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| audio_format = [[Monaural|Mono]] (1979-1984) <br> [[Stereo]] (1985)
| audio_format = [[Monaural|Mono]] (1979-1984) <br> [[Stereo]] (1985)
| followed_by = ''[[The Dukes]]''<br/>''[[The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning]]''
| followed_by = ''[[The Dukes]]''<br/>''[[The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning]]''
| related = ''[[Moonrunners]]''<br />''[[Enos (TV series)|Enos]]''
| relatedvbcm,xbncx, = ''[[Moonrunners]]''<br />''[[Enos (TV series)|Enos]]''
}}
}}


Revision as of 20:20, 3 December 2009

For the 2005 film, see The Dukes of Hazzard (film).
The Dukes of Hazzard
Title Card
Created byGy Waldron
StarringTom Wopat
John Schneider
Catherine Bach
Denver Pyle
Rick Hurst (1979; 1980-1982)
Sonny Shroyer (1979-1980; 1982-1985)
Ben Jones
James Best
Sorrell Booke
Waylon Jennings
Byron Cherry (1982-1983)
Christopher Mayer (1982-1983)
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons7
No. of episodes145 (list of episodes)
Production
Running timeapprox. 48 minutes
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseJanuary 26, 1979 –
February 8, 1985

The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985. It was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners.

Overview

The television series The Dukes of Hazzard followed Bo and Luke Duke, two cousins living in a rural part of the fictional Hazzard County, Georgia, racing around in their modified 1969 Dodge Charger R/T, The General Lee, evading corrupt county commissioner Boss Hogg and his inept county sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. Bo and Luke had been sentenced to probation for illegal transportation of moonshine - their uncle Jesse made a plea bargain to stop brewing moonshine in return for the boys to forgo jail time and instead be placed on probation. As a result, Bo and Luke were not allowed to carry firearms (they often used compound bows, sometimes tipped with dynamite) or leave Hazzard County (although the exact details of their probation terms varied from episode to episode; sometimes it was implied that they would be jailed for merely crossing the county line; on other occasions, it was shown that they may leave Hazzard as long as they were back within a certain time limit).

Corrupt politician Boss Hogg, who either ran or had fingers in just about everything in Hazzard County (and whose exact powers, much like the terms of the Duke boys' probation, often varied in different episodes) was forever angry with the Dukes, in particular Bo and Luke, for eternally foiling his crooked scams and was always looking for ways to get them out of the picture so his plots had a chance of succeeding. Many episodes revolved around Boss trying to engage in an illegal scheme with criminal associates. Some of these were get-rich-quick schemes, though many others affected the financial security of the Duke farm, which Boss had long wanted to acquire for nefarious reasons. Other times, Boss hired known criminals from out of town to do his dirty work for him, and often tried to frame Bo and Luke for various crimes such as bank robbery (thus resulting in imprisonment and allowing Boss easily to acquire the Duke farm). Bo and Luke always seemed to stumble over Boss' latest scheme, sometimes by curiosity, and often by sheer luck, and put it out of business.

Due to their fundamentally good natures, the Dukes often wound up helping out Boss Hogg, albeit begrudgingly. More than once Boss was targeted by former associates who were either seeking revenge or had turned against him after a scheme unraveled in any number of ways: Boss' greedy nature, Rosco's bumbling, the criminals simply outsmarting the two or their consciences came to the surface. Sometimes criminals who were even more crooked and ruthless than Boss came to town. Sheriff Rosco also found himself in trouble more than once. On such occasions, Bo and Luke usually had to rescue their adversaries as an inevitable precursor to defeating the bad guys; these instances became more regular as the series went on.

