May 27 was the release date in 1977 of the box office hit "Smokey and the Bandit," which followed the cop-avoiding high-speed adventures of two men running beer from Texarkana to Atlanta, Georgia. The film starred Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason and Jerry Reed. It grossed 70 times what it cost and popularized the Trans Am automobile. However, no part of the filming occurred in Texarkana; all filming occurred in Florida.