The Dukes of Hazzard

The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985. Among others, it was directed by Jack Starrett following his departure from Starsky and Hutch (1975). Starrett went on to direct Hill Street Blues (1981).

Exposition

The show was loosely based on the movie "Moonrunners" (1975), based on the life and times of Jerry Rushing. In Moonrunners, the "Good Ol' Boys", Grady and Bobby Lee Hagg (pronounced "hogg"), run moonshine for Uncle Jesse Hagg. Uncle Jesse prides himself on his old-fashioned moonshining and refuses to buckle to the 'big business moonshine' tactics of boss Jake, who controls the area for the New York mafia. The last name of the protagonists in the film became the last name of the main antagonist in the TV series. Many characters, including "Uncle Jesse", "Sheriff Cole" (in the series to become "Coltrane"), and "Cooter" are also featured in the film.

The TV series, The Dukes of Hazzard, followed the adventures of two good ol' boys, Bo and Luke Duke, living in an unincorporated area of the fictional Hazzard County, Georgia racing around in their souped-up 1969 Dodge Charger, The General Lee, evading corrupt Boss Hogg and his inept county sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. Bo and Luke had been sentenced to probation for illegal transportation of moonshine.

Many episodes revolved around Boss trying to engage in an illegal scheme with criminal associates. Some of them were "get-rich schemes", though many others affected the financial security of the Duke farm (property which Boss long wanted to acquire for various reasons). Other times, Boss hired known criminals to frame Bo and Luke for crimes such as bank robbery (thus, resulting in probation revocation and allowing Boss to easily acquire the Duke farm). It was up to Bo and Luke to uncover the schemes and foil the criminals.

More than once, however, Boss was targeted by former associates who were either seeking revenge or turned against him after a scheme unraveled due to Boss' greedy nature or Rosco's bumbling. Other times, criminals who were even more crooked and ruthless than Boss came to town. Sheriff Rosco also found himself in trouble more than once. In these common situations, Bo and Luke often had to rescue their local Hazzard adversaries before ultimately defeating the bad guys.

Characters

Main characters

• Bo Duke (John Schneider 1979 to 1981 & 1983 to 1985 Seasons)
• Luke Duke (Tom Wopat 1979 to 1981 & 1983 to 1985 Seasons)
• Wopat's latest
• Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach)
• Uncle Jesse Duke (Denver Pyle)
• Jefferson Davis 'Boss' Hogg (Sorrell Booke).
• Lulu Coltrane Hogg (Peggy Rea)
• Hazzard County Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane (James Best).
• Hazzard County Deputy Sheriff Enos Strate (Sonny Shroyer 1979 to 1980 & 1982 to 1985 Seasons).
• Hazzard County Deputy Sheriff Cletus Hogg (Rick Hurst 1980-1983 Seasons).
• Cooter Davenport (Ben Jones).
• The Balladeer (Waylon Jennings)
• The General Lee, a souped-up 1969 Dodge Charger. It was orange with a Confederate battle flag painted on the roof, and the words "GENERAL LEE" over each door. The name refers to the American Civil War Confederate General Robert E. Lee (During the Civil War, General Lee had a horse named Charger, another connection to the show's car). The windows were always open, as the doors were welded shut; and the car has the number "01" on both sides. (Through the history of the show, an estimated 229 General Lees were used. Twenty still exist in various states of repair. The upper left corner of the "1" in the "01" different, making for a continuity error.)
• Coy Duke (Byron Cherry 1982 To 1983 Season)
• Vance Duke (Christopher Mayer 1982 to 1983 Season)
• Flash, the Basset Hound - dog and Rosco's loyal companion.

Supporting Cast of Characters

Daisy Duke (portrayed by actress Catherine Bach) raced around Hazzard with her cousins, first in a yellow-and-black 1971 Plymouth Road Runner (Although the car was intended to be a Plymouth Roadrunner, some early episodes used a 1974 Charger with a matching "Roadrunner stripe" painted behind the rear window.), and then — after her car was lost over the side of a cliff (depicted in the second season episode The Runaway) — she received her trademark white 1980 Jeep CJ-7 "Golden Eagle", the "Dixie", with a Golden Eagle emblem on the hood. Daisy worked as a waitress at the Boar's Nest, the local bar owned by Boss Hogg. Daisy also has the distinction of having her trademark provocatively high-cut jean short shorts named after her: "Daisy Dukes".

Uncle Jesse (portrayed by actor Denver Pyle) was 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 Hogg, and often provided the cousins with inspirational sage advice. Uncle Jesse drove a mid-1970s Ford F-100 pickup truck.