Characters

Main characters

  • Lucas K. "Luke" Duke (Tom Wopat) (1979–1982 & 1983–1985) is the dark-haired, slightly older cousin. More mature and rational than his cousin Bo, he was typically the one who thought of the plan that would get the two out of whatever trouble they had gotten into. Luke wore a checked blue shirt (a plain blue shirt in most second season episodes), and a denim jacket over it in early episodes. He was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a former boxer. He was the more physical of the two, often doing stunts like jumping onto moving cars. Luke was best known for his famous "hood slide" across The General Lee, which was seen in the opening credits of the show and later told by Tom Wopat to be an accident because his foot got caught on the side of the General Lee when he attempted to walk across the hood. In the pilot episode "One-Armed Bandits", he mentioned having a car of his own (which Cooter had secretly "borrowed" to run justin off the road "to make him mad", upon which he stole his patrol car for a subsequent car chase with the Duke boys) that mysteriously was never mentioned again after this episode, although it might be assumed that Cooter wrecked it.
Bo Duke
  • Beauregard "Bo" Duke (John Schneider) (1979–1982 & 1983–1985) is the blond-haired Duke boy. He's the younger, wilder one of the pair. He's more of a "shoot first, ask questions later" type, and was often the one to get the duo into the various scrapes they found themselves in. Bo usually wore a cream-yellow shirt (though could be seen wearing a red or blue one on occasion in very early episodes), and for most of the first three seasons, a blue t-shirt underneath (brown in the first episode). An ex-stock car test driver, Bo was the one who, in the earlier episodes at least, drove The General Lee most of the time. He was known for taking the car off wild jumps (and landing without a scratch). Along with Luke, Bo regularly fought on the side of justice against the corrupt law officials in Hazzard. Bo was known for his rebel yell, "Yeeeee-Haaa!"
The Duke boys shared the CB call sign or handle "Lost Sheep."
Daisy Duke, played by Catherine Bach, wearing "Daisy Dukes".
  • Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach) is Bo and Luke's pretty young cousin. She's honest and kind, although she could sometimes be slightly over-trusting and naïve, which led the Duke family into trouble on occasion. She sometimes aspired to be a singer, and at other times a reporter. She raced around Hazzard with her cousins, first in a yellow and black 1974 Plymouth Road Runner (later on it was a Plymouth Satellite) and then in her trademark white 1980 Jeep CJ-7 enchristened "Dixie" with a Golden Eagle emblem on the hood (and the name "Dixie" on the hood sides). Daisy worked as a waitress at the Boar's Nest, the local bar owned by Boss Hogg, as part of an agreement with Boss Hogg so that he would give Uncle Jesse and the boys a loan for a lower interest rate so the boys could purchase the entry fee for a race that they wished to race General Lee in. The arrangement was supposed to be for an indefinite time, but there were several times throughout the series that Boss fired her. However, he always ended up rehiring her at the end of each episode because of various circumstances. Daisy often used her looks and her position at the restaurant to get insider information to help the Dukes in foiling Boss' various schemes. Daisy also has the distinction of having her trademark provocatively high-cut jean short shorts named after her: "Daisy Dukes." She appeared in every episode of the series except one, Season 3's "To Catch a Duke" and her CB handle was "Bo Peep."
  • Jesse Duke, (Denver Pyle) referred to by just about everyone in Hazzard other than Boss Hogg as "Uncle Jesse", is the patriarch of the Duke clan, and the father-figure to all Dukes who stayed with him on the dilapidated "Duke Farm." Jesse apparently had no children of his own, and happily provided for his nephews and niece in the unexplained absence of all of their parents (The creator of the show states on the DVDs that their parents were killed in a car wreck, but it was never mentioned in the show). Jesse Duke, in his youth, had been a Ridge-Runner in direct competition with J.D. Hogg, thus beginning the "feud" between the Dukes and the Hoggs. However, it should be noted that, while both Boss Hogg and Uncle Jesse would scowl at the mention of the other's name, the two enjoyed a lifelong "friendship" of sorts, with one helping the other when in desperate need. Jesse educated his nephews against Boss, and often provided the cousins with inspirational sage advice. Uncle Jesse drove a white 1973 Ford F-100 pickup truck. In the barn, he also had his old moonshine-running car, called "Sweet Tillie" in its first appearance (in the first season episode 'High Octane'), but referred to as "Black Tillie" in subsequent appearances. There seems to be conflicting viewpoints on Jesse's driving style. Sometimes he likes to take things easy, like in one particular episode where he refuses to let Bo and Luke jump the General Lee while he is riding in the back, while at other times he himself performs a jump or two and does plenty of skidding around the corners, like the old ridgerunner he is. In the second season episode "Follow That Still" and the sixth season episode "The Boars Nest Bears", the marriage to and death of his wife is mentioned. He appeared in every episode and his CB handle was "Shepherd."
  • Sheriff Rosco Purvis (P) Coltrane (James Best) is the bumbling sheriff of Hazzard County and right-hand man and brother-in-law of its corrupt county administrator, Jefferson Davis "J.D." Hogg ("Boss Hogg"), whom Rosco referred to as his "little fat buddy", "Little Chrome Dome", and several other names. In the very early episodes, it was mentioned that Rosco spent the first 20 years of his career as a mostly honest lawman, but after the county voted away his pension Rosco joined Hogg in an effort to fund his retirement in his last couple of years as Sheriff. As the series settled down and found its footing, this was soon dropped into the background and not mentioned again (and his role as Sheriff appeared to be open ended). He is also the little brother of Lulu Coltrane Hogg, Boss Hogg's wife. Rosco frequently initiated car chases with Bo and Luke Duke (whom Hogg wanted to get rid of due to them constantly exposing his corrupt schemes), but the Duke boys were usually able to easily elude Rosco, who often wound up crashing his patrol car in various ways whether it be pulling a trick or jumping over a creek (always escaping uninjured). These chases were often the result of Rosco setting up illegal speed traps such as a 55 mph speed limit sign that would change to 35 mph at the press of a button when somebody drove by, or a "Hospital Zone" sign in the middle of nowhere. While he enjoyed "hot pursuit" much like a little boy playing with toy cars would, he (and Boss Hogg as well) never intended for anyone to get seriously hurt. His middle initial, 'P', was added at the start of the second season, and only one episode (the third season's "Mrs. Rosco P. Coltrane", in which he is subject to a scam marriage) revealed his middle name, 'Pervis'.
