Smokey and The Bandit Collection (lenticular hard case, August 2024))

[MrFlix1983]

BONUS FEATURE SPOILER ALERT

Just finished listening to Daniel Kremer's commentary for Smokey and The Bandit Part 3. If there could be an award for 'Commentary that Spent the Least Amount of Time Actually Discussing the Film', he would get it.

I checked in sporadically on the time count listening to Daniel as he "discussed" Smokey 3. The first 15 minutes alone are purely Daniel discussing the topic of movie sequels as a whole and mentioning how the year 1983 contained the most releases of movie sequels than any other year to date, particularly movies in their third outing (Smokey 3, Superman III, Jaws 3D, Amityville 3D, Return of the Jedi, and several others).

Kremer then goes on to talk about the works of several other people that have absolutely nothing to do with the film we are currently watching with him. Yes he talks about the work of Jackie Gleason, but then he brings up Burt Reynolds and his career slump in the 80s, as well as name dropping several directors who have absolutely nothing to do with the world of Smokey and the Bandit like Peter Bogdanovich!

By the time we get to the final four minutes of the film, we hear Kremer saying the phrase "I forgot to talk about...." or "I haven't mentioned yet..." at which point I wanted to scream, "BECAUSE YOU SPENT THE LAST 80 MINUTES TALKING ABOUT ANYTHING BUT THE MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!"

At the beginning, Kremer touches lightly upon the original version of the film, getting us as listeners amped from the get-go as he mentions how he got access to the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts, and Sciences to get access to materials in a folder for the film labeled with as he mentions, six, yes SIX different titles the film went under during production, and then gives us the most simplified summary of the original film as many of us fans already knew, the story of how the original concept was having Jackie Gleason take on the role of both Buford T. Justice AND The Bandit, hence the original title of 'Smokey IS The Bandit'. He also discusses a small bit about the now widely available Teaser Trailer that was shot with Jackie Gleason giving viewers essentially what was going to be the plot of the original film, but that's it.

No stories at all about the original script, plot, characters, not even a mention of the screenwriters themselves, Stuart Birnbaum
and David Dashev who would go on to write the story for 1987's Summer School starring Mark Harmon.

I myself own a copy of the original Smokey IS The Bandit script and there is so much more out of that source that could have been discussed. Unfortunately, as this newly recorded commentary was a major selling point in getting me to purchase this set, I feel a major letdown and disappointment almost as though Daniel Kremer went out of his way to do anything BUT discuss Smokey and the Bandit Part 3.

I'm just about to start Smokey and the Bandit II with the newly recorded commentary from Matthew Asprey Gear, whose work I know nothing of, but hopefully this one will provide a lot more substance than Daniel Kremer's did on Part 3.