Why was Jackie Gleason playing the Bandit in the original script?
I realize it used to be Smokey AS the Bandit but my question is, was he playing dual roles? Was he chasing himself? What's the deal?
shareI'd love to see the unused footage from this movie. I'm assuming Universal have it stored away somewhere. I say let the fans see it!
shareI dont think Gleason was playing both roles. They called it that because Smokey was the one being pursued this time, but obviously it confused a lot of people since there was no Bandit character. I think imdb is wrong in their trivia section.
shareNo, Gleason was playing a new character called the bandit similar to snowman pretending to be the bandit. In the 2nd movie if you recall he played 2 or 3 characters.
The movie's script didn't change much and they used all the same Sherif sceens as well as his sceen w/ Burt Reunolds at the end.
The only difference was that they inserted Jerry Reed into the movie at the last minute and reshot most of the Bandit sceens, this is the reason that very few sceeens in the movie featured Jerry Reed and the sheriff.
There are no scenes/ interaction at all within the movie between Jerry Reed and Jackie Gleason which leads me to believe that indeed the movie was re-shot and all the scenes with Jackie Gleason as the Bandit were excised from the print, however check the scenes esp where the Bandit/Snowman first takes the fish off the top of Justice's car and look at the obviously plump stuntman that was supposed to be Gleason, same as when the Bandit gives the thumbs up to the kids on the ATVs and many scenes of the Trans Am from a far away distance,esp at the end as Gleason sneaks up on the Trans Am at the Enos's party... it is fairly obvious at least to me that Smokey is The Bandit was indeed shot with Gleason in a dual role ala Smokey II where he played three different roles.
shareThat script sounds even worse than the acual finished project. Sounds like something David Lynch would have written...lol Don't get me wrong I love Lynch's work, just saying....
shareIf you pause the movie at certain scenes [such as when the Trans Am slides to a stop in front of the guys on three-wheelers, or the first time the Bandit lassos the Shark off the Police car], you can clearly see a hefty, older stuntman playing the Bandit. That seems pretty definitive proof that at least some footage was shot with the intent of Gleason playing the Bandit
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