  • Boss Jefferson Davis "J.D." Hogg, (Sorrell Booke), is the wealthiest man in Hazzard County (except in a 4th season episode, "Ten Million Dollar Sheriff", in which Rosco allegedly inherits $10 million), and owns most of its property and businesses — whether directly or by holding the mortgages over the land. Usually dressed in an all-white suit, he was the fat, greedy, corrupt County Commissioner with visions of grandeur, a voracious appetite for fatty foods, and constantly orders his bumbling sheriff, Rosco, to "Get them Duke Boys!!". Boss Hogg was also married to Rosco's fat sister, a point that did not always sit well with either Boss Hogg or Rosco; Boss often claimed that Rosco was indebted to him because of it. His vehicle was a white 1970 Cadillac Coupe de Ville convertible, with bull horns on the hood. In the first couple of seasons, he was almost always driven around by a chauffeur; from the fourth season onwards, he usually drove himself. His old moonshine-running car was called the "Grey Ghost". Like Rosco, Boss never tried to hurt anybody, including the Dukes, and when one of the Dukes did get hurt by a bad guy from out of town, Boss and Rosco would usually call a truce with the Dukes until said bad guys were caught. Along with Uncle Jesse, Boss appeared in every episode.
  • Cooter Davenport (Ben Jones) is the Hazzard County mechanic, nicknamed "Crazy Cooter". In the very early episodes, he was a wild man, often breaking the law (stealing the Sheriff's patrol car in "One Armed Bandits", reportedly wrecking Luke's car prior to the same episode, running moonshine for Boss Hogg in "Mary Kaye's Baby", and 'borrowing' the President's Limousine for a joy-ride in "Limo One Is Missing"). By the end of the first season, he had settled down and become an easy going good ol' boy. He owned "Cooter's Garage" in Hazzard County Square, directly across from the Sheriff's Department. Cooter was an "Honorary Duke", as he shared the same values and often assisted the Dukes in escaping Rosco's clutches, or helped them to foil Boss Hogg's schemes. During the second season, Ben Jones left the series for a few episodes due to a dispute over whether the character should be unshaven or have a full beard. In his absence, Cooter's place was filled by several of Cooter's supposed cousins who were never mentioned before or since. Jones returned when the dispute was solved—Cooter would be clean shaven. Cooter drove a variety of trucks, including Fords, Chevys, & GMCs. His CB handle was "Crazy Cooter" and he often started his CB transmissions with "Breaker 1, Breaker 1, I might be crazy but I ain't dumb Craaaazy Cooter comin' atcha, any y'all Dukes got yer ears on? Come back!"
  • Deputy Enos Strate (Sonny Shroyer) (1979-1980; 1982-1985), is generally a friend of the Dukes, but, working under Rosco and Boss was often forced into pursuing the Dukes and / or arresting them on trumped up charges. In the very early episodes, Enos was shown to be a rather good driver (and respected as such by Bo and Luke), but by the end of the first season, he was shown to be as an incompetent driver as Rosco (and later Cletus). When he returned from his stint in Los Angeles, he seemed to be able to stand up to Boss and Rosco slightly more, and sometimes refused. In the very early episodes, Rosco frequently called him "Jackass", which soon evolved into the more family friendly "dipstick" as the show become a hit with younger viewers. Enos had a crush on Daisy Duke that she often used to the Dukes' advantage in unraveling Boss and Rosco's schemes. Enos is very much in love with Daisy, and although Daisy is indicated to love him back, it is only as a close friend. In the last-but-one episode, "Enos and Daisy's Wedding", the two plan on getting married, only to have Enos call it off at the last minute due to an attack of hives, brought on by the excitement of possibly being married to Daisy. Later, in the first Reunion movie, Enos and Daisy become a pair again and plan to get married - but this time Daisy backs out at the last minute, upon the unexpected sight of her ex-husband.
  • Deputy Cletus Hogg (Rick Hurst) (1979-1982), Boss Hogg's second cousin twice removed, is also generally friendly and dim-witted. Like Enos, he would often be forced by Rosco and Boss to chase the Dukes on trumped up charges, but while generally good-hearted and sometimes resentful of having to treat the Dukes in such way, he was generally more willing to than Enos. Like Enos, Cletus often ended up landing in water when pursuing the Duke boys in a car chase. Cletus made his first appearance as the driver of a bank truck, part of Boss' latest get-rich-scheme, in the first season episode "Money To Burn", and became temporary deputy while Enos was away in the second season episodes "The Meeting" and "Road Pirates". Leaving a job at the local junkyard, he became permanent deputy in the third season's "Enos Strate To The Top" when Enos left for California. When Enos returned at the start of the fifth season the pair both served as deputies and shared the same patrol car for five episodes before Cletus disappeared (his last appearance being in the episode "Big Daddy"), said to have gone on vacation, never to return (until 1997's Reunion movie after Enos' apparent return to California after the series). Each of the Hazzard County Sheriff's Department officers drove various mid to late '70s Chrysler mid-size B body patrol cars, most often a Dodge Monaco or Plymouth Fury.
  • Coy Duke (Byron Cherry) (1982-1983), the replacement for Bo, is another blond-haired cousin who moved to Uncle Jesse's farm along with cousin Vance after Bo and Luke left Hazzard to join the NASCAR circuit. Supposedly, with cousin Vance, he had previously lived on the Duke farm until 1976, before the series had started. Coy was somewhat more prone to falling in love with the various women that he met during his adventures, and the conflict of interest between his love and his family drove most of the plots during his brief stint on the air. Both characters proved to be unpopular with fans and were written out after 19 episodes due to being a "clone" to Bo. Cherry and Mayer replaced Schneider and Wopat while the latter two were in contract negotiations.
  • Vance Duke (Christopher Mayer) (1982-1983), an obvious replacement for Luke, filled the void of a dark-haired Duke on the show. Like Luke, Vance was more the thinker and the planner of the duo.
  • The Balladeer (voice of Waylon Jennings) sang and played the Dukes of Hazzard theme song, "Good Ol' Boys," and also served as the show's narrator. During each episode, he provided an omniscient viewpoint of the situations presented, and regularly interjected comical asides during crucial plot points (often, during a freeze frame of a cliffhanger scene right before a commercial break) and "down home" aphorisms. (Note that these freeze frame cliffhangers were often abridged in showings in some countries, such as the commercial-free BBC in the United Kingdom). Waylon actually appeared in one episode, the seventh season's aptly titled "Welcome, Waylon Jennings", in which he was presented as an old friend of the Dukes.
  • Flash (Sandy) is a slow-paced Basset Hound and Rosco's loyal companion, who hated Boss (shown by barking at him when she got the chance and Boss would normally scream and tell Rosco "get that flea-bitten hound out o' here, will you?!") but loved the Dukes. She first appeared in the third season episode "Enos Strate To The Top" (although was not formally "introduced" in that episode). According to Sheriff Rosco, Flash was going to replace Enos after he left to work for the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department). Rosco's plans didn't work out, and Enos was replaced by Cletus Hogg. After that Flash mostly rode around with Rosco in "Hot Pursuit". Initially referred to as a boy, Flash was later regularly a girl (despite an occasional male reference afterwards). Flash was added after James Best suggested to the producers that Rosco had a dog.