Cooter Davenport (portrayed by actor Ben Jones) was the Hazzard County mechanic, also known as "Crazy" Cooter. He owned "Cooter's Garage" in Hazzard County Square, directly across from the Police Department and the County Bank. Cooter was also an "Honorary Duke", as he often assisted the Dukes in escaping Rosco's clutches, or helped them to foil Boss Hogg's schemes. Cooter drove a variety of trucks, usually late-1960s to early-1970s Ford or GMC models.

Rosco Pervis Coltrane is the bumbling sheriff of Hazzard County and right-hand man of its corrupt county administrator, Jefferson Davis "J.D." Hogg ("Boss Hogg"). Rosco frequently initiates car chases with Bo and Luke Duke (Hogg's most frequent adversaries), but the Duke boys are often able to easily elude Rosco, who winds up crashing his patrol car in various ways (always escaping uninjured). Rosco's loyal companion (pictured) is Flash.

J.D. (Jefferson Davis) Hogg, (better known as "Boss" Hogg), is the wealthiest man in Hazzard County, and owns most of its property and businesses — whether directly or by holding the mortgages over the land. He is a greedy, corrupt politician with visions of grandeur, a voracious appetite for fatty foods, and constantly orders his bumbling sheriff, Rosco, to "Git them Duke Boys!!" His vehicle was a white 1970 Cadillac Coupe de Ville convertible, with bull horns attached to the hood.

Deputy Enos Strate was generally a friend of the Dukes, but during the early years, he too was involved in car chases with Bo and Luke (since he was Rosco's underling). Only after he returned from his stint in Los Angeles did he totally refuse to harass the Dukes without just cause.

Deputy Cletus Hogg (Boss Hogg's cousin) was also generally friendly and dim-witted, but he would gladly assist Boss and Rosco in their unprovoked pursuit of the Dukes. Each of the Hazzard County Sheriff's Department officers drove various Chrysler "B-body" patrol cars (1976 or 1977 Dodge Monaco, 1977 or 1978 Plymouth Fury).

Recurring characters who appeared occasionally

• Lulu Coltrane Hogg (Peggy Rea), Boss Hogg's wife, and Rosco's "fat sister". Lulu constantly challenged her husband for authority and rallied for equality for women in Hazzard.
• Miz (Emma) Tisdale (Nedra Volz), the elderly postmistress of the Hazzard Post Office; she had a huge crush on Uncle Jesse.
• Sheriff "Big Ed" Little (Don Pedro Colley), the chief law enforcement officer for neighboring Chickasaw County who had a tendency to rip doors off of cars. 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.
• Hughie Hogg (Jeff Altman) Boss Hogg's evil nephew. Drove a white VW Beetle with bull horns on the "hood" similar to Boss Hogg's Caddy.
• Emery Potter, an employee of the Hazzard County Bank who was a friend of the Dukes.
• Doc Appleby (Parley Baer), Hazzard County's most prolific physician.

Memorable characters that appeared once in the series

• Hazel

• "Little Cousin", an alien from outer space, portrayed by actor Felix Silla.

• Mary Kaye

• Abraham Lincoln Hogg, Boss Hogg's identical twin (and good) brother. Played by Sorrell Booke in a dual-role. He wore a black suit and drove a black Cadillac convertible in direct contrast of his brother, J.D., who always wore white and drove a white Cadillac convertible.

Bo and Luke leave the show

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, series stars John Schneider and Tom Wopat walked off the set in a contract dispute over their salaries and merchandising royalties.

Two "replacement Dukes" were subsequently hired (Byron Cherry as Coy, Christopher Mayer as Vance), and the ratings immediately sank. The "faux Dukes" (one of the more polite ways viewers described the "long-lost nephews" of Uncle Jesse) were never popular with viewers, and were immediately written out the show when Schneider and Wopat reached a settlement and returned to the series in early 1983. Some fans consider this period as "The Scabs of Hazzard".

While the return of Bo and Luke was welcomed by hardcore fans, the show never regained its former popularity, and by 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 Covington, 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. There are still gatherings of Dukes of Hazzard fans, the largest of which is the Dukesfest organized by Ben Jones (Cooter Davenport) and his wife. More than 25,000 fans attended the 2 day event in 2005.

The "Cousin Countin' Game"

Many people have tried to decipher the Duke's family tree in an attempt to understand how it is that so many people could be cousins, all with the last name "Duke." The last unofficial word is that Jesse Duke would have had to have come from a family of seven boys, including himself, as he would have had to have six brothers to have produced offspring named "Duke."

