Interested in a stunt show that benefits a veterans group and honors the 40th anniversary of "Smokey and the Bandit"?
Unless you're in the Atlanta area, you've got a long way to go, and a short time to get there.
The Bandit Jump, set for Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, will feature music, driving stunts and a scheduled appearance by the Bandit himself, Burt Reynolds. The main event: A re-creation of one of the movie's famous scenes, where Reynolds and Sally Field soar over a busted bridge to the frustration of pursuing lawmen, including Jackie Gleason:
Proceeds from the event will go to Veterans in Film and Television, a group of current and former service members that helps vets navigate the entertainment industry. Its ranks include troops-turned-stuntmen; one of that industry's most prominent figures, Hal Needham, served as an Army paratrooper before a career that included directing "Smokey and the Bandit."
He founded Stunts Unlimited in 1970. Mike Smith, a Stunts Unlimited member and second-unit director, has served as an adviser and guest speaker for VFT and hired several members for his shoots, according to Karen Kraft, chair of VFT's board of directors.
Needham died in 2013. Jerry Reed, who played Snowman and sang much of the film's soundtrack, died in 2008. To honor the longtime veteran advocate who served in the Army in the 1950s, fans of the film created Snowman's Run, a nonprofit group that raises money for wounded service members through events and charity rides.
Its weeklong celebration of the film's 40th anniversary will conclude in Atlanta, coinciding with The Bandit Jump and the end of The Bandit Run, another weeklong trek that began in Texarkana, on the Texas-Arkansas border.
Reynolds made a similar journey, with Gleason on his tail, in the 1977 movie. It spawned two sequels and took in more than $126 million, a figure that, when adjusted for inflation, puts it at No. 72 all-time.
It was not, however, the highest-grossing film that debuted that year. Adjusted for inflation, "Star Wars" has taken in nearly $1.6 billion since it opened.
Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.
