Smokey and the Bandit II

**Smokey and the Bandit II** is a 1980 film starring Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Dom DeLuise, Sally Field, Paul Williams and Pat McCormick, directed by Hal Needham, written by Jerry Belson and Brock Yates and produced by Mort Engelberg.

## Plot

Big Enos Burdette is running for Governor of Texas against another candidate, John Coen. After a figurative and literal "mudslinging," both are confronted by the outgoing governor and given a thorough tongue-lashing. Burdette overhears the governor yelling at an assistant to take responsibility for transporting a crate of unknown content from Miami to the Republican Party convention in Dallas. Burdette schemes to deliver the crate to the convention. He enlists Bandit and Cledus to carry out the task.

Cledus attempts to convince the Bandit to "do it one last time." Unfortunately, in the time since their previous challenge, the Bandit has split from his love interest Carrie, a.k.a. "Frog", and become an alcoholic. The Bandit is said to be "the only man in the world to drink up a Trans Am." Cledus seeks the help of Frog to encourage the Bandit to sober up, since Big Enos has raised the stakes to $400,000. Frog abandons her second attempt at marrying Buford T. Justice's son Junior. She is initially persuaded more by the money than her love for Bandit. She buys him a 1980 Pontiac Trans Am named "Son of Trigger," powered by the Pontiac 301 Turbo, by trading in Junior's car.

A race ensues as the trio once again tries to outrun and outwit Justice and Junior. They make it to Miami with little trouble, even fooling a Florida Highway Patrol speedtrap along the way. Their cargo is in quarantine for three weeks, and they need to get it to Dallas in three days. When they steal it, the mysterious cargo turns out to be an elephant (mascot of the Republican Party), whom they name Charlotte after Snowman says she reminded him of his Aunt Charlotte and smelled like her, too. When Cledus opens the crate, Charlotte nearly tramples Frog. The Bandit saves the day by doing a backflip onto the elephant's back and riding her out of the quarantine shed. Noticing a splinter stuck in her foot, the Bandit removes it, and the elephant takes a shine to him. Cledus fears Charlotte is in poor health. They meet an Italian gynaecologist at a gas station. The doctor refuses to help, but sees his ambulance driver speed away, leaving him stranded. After the Bandit and Cledus bribe him, he agrees to ride in the truck with the elephant. Upon the doctor's check-up, Charlotte is discovered to be pregnant.

As they try to make Burdette's deadline, the doctor pleads with the Bandit for some time off so Charlotte can rest. He reluctantly gives in twice, Frog citing Bandit's desire to regain his lost fame of the past. At a restaurant, she sees him scribbling on a napkin a picture of Charlotte cradled by suspended netting to keep her off of her feet. She becomes furious and leaves. The Bandit follows and Frog says when he likes himself again, she would consider seeing him again.

Bandit makes his drawing a reality in a near drunken stupor, and the doctor agrees that the idea will work. Meanwhile, Justice enlists the help of his brothers; Reginald Van Justice (a Mountie loosely based on Gleason's earlier "Reginald Van Gleason" character) from Quebec, and Gaylord Justice (an effeminate cop from another part of Texas), with both played by Gleason in a triple role. Justice lures the Bandit into a valley, with a line of Mounties (in red police cars) on one hillside, Texas Rangers, in white cars, on the other. Bandit orders Cledus to continue delivering Charlotte to Dallas. Cledus returns with a convoy of trucks to help destroy all of the police cars. After the mass destruction, only Buford, Gaylord, and Reginald come out relatively unscathed. Bandit and Cledus escape by driving across a bridge of tractor trailers. As the Justices follow, a trailer pulls out, resulting in their cars being destroyed. Buford's car is still operable, though folded in the middle and missing its doors and roof. Justice and Junior drive off the road, hitting an embankment, throwing Junior into a pond. When asked what he was thinking about, Buford simply says, "Retiring." Meanwhile, Bandit allows Charlotte to rest at an animal park where she gives birth to her child, then finally comes to his senses about using her to win the Burdettes' bet when he sees her crying, realizing she's still a living, breathing person that he had been treating like dirt for his own personal reasons.

Bandit informs Frog he likes himself again, and that he does not want to spend the rest of his life without her. When she asks about Burdette's bet, he says they could still get the elephant to Dallas safely (though late). He shows her Charlotte and her baby in circus-like chariots, Frog is overjoyed. Bandit asks Charlotte if it is fine to marry Frog, to which Charlotte responds loudly. They drive away with Charlotte and her baby in tow, with Buford pursuing them in a bus.