• Brother 1 - Luke and Jud Kane's father [Jud Kane appeared the episode "Brotherly Love" (Episode 4, Season 6. Original airdate: 14 October 1983). He is the long lost younger brother of Luke Duke, thought killed in a hospital fire as an infant]
• Brother 2 - Bo's father
• Brother 3 - Daisy's father
• Brother 4 - Coy's father
• Brother 5 - Vance's father
• Brother 6 - Jeb Stuart's father [Jeb Stuart Duke appeared in the episode "Along Came a Duke" (Episode 17, Season 3. Original airdate: 13 February 1981). He rides into Hazzard on a motocross bike]
• Brother 7 - Jesse Duke

Considering Jesse's advanced age, it is possible he may have been a great-uncle to Bo, Luke and Daisy, and thus the brother of their grandfather. As the term "cousin" has a wide range of familial applications, it isn't strictly necessary for all the various cousins depicted on the show to be first cousins.

NOTE: "Gaylord Duke" appeared in the episode "The Duke of Duke" (Episode 13, Season 2. Original airdate: 21 December 1979) claiming to be a cousin by marriage, but turned out to be a con man impersonating their real 3^rd cousin from London, England where he is a priest at a halfway-house.

Theme song

The theme song "The Good Ol' Boys" was written and performed by the late Waylon Jennings. He was also "The Balladeer" (as credited), and served as narrator of the show.

Episode list

A complete listing of "The Dukes of Hazzard" episodes, along with synopsis, can be found at List of The Dukes of Hazzard episodes.

After the show

Movies

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.

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.
• Four video games based on the show were created:
  • The Dukes of Hazzard (unreleased Atari 2600 prototype)
  • The Dukes of Hazzard: Racing for Home (1999)
  • The Dukes of Hazzard 2: Daisy Dukes It Out (2000)
  • The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee (2004)
• 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 Ole Boy" culture and its popularization through the lens of American mass media.

Reruns

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 all television for quite some time. Viacom's country music-themed cable network CMT (the former daughter network to TNN) currently airs the show several times each weekday. CMT Canada and Showcase Action airs The Dukes in Canada. CMT America began airing the series in late February 2005. In the United Kingdom, satellite channel Bravo began reruns in August 2005.

DVD releases

• Season 1 was released on Region 1 DVD in 2004, and on Region 2 DVD on August 15, 2005.
• Season 2 was released on Region 1 DVD on January 25, 2005, and on Region 2 DVD on September 26, 2005.
• Season 3 was released on Region 1 DVD on May 31, 2005, and will be released on Region 2 DVD on November 21, 2005.
• Season 4 was released on Region 1 DVD on August 2, 2005.
• Season 5 was released on Region 1 DVD on December 13, 2005.

Dukes of Hazzard references

• Smallville (TV series): In episode 5-06, "Exposed," Jake Jennings (Tom Wopat), Jonathan Kent (John Schneider)'s oldest friend, rolls onto the Kent farm in a blue Dodge Charger with a General Lee roll bar and the signature General Lee 10-spoke vector wheels. During the episode Jake tells a story of how Jonathan once outran the cops in Chickasaw County, which neighbors fictional Hazzard County in the Dukes of Hazzard. Later in the episode, Lex Luthor refers to Jake Jennings as a "good ol' boy" in a conversation with Jonathan Kent. In a final tip of the hat to The Dukes of Hazzard, Jonathan Kent takes the wheel of the Dodge Charger, Jake Jennings climbs into the passenger window (because the door is stuck), and the pair tear off the farm where thereafter a few shots of short car jumps over the camera, à la Dukes of Hazzard, ensue.

• Family Guy: In the episode, "To Live and Die in Dixie", a thug is after Chris, and Peter's family has to move south from Rhode Island. They relocate to one of the southern states and live in a run down house. "The Duke Boys would be proud" as Peter and Brian convert their station wagon into The General Lee, and always drive the car off a ramp whenever they see one to recreate the Dukes of Hazzard. A particularly memmorable scene depicts Brian Griffin running to jump through the window. However, Brian knocks himself out cold as Peter has left the window closed. Also, in the episode, "Chitty Chitty Death Bang", Peter and Chris go to Cheesy Charlie's, and Peter has a watch with him while he tries to insert his hand into a prize grabber machine in order to cheat, and takes his arm out quickly when Chris appears. A kid plays the machine and pulls out Peter's watch, and says, "What's the Dukes of Hazzard?" Peter tries to steal the watch back from the kid while the screen freezes while Waylon Jennings says a line in a Dukes of Hazzard-esque style.

• Three Wishes: In the episode taped in Covington, Georgia, Amy Grant opened the show driving the General Lee.

• "Weird Al" Yankovic: In his song "eBay" he mentions buying a Dukes of Hazzard ashtray.