The Dukes of Hazzard

Television show about two ne'er-do-well moonshining cousins, named Bo and Luke Duke, with hearts of gold in rural Georgia (Hazzard County) who got into all sorts of mischief, usually foiling the evil schemes of crooked local mayor Boss Hogg and sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane. The show was narrated by Waylon Jennings who also performed the theme song.

Luke Duke was played by Tom Wopat who went on to have a somewhat successful career in country music. The show also spawned short-lived spinoff called Enos about Roscoe's deputy taking a job with a big-city police department, with not-so-hilarious results. Other cast included John Schneider as Bo Duke, Catherine Bach as cousin Daisy Duke, Sorrell Booke as Boss Hogg, Denver Pyle (from Grizzly Adams) as Uncle Jesse Duke.

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Dukes of Hazzard theme

Just two good ole boys, never meanin' no harm
Beats all you never saw,
Been in trouble with the law since the day they was born.
Straightenin' the curves, flattenin' the hills
Someday the mountain might get 'em but the law never will.
Making their way the only way they know how
That's just a little bit more than the law will allow.
Just two good ole boys, wouldn't change if they could,
Fightin' the system like two modern-day Robin Hoods.

I remember this show with an embarrassed fondness. I even remember when it jumped the shark, although I only learned this term recently. It seemed that the producers preceived the real star of the show to be the car, The General Lee. They fired the actors that played Bo and Luke Duke, and hired some replacement lookalikes named cousins Coy and Vance. They had identical hair colors so that the dolls wouldn't need to be changed. As a fan of the show, I was confused. Why did Bo and Luke go off on the stock car racing circuit? Why didn't they visit? Why hadn't we seen Coy and Vance before now? And wouldn't Bo and Luke want to hang on to the General Lee?

Imagine my consternation when, after the ratings sagged, they brought back Bo and Luke and fired the guys who played Coy and Vance. It seemed that Bo and Luke had won all sorts of races. Why hadn't we heard? I felt like there must have been some other show that we just weren't getting.

Show about 2 cousins and their constant thwarting of criminal activity in Hazzard county. The boys are on probation, which means they cannot get caught doing anything wrong, or it's off to jail they go. Also, they can not use firearms, so often they resort to archery using arrows with dynamite attached to get the desired result. The county commissioner, J.D. Hogg, along with sheriff Rosco P. Coltraine are always trying to find ways to land the Duke boys in trouble, so they can be locked up. With help from their friends and family, the Dukes always triumph in the end.

Possibly the most recognizable icon from the show is the General Lee, the orange Dodge Charger painted up to look like a stock car. In one of the first shows, the boys have a stock car engine all ready, but have no car to put it in. One day while checking out the junkyard, they find an old black Charger (although it's never called a Charger in the show). With some bodywork, and some help from their pal Cooter, the General Lee is born.

Cast

• Catherine Bach - Daisy Duke
• James Best - Sheriff Rosco P. Coltraine
• Sorrell Booke - Jefferson Davis (J.D.)Hogg
• Byron Cherry - Coy Duke
• Rick Hurst - Deputy Cletus Hogg
• Waylon Jennings - The Balladeer (narrator)
• Ben Jones - Cooter Davenport
• Christopher Mayer - Vance
• Denver Pyle - Uncle Jesse Duke
• Peggy Rea - Lulu Hogg
• John Schneider - Bo Duke
• Sonny Shroyer - Deputy Enos Strate
• Nedra Volz - Miz Emma Tisdale
• Tom Wopat - Luke Duke

It should be noted that there were 2 sets of cousins. The most recognized pair is Bo and Luke. The other pair, Coy and Vance, were not popular with the fans. CBS watched the ratings drop, and eventually brought Bo and Luke back from the stock car circuit.

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Some information from http://www.tvtome.com