That time "Smokey and the Bandit" blew up an Atlanta roller coaster

Georgia is home to scores of film projects thanks to tax policies passed a few years ago, but post-2008 isn't the first time Hollywood came calling. Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason and others were here in 1976 for "Smokey and the Bandit" and again in 1980 for the sequel. It was at the end of Smokey II that a roller coaster known as the "Greyhound" at the old Lakewood Fairgrounds was blown up as part of a sensational scene.

Check out these retro fabulous photos from the AJC archives!

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