Recurring characters

Character Actor
Info
Lulu Coltrane Hogg Peggy Rea
Boss Hogg's wife, and Rosco's "fat sister". Lulu constantly challenged her husband for authority and rallied for the equality of women in Hazzard, and was one of the few people in Hazzard that Boss was actually scared of.
Myrtle / Mabel Tillingham Lindsay Bloom
Mabel is Boss's cousin who runs the Hazzard Phone Company, who often sneak listens to calls and lets Boss know what's going on. Her name mysteriously changed from Myrtle to Mabel between the second and third season.
Longstreet B. Davenport Ernie Lively (credited as Ernie W. Brown)
L.B. was Cooter's cousin. He also filled for Cooter when he was away from the garage. L.B. first appeared in "Duke of Duke" and appeared in several other episodes. Ernie Lively also played a character named "Dobro Doolan" in Episode #1, "One Armed Bandits".

NOTE: L.B.'s initials, L.B. were made to be a reference to Luke and Bo.

Hughie Hogg Jeff Altman
Boss Hogg's young nephew, said to be as crooked — maybe even more crooked — as Boss himself. He drove a white VW Beetle with bull horns on the hood, similar to Boss Hogg's Caddy. The character was first introduced in the episode "Uncle Boss", produced early in the second season, but this episode was not broadcast until the third season (for unknown reasons), by which time, Hughie had already been seen as Temporary Sheriff in the second season episode "Arrest Jesse Duke". Typically, Boss would call in Hughie once per season to come up with a particularly dastardly scheme to get rid of the Dukes, before Hughie would turn on Boss and out-smart him. Boss would end up throwing him out of Hazzard at the end of the episode (Despite this, Boss would always give Hughie "one last chance" on his next appearance, until Hughie's final appearance in "When You Wish Upon A Hogg").
Wayne / Norris Roger Torrey
One of Hughie's loyal duo of henchman. Played by the same actor but with different names on different occasions.
Floyd / Barclay Pat Studstill
The other of Hughie's duo of henchman. He and Norris were both bigger than Bo and Luke, but nonetheless struggled in fights against them. Again played by the same actor, but with different names on different occasions.
Emery Potter Charlie Dell
Emery Potter is the part-time Hazzard County registrar and chief teller of the Hazzard Bank. Emery is a soft-spoken man with a low tolerance for anything exciting. He is a friend of the Dukes, and sometimes falls under Boss's crooked schemes simply because he is too timid to stand up for himself. He has also served as Temporary Deputy on occasion.
Dr. "Doc" Petticord Patrick Cranshaw
Hazzard County's long-serving physician.
Miz (Emma) Tisdale Nedra Volz
The postmistress of the Hazzard Post Office, Miz Tisdale ("Emma" to Jesse Duke) was an elderly woman who drove a motorcycle and had a huge crush on Uncle Jesse. She was also a reporter for the Hazzard Gazzette.
Sheriff Edward Thomas "Big Ed" Little Don Pedro Colley
The chief law enforcement officer (driving a 1975 Plymouth Fury patrol car) for neighboring Chickasaw County, he had a tendency to knock fenders off of cars when he wrecked. He was also not afraid to pull out his trusty 12-gauge shotgun and open fire. The ill-tempered sheriff hated Bo and Luke immensely and they were well aware that they were not allowed to enter his county. Sheriff Little was also constantly frustrated by the bumbling performance of Boss and Rosco, although he thought highly of Enos. Waylon Jennings once characterized Sheriff Little's feelings as follows:

