East Bound and Down with 'Smokey and the Bandit’

Send us Fan MailBreaker, breaker, podcast listeners! What’s got 400 cases of bootleg Coors, a screeching black Pontiac Trans Am, and the most magnificent mustache in cinematic history?This week on ‘Entertain This!’, we are putting the pedal to the metal and crossing state lines to revisit the undisputed king of 1970s vehicular mayhem: ‘Smokey and the Bandit’.Join us as we ride shotgun with Burt Reynolds at his absolute peak-swagger, cheer on Sally Field as the ultimate runaway bride, and marvel at the sheer, unadulterated comedic genius of Jackie Gleason as the relentlessly frustrated Sheriff Buford T. Justice. We're breaking down how a movie with a plot that essentially boils down to "fetching beer very quickly" became an absolute cultural phenomenon.  In this episode, we discuss… The Power of the Stache: Analyzing the undeniable charisma of Burt Reynolds and his iconic look. The Lost Art of the CB Radio: How handle names and trucker slang became the original social media.Buford T. Justice: Why Jackie Gleason's legendary improvised insults steal the entire movie.Fact or Fiction: Is it actually mathematically possible to drive from Texarkana to Atlanta and back in 28 hours?Whether you're a classic car aficionado or just someone who appreciates a good old-fashioned police chase, this movie still fires on all cylinders. So grab yourself a Diablo sandwich and a Dr. Pepper, hit play, and listen in. We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there!Support the show