The Bandit Run of the movie's most famous sites. The Bandit Run The Bandit Run is a reenactment of the journey portrayed in the 1977 film, "Smokey and the Bandit". The reenactment first took place on May 15, 2007 and has become an annual event. The reenactment was the brainchild of David Hershey and Dave Hall who wanted to commemorate the 30-year anniversary of the classic film. Hall, of the website, "Restore a Muscle Car" and Hershey came up with the idea shortly after Hershey purchased his restored 1977 Pontiac Trans Am from him in 2006. Following the same route that the characters
Trucking industry in popular culture (United States) novelty song about a convoy of truck drivers evading speed traps and toll booths across America. The song inspired the 1978 action film "Convoy", featuring a shirtless and defiant Kris Kristofferson screaming "Piss on your law!" After the film's release, thousands of independent truck drivers went on strike and participated in violent protests during the 1979 energy crisis (although similar strikes had occurred during the 1973 energy crisis). The year 1977 saw the release of "Smokey and the Bandit", the third-highest-grossing film of that year, beaten only by "Star Wars" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". Protagonist Burt Reynolds