East bound and down

So, Eric Fishboy and I had a little fun at the expense of the Hooper theme song the past couple days. It's pretty much a steaming pile of camp, and probably sets the record for use of the word "stuntman" in a single song. I remain a fan, however, of the theme to another old Burt Reynolds flick.

Some of you may scoff, but I've always had a soft spot for the Jerry Reed classic "East Bound and Down" from Smokey and the Bandit. Students of classic cinema may recall the film features an in-his-prime Reynolds as "Bandit" (along with Sally Field as love interest "Frog") in a modified 1977 Pontiac Trans Am partnered with trucker "Snowman" (along with Basset hound Fred), racing against the clock to drive a shipment of beer from Texarkana to Atlanta in 28 hours. I mean, that's practically Shakespearean.

The movie is basically one long chase scene with a suave-as-Lando Bandit taunting cranky Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason) and his dim-witted son. It's not high art, but it's a fun product of its time. I'm not sure how many times Bandit's theme is revisited in the movie, but it sure it good background music for a car chase.

Play it on your own time, but please don't try to outrun the fuzz:

Jerry Reed - East Bound and Down

If you're being chased by Jackie Gleason, feel free to freak out. He's been dead since 1987.

Bonus mp3: Supersuckers - East Bound and Down [live 10-1-2004]