"Two things Sheriff Little hates more than anything - Dukes and Rosco P. Coltrane. Every night, he prayed to his maker he'd catch the Dukes before Rosco did."

Dr. "Doc" Appleby Parley Baer
Elderly successor to Doc Petticord.

Notable guest appearances

Throughout its network television run, "The Dukes of Hazzard" had a consistent mix of up-and-comers and established stars make guest appearances.

The celebrity speed trap

One of the show's notable recurring gags was the celebrity speed trap. With orders from Boss Hogg, Rosco would lower the speed limit on a particular road to an unreasonable level so that singers of country music passing that way would be in violation. The singers would then be required to sing at the Boars' Nest in exchange for having their citations forgiven. Typically, the nabbed act would give a parting shot to the nefarious commissioner and his half-witted yes man. Celebrities who were caught included:

Honorable Mention: Mickey Gilley

Gilley appeared as himself for a concert in Hazzard, but was nabbed while leaving and forced to do a second show to nullify his citation.

Vehicles

  • The General Lee was Bo and Luke Duke's 1969 Dodge Charger. It was orange with a Confederate battle flag painted on the roof, and the words "GENERAL LEE" over each door and the number "01" on each door. In the first episode ("One-Armed Bandits"), a Confederate flag along with a checkered racing flag in a criss-cross pattern could be seen behind the rear window. The name refers to the American Civil War Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The television show was based on the movie Moonrunners, itself based on actual moonshine runners who used a 1958 Chrysler named Traveler, after General Lee's horse. The producers changed the name, believing that most viewers would not make the connection.

Since it was built as a race car, the windows were always open, a rollbar was installed, and the doors were welded shut. Through the history of the show, an estimated 309 (the "LEE 1" website says 321; John Schneider says 329) General Lees were used; twenty-three are still known to exist in various states of repair. A replica was owned by John Schneider (Bo), known as "Bo's General Lee". In 2008 Schneider sold "Bo's General Lee" at the Barrett-Jackson automobile auction for $450,000; the underside of the hood has the signatures of the cast from the 1997 TV movie. The show also used 1968 Chargers (which shared the same sheet metal) by changing the grille and taillight panel to the 1969 style, and removing the round side marker lights. These Chargers performed many record-breaking jumps throughout the show, almost all of them resulting in a completely destroyed car. The Duke boys had added a custom air horn to the General which played the first twelve notes of the song Dixie. Warner Brothers purchased several Chargers for stunts, as they generally destroyed at least one or two cars per episode. By the end of the show's sixth season, the Chargers were becoming harder to find, and more expensive, so the producers used radio-controlled miniatures or recycled stock jump footage. The third episode, "Mary Kaye's Baby", is the only episode of the entire run that (bar the opening and closing credits) the General Lee does not appear in. In that episode Bo and Luke drove around in a blue 1975 Plymouth Fury they borrowed from Cooter (which unbenownst to them he'd loaded with moonshine to deliver for Boss Hogg, a slip-up that could've wrecked their probation) that Luke later blew up with a stick of dynamite during a duel with some mobsters.

  • A 1974 Plymouth Roadrunner[6] (yellow with a black stripe) was used by Daisy Duke in the first five episodes of the first season. For the last episodes of the first season and the second season, a similarly painted 1971 Plymouth Satellite[7] with a matching "Road Runner" stripe was used until Bo and Luke sent it off a cliff in "The Runaway". At the end of that episode, she is given her Golden Eagle Jeep "Dixie" (Due to the episodes being broadcast in a different order to that of which they were filmed, the Plymouth made several returns after it was supposedly destroyed).
  • Dixie was the name given to Daisy Duke's trademark white 1980 Jeep CJ-7 "Golden Eagle" which had a Golden Eagle emblem on the hood and the name "Dixie" on the sides. Like other vehicles in the show, there was actually more than one Jeep used throughout the series. Sometimes it would have an automatic transmission, and other times it would be a manual. When the Jeep was introduced at the end of the second season's "The Runaway", it was seen to have doors and a slightly different paint-job, but from thereafter the doors were removed and the paint-job was made all-white, with 'Dixie' painted on the sides of the hood. These Jeeps were leased to the producers of the show by American Motors Corporation in exchange for a brief mention in the closing credits of the show.
  • Uncle Jesse's Truck, a white Ford Pickup truck, most commonly a Sixth generation (1973–1977) F100 Styleside.[8] However, in the earliest episodes it had a Flareside bed, and varied between F100 and F250 models throughout the show's run. Daisy also drove Jesse's truck on occasion.
  • Boss Hogg's Cadillac, a white 1970 Cadillac De Ville convertible,[9] with large bull horns for a hood ornament. While for much of the series a chauffeur called Alex drove it, in later years, Hogg became the car's principal driver and frequently challenged others by invoking his driving expertise from his days as a ridge-runner. Unlike other vehicles in the series, Boss Hogg's Cadillac is typically treated with kid gloves.

