Smokey and the Bandit II and Part 3 Coming to Blu-ray
Smokey and the Bandit (1977) is a wonderfully entertaining film, and a classic of its type. Its sequels, not so much. Still, as a big Jackie Gleason fan, I’m happy to see that Universal Pictures Home Video will be giving Blu-ray releases to Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). The individual releases are scheduled on April 16th.
These discs will probably be “bare bones,” as no bonus features have been announced. That’s kind of a shame, because the “behind the scenes” stories would be much more interesting than watching the films themselves.
Below are the plot descriptions, copied from the Amazon listings:
Smokey and the Bandit II (1980)
Jump in and buckle up for a wild ride in the fast lane of laughter as Burt Reynolds and Sally Field team up again to take on Jackie Gleason in this sequel to one of the top action-adventure comedies ever! This time, the notorious Bandit (Reynolds) and his beautiful companion Carrie (Field) find themselves involved in a mission of epic proportions: transporting a pregnant elephant cross-country in 24 hours or less! Hot on their heels is archenemy Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason), who vows to finally put the Bandit behind bars. The duo find themselves in a race against time, a battle of wits and a test of skills in this non-stop, high-octane comedy hit.
Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983)
The good ol’ boys of high speed hi-jinks are back in their third and final Smokey and the Bandit adventure. Starring Jackie Gleason, Paul Williams, Jerry Reed and Pat McCormick reprising their original sidesplitting roles. Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason) is ready to retire when the notorious Enises (Williams and McCormick) challenge both him and The Snowman (Reed) to make a special delivery from Miami to Texas in 24 hours. To nab the $250,000 prize, everyone’s out to beat the next guy to the finish line- with no holds barred! It’s a wild free-for-all featuring some of the most incredible action driving stunts ever filmed, produced by Mort Engelberg, who brought the first two Smokeys to the screen.
