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Posted on 01/28/2019 4:24:29 AM PST by vannrox
When The Dukes of Hazzard premiered on January 26, 1979, it was intended to be a temporary patch in CBS’s primetime schedule until The Incredible Hulk returned. Only nine episodes were ordered, and few executives at the network had any expectation that the series—about two amiable brothers at odds with the corrupt law enforcement of Hazzard County—would become both a ratings powerhouse and a merchandising bonanza. Check out some of these lesser-known facts about the Duke boys, their extended family, and the gravity-defying General Lee, which made their small-screen debut 40 years ago today.
CBS chairman William Paley never quite bought into the idea of spinning his opinion to match the company line. Having built CBS from a radio station to one of the “Big Three” television networks, he had harvested talent as diverse as Norman Lear and Lucille Ball, a marked contrast to the Southern-fried humor of The Dukes of Hazzard. In his 80s when it became a top 10 series and seeing no reason to censor himself, Paley repeatedly and publicly described the show as “lousy.”
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While John Schneider and Tom Wopat were the ostensible stars of the show, both the actors and the show's producers quickly found out that the main attraction was the 1969 Dodge Charger—dubbed the General Lee—that trafficked brothers Bo and Luke Duke from one caper to another. Of the 60,000 letters the series was receiving every month in 1981, 35,000 wanted more information on or pictures of the car.
When the show began casting in 1978, producers threw out a wide net searching for the leads. Dennis Quaid was among those interested in the role of Luke Duke—which eventually went to Wopat—but he had a condition: he would only agree to the show if his then-wife, P.J. Soles, was cast at the Dukes’ cousin, Daisy. Soles wasn’t a proper fit for the supporting part, which put Quaid off; Catherine Bach was eventually cast as Daisy.
New York native Schneider was only 18 years old when he went in to read for the role of Bo Duke. The problem: producers wanted someone 24 to 30 years old. Schneider lied about his age and passed himself off as a Southern archetype, strutting in wearing a cowboy hat, drinking a beer, and spitting tobacco. He also told them he could do stunt driving. It was a good enough performance to land him the show.
After Schneider was cast, the show needed to locate an actor who could complement Bo. Stage actor Wopat was flown in for a screen test; Schneider happened to be in the bathroom when Wopat walked in after him. The two began talking about music—Schneider had seen a guitar under the stall door—and found they had an easy camaraderie. After flushing, the two did a scene. Wopat was hired immediately.
Bach’s omnipresent jean shorts were such a hit that any kind of cutoffs quickly became known as “Daisy Dukes,” after her character. But they were so skimpy that the network was concerned censors wouldn’t allow them. A negotiation began, and it was eventually decided that Bach would wear some extremely sheer pantyhose to make sure there were no clothing malfunctions.
Shirley Moore, Bach’s former grade school teacher, went on to work in the White House. After Bach sent her a poster, she was surprised to hear back that then-First Lady Nancy Reagan was enamored with it. “I’m the envy of the White House and I’m having your poster framed,” Moore wrote in a letter. “Mrs. Reagan saw the picture and fell in love with it.” Bach sent more posters, which presumably became part of the decor during the Reagan administration.
Wopat and Schneider famously walked off the series in 1982 after demanding a cut of the show’s massive merchandising revenue—which was, by one estimate, more than $190 million in 1981 alone. They were replaced with Byron Cherry and Christopher Mayer, “cousins” of the Duke boys, who were reviled by fans for being scabs. The two leads eventually came back, but it wasn’t the only time Warner Bros. had to deal with irate actors. James Best, who portrayed crooked sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane, refused to film five episodes because he had no private dressing room in which to change his clothes; the production just hosed him down when he got dirty. Ben Jones, who played “Cooter” the mechanic, briefly left because he wanted his character to sport a beard and producers preferred he be clean-shaven.