Coy and Vance

The Dukes of Hazzard was consistently among the top-rated television series (at one point, ranking second only to Dallas, which immediately followed the show on CBS' Friday night schedule). Then, in the spring of 1982, before filming of the fifth season, series stars John Schneider and Tom Wopat walked off the set in a contract dispute over their salaries and merchandising royalties.

Two lookalike replacements were subsequently hired (Byron Cherry as Coy Duke and Christopher Mayer as Vance Duke). Bo and Luke were said to have gone to race on the NASCAR circuit (how they managed to do this bearing in mind their probation conditions, was never explained; CBS had rights to NASCAR's biggest race, the Daytona 500, at the time, and also two other races). The scripts for Coy and Vance were originally written for Bo and Luke but with their names quite literally crossed out[citation needed] and Coy and Vance penned in. The new Dukes (the previously unmentioned nephews of Uncle Jesse, who were said to have left the farm in 1976, before the show had started) were unpopular with the great majority of viewers, and the ratings immediately sank. Much of the criticism was that Coy and Vance were nothing but direct clones of Bo and Luke, something that creator Gy Waldron himself has said was wrong.[citation needed] Hit hard by the significant drop in ratings, Warner Brothers renegotiated with Wopat and Schneider, and eventually a settlement was reached and the original Duke boys returned to the series in early 1983, at the tail-end of the fifth season.

Although Coy and Vance were never popular with the majority, many viewers were disappointed by their departure episode, "Welcome Back, Bo 'N' Luke", which was very much a standard episode, with the return of Bo and Luke and the departure of Coy and Vance tagged onto the beginning.

While the return of Bo and Luke was welcomed by hardcore and casual viewers alike, the show never completely recovered to regain its former popularity. One of Wopat and Schneider's disputes even before they left was what they considered to be increasingly weak and formulaic scripts. With Wopat and Schneider's return, the producers agreed to try a wider scope of storylines, even including some science fiction tones in certain episodes. However, although it continued for two more seasons, the show never fully returned to its former glory, at the end of its seventh season in 1985, The Dukes of Hazzard quietly ended its run.

Tourist attraction

Although Hazzard County, Georgia was a fictional location (the early episodes of the show were filmed in Atlanta,[10] Covington and Conyers, Georgia), the real-life town of Hazard, Kentucky was a beneficiary of the show's popularity. Members of the cast were frequent visitors to the town's annual Black Gold Festival.[11] There are still gatherings of Dukes of Hazzard fans, the largest of which is the Dukesfest, which is now held at the Music City Motorplex in Nashville, Tennessee and organized by Ben Jones (Cooter Davenport) and his wife. More than 100,000 fans attended the two day event in 2006; it was the largest gathering of fans for a TV show in history.

Theme song

Main article: "Theme from 'The Dukes of Hazzard' (Good Ol' Boys)"

The theme song "The Good Ol' Boys" was written and performed by Waylon Jennings. He was also "The Balladeer" (as credited), and served as narrator of the show. However, the Jennings theme song that is currently available for purchase is not the same version that was used on the show's opening credits. The differences being the show featured a different verse ["...Fightin' the system like-a two modern day Robin Hoods"], an enhanced bass line, a shorter length, and includes the famous "Yee-haw" yell at the end.

The radio/commercial version does not include a banjo being played on it. The television features a banjo, most likely played by Waylon Jennings himself. The list of musicians on either version is not available, but is possibly made up of Jennings' group The Waylors.

Episode list

Main article: List of The Dukes of Hazzard episodes

Spin offs

  • The character of Deputy Sheriff Enos Strate was spun off into his own short-lived detective show called Enos, which ran from 1980–81.
  • An animated version of the show called The Dukes aired in 1983. The first season fell under the Coy and Vance era of the live-action show and thus they were adapted into animated form. By the second season, Bo and Luke had returned, and they replaced Coy and Vance in the cartoon.
  • Five video games based on the show were created:
  • In 2005, the Humana Festival of New American Plays premiered a full-length comedy-drama entitled Hazzard County by Allison Moore. The story centers on a young widowed mother and a visit she receives from a big city television producer. Interspersed with recollections of Bo, Luke, and Daisy, the play takes a deep look at southern "Good Ol' Boy" culture and its popularization through the lens of American mass media.

