©1977 Universal City Studios, Inc. All rights reserved.
| Mono |
| Pressing Location |
DiscoVision Carson |
| Label Color |
Blue |
| Retail Price |
$15.95 |
| Issued |
December 1978 |
|
| Side |
Frames |
Running Time |
|
| 1 |
35,257 |
24min 29sec |
| 2 |
35,105 |
24min 56sec |
| 3 |
35,197 |
24min 27sec |
| 4 |
33,135 |
23min 23sec |
|
|
139,223 |
96min 42sec |
|
| Ratings |
|
| Video Transfer |
  |
| Audio Transfer |
|
| Replication |
 |
|
| Packaging |
|
| Large Open-Top |
| Open-Top |
 |
| Side-Open Sticker |
|
| Printed |
|
|
Pressing Notes
At some point, there was a mastering of Smokey and the Bandit which began the frame counter on side 1 at the
beginning of the DiscoVision bumper. This is a departure from normal masterings of the title. Further, this mastering
also used the red bumpers, rather than the typical orange bumpers of most copies. Since the CLV Extended Play edition
used the "orange bumper" transfer, we can only assume the "red bumper" version came first, however, copies of both have
been found in printed jackets. There seems to be no reason behind the differences.
On the transfer side, the "red bumper" version has more contrast, which gives the colors real vibrance and power. This
is not necessarily good, since it almost appears oversaturated. The dark scenes - especially on side 1 - take on a
blue hue as well, which was corrected on the "orange bumper" mastering. The audio transfer is also softer than the "orange
bumper" version and seems to contain a bit more background hiss. Overall, I must chose the "orange" transfer as my
transfer of choice.
There is no clear way to tell the 'red bumper' earlier versions from the later 'orange' version. All of the original
copies were 'red' but there is a mix after that. There are some copies that have a 'red' side 3 and an 'orange' side 4.
| Mono |
| Pressing Location |
DiscoVision Carson |
| Label Color |
Red |
| Retail Price |
$29.99 |
| Issued |
July 1981 |
|
| Side |
Chapters |
Running Time |
|
| 1 |
5 |
48½ min |
| 2 |
4 |
47½ min |
|
|
9 |
96 minutes |
|
| Ratings |
|
| Video Transfer |
|
| Audio Transfer |
|
| Replication |
|
|
| Packaging |
|
| Large Open-Top |
| Open-Top |
| Side-Open Sticker |
| Printed |
|
|
Pressing Notes
The CLV edition of Smokey and the Bandit replaced the CAV version in July 1981. The transfer taken from the
same master used for the "orange bumper" CAV version, complete with side ending fadeouts and blips of side opening
music.
Smokey and the Bandit was reissued in July 1984 on MCA Home Video. The disc was a Japanese pressed CLV disc
which had a terrible transfer and suffered from speckle problems. This version is out of print.
Smokey and the Bandit received a widescreen (1.85:1) release on MCA/Universal Home Video (Catalog #: 42938) in
October 1996. This new edition boasts a new transfer which is much better than the July 1984 edition. The image is
not quite as bright as the DiscoVision transfer, but is properly balanced. The widescreen image does show slightly
more on the sides but looses some vertical information which was present in the previous full frame transfers due to
the 1.85:1 matte.
This same widescreen transfer was issued on the DVD in October 1998 by
Universal Studios Home Video. As is the norm with all studios lately, the artwork used is completely new and bears
no resemblence to the original artwork.
Return to MCA DiscoVision Catalog
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Updated: September 7, 2004
Copyright ©2004 Blam Entertainment Group
