Tampa, FL - March 23rd 2011 will go down as a legendary day in the history of the Tampa Theatre. A Hollywood icon by the name of Burt Reynolds graced the sold-out venue, for a special screening of Smokey and the Bandit. As part of Turner Classic Movies Road to Hollywood tour, Tampa was one of just 10 cities chosen to host one of these special events, leading up to the Classic Film Festival kicking off on April 28th in tinsel town.
Read more about the TCM festival and my interview with Burt Reynolds
People came out in droves just to catch a glimpse of Reynolds (by the way, picking up a certain vintage Cosmopolitan magazine will give you the entire package - no pun) . A line of people started to form as early as 6:30 AM. Most of them were locals, but some came from as far as Indiana. Fortunately for everyone, Reynolds was doing more than just posing outside next to his classic 1977 Pontiac Trans Am parked in front of the theatre. Reynolds took about thirty minutes to entertain questions from TCM host and journalist Ben Mankiewicz. They discussed everything ranging from what it was like during the shooting process on “Smokey” to what “regrets” Reynolds still carries with him.
The conversation was light and Reynolds showed that he still has that timely, yet subtle, wit that made him so endearing to fans over his entire career. Attendees at the Tampa Theatre were excited and hung on his every word. After Reynolds and Mankiewicz concluded their talk, the entire crowd - save for a few press folk - stayed and watched the classic Smokey and the Bandit film. And the cheering during the presentation never stopped. Personally, I forgot just how funny this flick is and how it paved the way for how filmmakers would handle action sequences that encompassed a car. It is not a stretch to say that there would not be a Fast and the Furious franchise if the “Bandit” never came to be.
Instead of writing about it, I was able to capture most of the discussion on video. The cinematography is comparable to a generic documentary made by a 8 year-old. It may even have a snuff film touch to it. Not sure it was the best idea, but the goal was to provide my loyal readers with a fan's perspective of the event. But hey, at least you can stop reading now. The only other pertinent thing I didn’t catch from the chat was Burt Reynolds calling up a kid on stage, who was sporting a cowboy hat and fake moustache in the front row. Reynolds made a trade with the young fan and presented the boy with his own cowboy lid.
After following a portion of his career, speaking with him and seeing him on display at this event…
There will never be anyone that can fill Burt Reynolds’ boots. Plus he has the greatest porn-stache of all-time.
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