The second season episodes "Jude Emery", about a Texas Ranger, and "Mason Dixon's Girls", about a travelling private investigator and his female associates, were both pilots for proposed shows. Both failed to sell.

Broadcast history and overseas

  • The series was originally broadcast in America by CBS on Friday nights, at 8 p.m., preceding Dallas.
  • Until TNN was purchased by Viacom, it aired reruns of The Dukes of Hazzard. Some months after the creation of "The New TNN" (shortly before its change to "Spike TV"), the program was absent from much of television for quite some time. Viacom's country music-themed cable network CMT (the former sister network to TNN) aired the show from 2005-2007 at 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. eastern time every weekday. CMT America began airing the series in late February 2005.
  • The series was broadcast by BBC One in the United Kingdom, debuting on Saturday 3 March 1979 at 9pm. (just several months after it began in the US). Popular with all ages, it soon moved to a more family friendly Monday evening slot at 7.20pm. Soon a massive hit, it moved from Monday evenings to prime time Saturday evening, where it stayed for a number of years. Later when ratings began to dip (partly caused by the change to Coy and Vance, and partly to do with competition from ITV, with new hit shows such as The A-Team), it moved back to Mondays, making the odd return for short runs on Saturdays. Late episodes also popped up occasionally on Sunday afternoons, and the tail-end of the series was broadcast on weekday mornings during school holidays in the late 1980s.
  • In 1992, UK satellite channel Sky1 bought a package of the program, owning the rights to the first 60 episodes produced (running up to "The Fugitive"), showing the series on Saturday afternoons at 4 p.m. They later showed the episodes they owned again, including a stint showing it in a weekday 3 p.m. slot, running for fifty minutes (including commercials) with the episodes heavily edited for time as a result, often leaving gaps in the plot. Despite requests from fans, they did not secure the rights to later episodes.
  • UK satellite channel Bravo began reruns in August 2005. It also airs Monday-Thursday on ABC Family.
  • The show was also shown in the Netherlands by Dutch broadcasting organization AVRO, with Dutch sub-titles, rather than being dubbed.

Syndication

Some television stations and cable networks that aired the show in syndication:

Films

There were two made-for-TV reunion movies, The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! (1997) and The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood! (2000)

A feature film remake of the series, The Dukes of Hazzard premiered on August 5, 2005. It earned over $113 million dollars worldwide, although it was critically panned. A second Dukes of Hazzard film, The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning , a prequel to the original (and the series) was a TV movie and also went straight to DVD release.

DVD releases

Warner Home Video has released all 7 seasons of The Dukes of Hazzard on DVD in Region 1 & 2. The two TV-movies that followed the series were released on DVD on June 10. 2008.[12]

DVD Name Ep # Region 1 Additional features
The Complete 1st Season 13 June 1, 2004
  • Commentary By John Schneider and Catherine Bach (Episode: One Armed Bandits)
  • The 20th Anniversary Hazzard County Barbecue (Reunion Documentary)
  • Dukes Driving 101: A High Octane Salute (Featurette Including Interviews With Professional Race Car Drivers)
  • The Dukes Of Hazzard: The Return Of The General Lee Video Game Trailer
The Complete 2nd Season 23 January 25, 2005
  • Extreme Hazzard: documentary gallery covering the 25th anniversary festival and featuring series stars, stunt drivers, and fans
  • John Schneider and Tom Wopat screen tests
The Complete 3rd Season 22 May 31, 2005
  • A special welcome: season introduction by Tom Wopat, John Schneider, and Catherine Bach
  • DukesVision on-camera commentary on episode 4 "And in This Corner, Luke Duke" by cast members
  • Bo, Luke & Daisy: Just Good Ole Friends: the stars reminisce
  • Dukes Family Tree with series creator Gy Waldron
The Complete 4th Season 26 August 2, 2005
  • Commentary by Tom Wopat, John Schneider, and Catherine Bach on Double Dukes
  • The Dukes Story: Building a Legend
The Complete 5th Season 22 December 13, 2005
  • Hazzard County Stunt Team: Reunited and in Your Face!: the original stunt team pays tribute to coordinator Paul Baxley
  • Cooter's Place: Keeping the Dream Alive: Visit Ben Jones' shrine to all things Hazzard
The Complete 6th Season 22 May 30, 2006
  • "Back Where We Started: The Real Hazzard County": tour the original Hazzard County in Georgia with Ben "Cooter" Jones and Sonny "Enos" Shroyer
  • "General Lee: The Legendary Charger": the history and design of the awesome automobile
The Complete 7th Season 17 December 5, 2006
  • A Tribute to Waylon Jennings
  • Good 'Ol Boys Music Video featuring John Schneider, Tom Wopat and Catherine Bach
  • Behind-the-scenes-look at the making of above music video
Two Movie Collection 2 June 10, 2008
  • The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! (1997)
  • The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood! (2000)

Video games

The iconic General Lee has featured in many video games such as Driver 2 in which the first car eligible for driving in Vegas is similar to a Dodge Challenger (instead of a Charger) painted on the General Lee's orange color, but the roof is black. In Project Gotham Racing 4, the achievement "01 Yee Haw" can be unlocked if a Dodge Challenger Concept is driven over a certain jump and lands on two wheels. And in Burnout Paradise, the "Cavalry Bootlegger" is one of the drivable vehicles from the "Legendary Cars" pack. It features hidden headlights, brush guard, open side windows, the number "01" from both sides, a Mexican flag on top and includes the famous "Dixie" car horn.

