On August 29, 1976, Hal Needham hosted an "Ugly Dog Contest" to find a local dog to play the part of Snowman's dog; Fred.
An article was published in The Atlanta Constitution newspaper on Thursday 8/26. The criterion was to find "the dumbest, ugliest, most lethargic male dog in the Southeast." By 2 pm on Sunday, a total of 432 dogs had arrived for the competition at the Atlanta Civic Center. Hal Needham narrowed the contestants down to 10 finalists. Burt Reynolds was the judge tasked with choosing from the final lineup.
Burt selected a 2-year-old basset hound named "Happy," owned by John McCullough. One of the perks of using his dog was that John earned a bit part in the movie. He played one of the bikers in the scene where Snowman gets into a bar fight.
Links:
- Reynolds To Pick Ugly Dog - The Atlanta Constitution - Aug 26, 1976
- Dog Day Afternoon - Pt 1 - The Atlanta Constitution - Aug 30, 1976
- Dog Day Afternoon - Pt 2 - The Atlanta Constitution - Aug 30, 1976
- Ugliest Dog - The Atlanta Journal - Aug 30, 1976
- The Bandit: Documentary - ▶⸏ CMT - 2016
- Smokey And The Bandit 40th Cast Reunion - ▶⸏ Interview with John McCullough - Bandit Run/Snowmans Run - 2017
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