As established, the General Lee was a primary attraction for viewers of the series. For years, the show wrecked dozens of Chargers by jumping, crashing, and otherwise abusing them, which created some terrific footage. For its seventh and final season in 1985, the show turned to a miniature effects team in an effort to save on production costs: it was cheaper to mangle a Hot Wheels-sized model than the real thing. “It was a source of embarrassment to all of us on the show,” Wopat told E!.
A staple—and, eventually, cliché—of action films everywhere, the slide over the hood was popularized by Tom Wopat. While it may have been tempting to take credit, Wopat said it was unintentional and that the first time he tried clearing the hood, the car’s antenna wound up injuring him.
Warner Bros. capitalized on the show’s phenomenal popularity with an animated series, The Dukes, which was produced by Hanna-Barbera and aired in 1983. Taking advantage of the form, the Duke boys traveled internationally, racing Boss Hogg through Greece or Hong Kong. Perhaps owing to the fact that the live-action series was already considered enough of a cartoon, the animated series only lasted 20 episodes.
At the time the series originally aired, little was made of the General Lee sporting a Confederate flag on its hood. In 2015, after then-South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley spoke out against the depiction of the flag in popular culture, Warner Bros. elected to stop licensing products with the original roof. The company announced that all future Dukes merchandise would drop the design element. Schneider disagreed with the decision, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “Is the flag used as such in other applications? Yes, but certainly not on the Dukes ... Labeling anyone who has the flag a ‘racist’ seems unfair to those who are clearly ‘never meanin’ no harm.'”
So, that was the story they told in some episode. So that's why they could still use a bow and arrow tho.
They didn't have guns because they were convicted felons (fer runnin' shine). Convicted felons are probably not allowed to have explosives either, but that's a minor detail.
They weren’t allowed to use guns because both were felons...
He was the baddie in a Perry Mason episode or two.
Tom Wopat - Wisconsin
John Schneider - New York
Catherine Bach - Ohio
Buncha damned Yankees!
I saw Daisy at Darryl Starbird’s Car Show in Houston. The show had some of his and Barris’ work in it but all I remember is Daisy. Every teen boy loved Daisy.
The show was cornpone but everybody understood that and didn’t take it seriously. It was fun. It was such a big hit IMO because it depicted not only people who were not from NYC or LA but who were.....gasp!....Southerners. Furthermore, though it did have fun with the stereotypes, it depicted them as basically sympathetic people.
This is of course, anathema to the. Northeast/Left Coast types as is any kind of sympathetic depiction of Southern culture. Such a thing would never be made or aired today. They have decided sometime in the late 80s/early 90s that the Confederate battle flag is now suddenly a hate symbol and anybody displaying it MUST be filled with a seething hatred of anybody who isn’t a WASP - nevermind that totems of millions of Southerners it doesn’t mean that at all. Notice how this happened at about Leftists in Academia started pushing PC Revisionism.
I for one would not vote for Nikki Haley for county dog catcher. Plenty of others feel the same way. If you get in bed with South hating Leftists to further their agenda, you will forever be persona non grata with me.
I saw Bach and another actress walking down the sidewalk across the street from “ Gunners “ during a Sturgis bike rally.
She was from Rapid City
Bump Bump
I liked Daisy’s guns.
This was a great show, fun entertainment.
I read or heard somewhere that the first five shows were shot on location in Covington and Conyers Georgia. The Covington GA town square and county courthouse could be seen frequently. Also, I heard a good number of chase scenes were shot in Henry County which is neighboring to the south of the county Covington is in.
I currently live in Henry County, and I could very easily be talked into believing that road scenes were shot here if my memory serves me correctly.
I remember Denver Pyle from many radio shows.
Item # 6 needs further discussion of the negotiations, including ALL of the photographic evidence that was presented.
Friday nights in the days before most people had even seen a VCR much less owned one. 8 pm and time for The Dukes! Except that's when the whole town is supposed to be at the high school's football stadium.
Attendance plummeted even in places like Texas. THAT is how powerful The Dukes of Hazzard was.
Yes, but at least they were willing to pretend.
Yes, Schneider is one handsome guy.
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