Other media

  • In 1982, Johnny Cash wrote a song called "The General Lee", which, of course, was about the General Lee, and was incredibly popular with Dukes of Hazzard fans.
  • In the seventh season opening episode of South Park, "Cancelled", Chef (Isaac Hayes) has to out run aliens disguised roughly as officers. There are two jumps and in both, The General Lee's horn is heard. In the midst of the first jump an impersonation of Waylon Jennings as the Balladeer is heard. Also there is a sign featuring a Boss Hogg-like character called 'Big Pig' on a billboard and after Chef lands the car and Kenny, Kyle, Stan and Cartman are abducted, the Balladeer is heard again. (The Dixie horn is actually taken from the first General Lee jump at the beginning of the first Dukes episode, "One Armed Bandits").
  • During the 2006 TV Land Awards opening montage of classic television theme songs, Tom Wopat and John Schneider sing a portion of "Good Ol' Boys" while scenes and opening credits of The Dukes of Hazzard roll on a jumbotron behind them. Later in the program, Wopat and Schneider presented the TV Land Pop Culture Award to the cast of Dallas, the show The Dukes of Hazzard preceded for its entire 7-season run on CBS.
  • The first season Knight Rider episode "Give Me Liberty...or Give Me Death" features a recognizable General Lee, as a car in an alternate-fuel car race. The alternative-fuel which powers the car is in fact moonshine, which ties the General Lee to its roots as a NASCAR and of course its home base of the American South. Missing its trademark flag, horn, and number, it retains the correct paint color and wheels. It is driven by the moonshine-drinking "Prince Brothers" (as opposed to the "Duke Boys"). The episode featured the simultaneous onscreen appearance of The General Lee, and KITT, the new hero-car for the 1980s. (Early TV Guide ads for Knight Rider featured KITT over-taking a car closely resembling the General Lee, introducing TV's new super-car.)
  • In three occasions on Nickelodeon, the General Lee's horn is heard. The first occasion is in the third Jimmy/Timmy Power Hour (when Jimmy and Timmy are trying to save their universes, they drive a monster truck with the Dixie horn). the other occasion is in "Parties" episode of Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. when Suzie is about to leave Seth's party, the Dixie horn is heard at least twice. (First time she says, "That's my mom. Got a long drive back." The second time: "Ohh, I hate that horn!"). Another occasion on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide episode "New Kids" Cookie has the teacher to announce that he is the Duke of Hazzard.
  • In a series of Bojangles chicken advertisements in 2007, Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme and wide receiver Steve Smith are seen driving around in a General Lee-like Dodge Charger with a chicken head and tail attached. One scene shows the car "jumping" over a hapless-looking law enforcement officer. Some versions of the commercial also show the pair throwing footballs at a barn, when explodes upon contact with the footballs, an obvious homage to Bo and Luke's bow and arrows.
  • In the NCIS episode Heartland, when Gibbs, McGee and Ziva are in Gibbs' hometown, and meet Gibbs' father, Tony refers to the town as "Hazzard County," and Abby says, "Look, Bo, there's our good ol' boy now." And as she turns on the monitor, to see McGee and Ziva, Abby says, "Hey, Luke, how's Uncle Jesse", referring to McGee as Luke and Gibbs as Uncle Jesse.

References

  1. ^ http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_16856-AMC-Matador-1978.html
  2. ^ http://imcdb.org/vehicle_15914-Dodge-Polara-1970.html
  3. ^ http://imcdb.org/vehicle_15916-Dodge-Monaco-1975.html
  4. ^ http://imcdb.org/vehicle_14437-Dodge-Monaco-1977.html
  5. ^ http://imcdb.org/vehicle_4847-Plymouth-Fury-1978.html
  6. ^ http://seriouswheels.com/1970-1979/1974-Plymouth-Roadrunner-White-FA.htm
  7. ^ http://www.lhmopars.com/MOPAR_Ads/1971_Plymouth_Satellite_Sebring_ad.html
  8. ^ http://hazzardnet.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=623
  9. ^ http://vfrclc.org/images/PPer70.jpg
  10. ^ Atlanta Time Machine - Dukes of Hazzard
  11. ^ Hensley, Steve (2009-09-17). "A look back at the 1981 Black Gold Festival". WYMT-TV. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  12. ^ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Dukes-Hazzard-2-TV-Movie-Collection/9038
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