M*A*S*H,' 'The Twilight Zone,' and 'Perry Mason,' to name but a few. Gleason has plenty of opportunity to clown around, but much of the time he seems to be doing a prissy Zero Mostel imitation and he too often forces the exaggeration.Born on October 20, 1922, Anderson got his start on Broadway with roles in such shows as 'Paint Your Wagon' before moving into film and television. Field is well-cast as the kookie dancer, Reed is fine as Reynolds’ sidekick and Pat McCormick and Paul Williams appear as the incongruous father-and-son team who challenge Reynolds. The script requires little from any of the actors, but they all give personable performances. Reynolds performs with an offhand, easy style and he creates an engaging character that should please his many fans. Hal Needham, making his directorial debut after an illustrious career as a stuntman, makes the most of the action and progresses the film with a perfect light-hearted touch. While the joke wears thin very quickly, there are a number of amusing sequences, which are combined with some exciting road action to provide a mildly entertaining - and totally mindless - film.

That’s the sum total of the plot and the 97-minute running time is devoted to one long chase involving Reynolds and Field in a sporty Pontiac Trans Am, Reed and his dog in the 18-wheeler, Gleason and Henry in a patrol car that is slowly torn apart and various truckers, citizens band friends and bumbling cops.

It turns out that her suitor (Mike Henry) was the son of the local sheriff (Jackie Gleason), who sets out in hot pursuit of the runaway bride. Burt Reynolds stars as Bandit, a devil-may-care trucker who, with his sidekick, Snowman (Jerry Reed), accepts a challenge to go to Texarkana, Texas, pick up 400 cases of Coors beer and return to Atlanta, Georgia, (a round-trip total of 1,800 miles) within 28 hours.Īlong the way, he picks up Carrie (Sally Field), a Broadway gypsy who has just jilted someone at the altar.

Who played bandit in smokey and the bandit movies