“While prepping 'Smokey,' I saw a picture in a magazine of a Pontiac Trans Am that gave me a product placement idea. I could picture Burt Reynolds behind the wheel with Jackie Gleason on the chase. I called Pontiac and asked if they would like to have the car in the movie.”

American stuntman, film director, actor, writer, and NASCAR team owner

Hal Needham was an American stuntman, film director, actor, writer, and NASCAR team owner. He became known for his long association with Burt Reynolds and for work on action comedies built around cars and speed. His best-known credits include Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper, The Cannonball Run, and Stroker Ace. Across those films, his reputation grew from stunt work into directing and other screen roles, often in projects centered on automobiles and high-energy action.